Is it cuz they like his gangsta walk? Or is it cuz they like his gangsta talk? Whatever it is, fans love Ludacris, and they just won't let him be.
Atlanta rapper Ludacris bumped his way into a packed Celebrity Theatre to show Phoenix a little "Southern Hospitality" Friday night.
Amid clouds of smoke and puddles of liquor, I watched Luda and his Disturbing Tha Peace crew "Rollout" onto stage, double fisting microphones and bottles of Hennessy. But while Ludacris was running his mouth, there were some "Freaky Thangs" going down.
During the show, I watched a handful of fans disturbing the peace escorted to the door for ludicrous infractions (i.e. drinking, smoking, straight west-coasting).
At the same time, I swear I saw rappers on stage puffing away on a blunt the size of an Iraqi missile.
Probably 90 percent of the all-ages show was incoherent at one point Friday night. If security had wanted to, it could have kicked out most of the crowd and made hundreds of arrests; but for some reason, when rappers get on stage, the security seems to "Go To Sleep."
Then there was the crowd. For a second, I thought I was in a Foot Locker commercial. While throwback sports jerseys were the preferred gear, some bigger fans donned undersized bikinis with flashing lights so Luda could see them dancing in the top corner of the theater.
But for the most part, if you weren't decked out in your favorite thug jersey and pimp shoes, you stuck out like a white reporter at a rap concert.
Luckily, I copped a jersey from a friend before the show to cover up my "Walk for Peace 2000" free T-shirt. With my sideways cap and authentic St. Louis Cardinals jersey, I moved down to the standing room only in front of the stage. Just when I had my "Block on Lockdown," someone noticed me stomping in my fake Air Force Ones and started yelling at me to "Move Bitch."
At this point, I returned to my seat in the back of the theater, next to the dancing light show.
Ludacris proved that there is no other spectacle in the world like a good rap concert. It was definitely a learning experience, and word on the street is it's always best to take Luda's clubbing advice: "If you a pimp and you know you don't love them hoes, When you get on the flo', throw dem 'bows."
Reach the reporter at benjamin.honingford@asu.edu.
