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| "Thank goodness America is still a place where people have the inalienable right to state their opinions�no matter how asinine and hypocritical those opinions may be. That right, which we often take for granted, is pivotal to Bill O'Reilly's career. If the Constitution didn't guarantee every American that right, it would be a lot more difficult for O'Reilly to repeatedly spew his often ignorant and venomous comments from his Fox News soapbox into people's ears. And people may disagree with his comments, which are expressed on his various television shows, and websites, and in his books, yet no one has been trying to kill his career. People respect his right to freedom of speech.O'Reilly, on the other hand, could give a damn about anyone else's freedom of expression�especially rappers and hip hop artists, whom O'Reilly has been constantly and exclusively picking on for the past year-and-a-half. Most recently, the Fox News pundit criticized sneaker giant Reebok for teaming up with 50 Cent. O'Reilly told the Boston Herald, "Reebok should be ashamed of themselves." He later said on his show, "Corporate pollution is not just dumping PCBs in the Charles River, It's allowing people to put out these horrible CDs.'' As the Boston Herald reported, "Reebok said (in a statement) it doesn't condone every action of its hundreds of athletic and entertainment endorsers but it does support their rights to free expression." Did you get that, Bill O'Reilly?
Before 50 Cent was put on his hit list, O'Reilly provoked NBC into editing out Snoop Dogg's scenes from their A Very Muppet Christmas Movie back in Sept. 2001. He also criticized Old Navy for using Lil' Kim in their ads, but the Queen Bee issued a statement in which she said that O'Reilly's comments "show the world that contrary to popular beliefs, Neanderthals are not entirely extinct." Last Jan. O'Reilly also slammed Eminem as the winner of the People's Choice Award, saying in the New York Daily News "he is as harmful to America as any Al Qaeda fanatic." But what takes the cake and propels O'Reilly's inner jackass outward is the Ludacris situation. As is well-known by now, the Pepsi Company had originally hired Ludacris as an endorser in Aug. 2002. When he caught wind of it three months later, O'Reilly opened his big mouth and spewed a whole heap of hypocritical madness. He accused Pepsi of "promoting a man that espouses violence, degrading sex, and substance abuse." Though Pepsi Spokesman Bart Casabona admitted that "Ludacris is one of today's most popular performers, and he's broadly appealing among teens of all ethnicities," the next day, Pepsi dropped Luda's ass like a hot potato. Instead, they signed on wholesome Ozzy Osbourne and family for the deal. Yes, the same Ozzy Osbourne who bit the head off a live dove as well as a bat during live performances. And the same Ozzy Osbourne who curses a f***ing mile a minute, as witnessed on MTV's The Osbournes. Forget all of this as well as Jack Osbourne's substance abuse problems, as O'Reilly did by completely embracing Pepsi's newfound endorsers. Ludacris shared his reaction with VIBE Online in which the Southern rapper said, "I'm very glad everything happened the way it did with the Pepsi Corporation dropping me and him talking about me. For one, I've gained so many new fans from this man talking about me on his television show." He added, "It was more of win-win situation because, you know, he got more ratings for his show, but in the end payback is a motherf***er." Luda is referring to an eventual "settlement" Pepsi made under pressure from Russell Simmons and his Hip Hop Summit Action Network, in which the corporate giant donated $3 million to the non-profit Ludacris Foundation. But it didn't end there, O'Reilly is still jocking Ludacris like it's nobody's business. After Anheuser-Bush announced signing Luda, O'Reilly was already fanning the flames. On the March 1 airing of his show, The O'Reilly Factor, he called Ludacris a "gangsta" rapper and claimed "hundreds of educators" blame Ludacris and his gangsta rapping cronies for having "debased the culture." He said of Luda, "He comes in and celebrates illegal, violent criminal activity." O'Reilly went on to compare Ludacris to mobster John Gotti. O'Reilly continued to make an ass of himself by reading off a list of family-oriented businesses owned by Anheuser-Bush�all while a clip played of Budweiser beer moving down an inventory line in an Anheuser-Bush factory. O'Reilly didn't seem to grasp the lunacy of what he was saying in juxtaposition to what was being shown. So Anheuser-Bush owns Sea World, Bush Gardens, Discovery Cove and Sesame Place. And? O'Reilly insinuated that American families who frequent these places�owned by the biggest beer manufacturer in the country�are going to halt their visits because Anheuser-Bush has a rapper pushing their product.As O'Reilly Factor guest Shawn Tully of Fortune Magazine tried to explain to the stubborn and apparently deaf O'Reilly on the March 1 show, "We're talking about a marketing campaign. We're talking about an entertainer here� What really matters is the way consumers react and whether they react by not buying their products." That didn't stop O'Reilly from calling for a boycott, which he will probably later deny having called for as he did with the Pepsi situation. He summed up that segment of the show by saying, "Well, once again, I'm not buying it. I don't like to d o this. I didn't like to do it with Pepsi, and I don't like to do it now, but you've got to draw a line." He's right, and hopefully Anheuser -Bush will draw that line. Or at least follow the money trail, which leads right to the pockets of hip hop consumers. If the only way to send a message to O'Reilly is to encourage Anheuser-Bush to go ahead and use Ludacris to pimp us hip hop heads of drinking age, then so be it. His entire reasoning for wanting to shut down Ludacris and other rappers is not only ridiculous and ill informed, but hypocritical. Why condemn someone for making a living via the inalienable right of free speech when it's exactly the same way O'Reilly makes his bread and butter?" |
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| Bill O'Reilly: "Comparing Ms. Spears to Mr. Ludacris is like comparing pot to heroin." |
| WARNING! :If you are a Ludacris fan Like I am this article might piss tha fukk outta you, & now I think I wanna knockBill O'reily that IGNORANT fukk right out! |
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| Ludacris' Crew Aims to Disturb The Peace
By Chuck "Jigsaw" Creekmur, BET.Com Staff Writer Posted July 15, 2002-- Multi-platinum artist Ludacris and his Disturbing Tha Peace crew aim to "intoxicate" listeners with their debut album, The Golden Grain, the group told BET.com. The group, consisting of Ludacris (under the moniker Velvet Jones), Lil' Fate, Tittyboy, J.C., I-20 and Shawnna, said the album title is rooted in a potent form of alcohol. "Just like the alcoholic beverage called the Golden Grain, which has a high percentage of alcohol," Ludacris said. Group member Lil' Fate said, "We saw somebody drink Golden Grain and he almost fell on the floor. You go up against the DTP, you're going to find yourself like that guy." Ludacris, the franchise player, said the group on a whole appeals to a variety of listeners. "Everybody got their own fair share of individualism. We got a touch of aggressiveness, a touch of laid-back. We got the girl flavor. We got the gangsta flavor," Ludacris said. All of the members hail from Atlanta with the exception of Shawnna, who represents the Midwest. Shawnna was featured on Luda's first commercial hit, "What's Your Fantasy." "Growing Pains" is the lead single from the DTP project, It features an appearance from Scarface, the head of Def Jam South who signed Ludacris and the DTP crew. "It's a fun song about growing up back in the day and brining it to the present day," Lil' Fate said. "Everybody can relate, from kids to us being in our middle twenties even to 50 and 60-year-olds." "Its pain when you think back, but sometimes you want to go back to those days," Lil' Fate continued. "That's why the song is called 'Growing Pains.'" Guest stars on the DTP project include Too Short, Chicago's Twista, Bun-B from UGK and the DTP Camp producers, who have also appeared on past Ludacris projects. The group shot the "Growing Pains" video at Los Angeles' Griffith Park on June 22 and 23. Listeners can expect the album to be released in the late part of August. |
| Ludacris' Mom Responds To Pepsi's Decision To Yanks Son's Ads
By Chuck 'Jigsaw' Creekmur, BET.Com Staff Writer Posted August 29, 2002-- After Pepsi dropped Ludacris from an ad campaign, the rappers' mother, Roberta Shields, issued a statement chastising a talk show host for being hypocritical, prejudicial and extremely misinformed about her son as a person. The decision to cut Ludacris' ad was handed down one day after Bill O'Reilly of political show, the O'Reilly Factor, spearheaded a protest of Pepsi over the usage of the emcee to sell the soda pop. Advertisement In the statement to BET.com, she said: "Mr. O'Reilly, how irresponsible, arrogant, erroneous and slanderous of you to call my son a thug. I am referring to your statement, "O'Reilly believes that the company (Pepsi) was irresponsible for hiring a "thug" to represent their product." Not true, Ludacris is an entertainer and an artist, and just like every artist in music, video, movie and the arts, he has the right to artistic expression. Let's keep it real. Fox (which airs the O' Reilly show) cannot take the high ground with respect to artistic expression? Fox produces shows; movies; video games and airs commercials that depict violence, sex, degrade women and offend. Furthermore, I take exception that you call my son "a dumb idiot who got lucky and exploits the system that we have." This comment is an oxymoron and it too is untrue." She also said that Ludacris contributes to a number charitable organizations like Foster Care Shelters, Stay in School and others that assist youth and disenfranchised individuals. O'Reilly claimed that approximately 3,000 viewers of his show responded via email to boycott the image of the Atlanta-based rapper. On his show Tuesday, O'Reilly said on-air, that Ludacris was a "rap thug" who was "lewd." "He likes to rap about getting intoxicated, shooting people, degrading women and selling narcotics," he said, "The man is a real sweetheart. Because of pressure by "The Factor" viewers...Ludacris has been fired." In a statement, Pepsi defended the decision to remove the ads and considered it a service to consumers of their product. The company said they pulled the ad campaign because the soft drink company said they received complaints directly from customers about the rapper's lyrical content, which they deemed offensive and full of sexually profane nuances. "We have a responsibility to listen to our consumers and we've heard from a number of people that were uncomfortable with our association with this artist," the statement said to Reuters. "We've decided to discontinue our ad campaign with this artist and we're sorry that we've offended anyone." Representatives for Def Jam declined to comment to BET.com. Ludacris was a part of a new multicultural ad campaign directed at minorities that started nationally in June. The initiative included Latin pop star Shakira, comedian/TV star Bernie Mac and other celebrities in an effort to attract younger minorities. In his 30-second ad spot, the rapper was seen performing in backwoods club seemingly in the South. In 1989, Pepsi also succumbed to public pressure to drop Madonna after paying the singer $5 million, due to controversy surrounding her video "Like A Prayer," a song laced with religious imagery. |
| Ludacris Turns To Movies; Gets Set for Anger Management By Corey Moss, MTV.com Ludacris thinks he can carry a movie, and he's putting his money where his mouf is. The Atlanta rapper will star in and executive produce the comedy "Skip Day," which will also feature his music in the film and on the soundtrack. Ludacris came up with the premise for the movie, which he describes as "House Party" meets "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," and successfully pitched it to Original Film, who in turn got Paramount Pictures and MTV Films behind it. Ludacris will play a high school senior who is transferred along with a buddy from an inner-city school to a suburban prep school where pandemonium ensues around their attempt to organize a senior skip day. Phil Beauman, who wrote "Not Another Teen Movie" and "Scary Movie," will pen the script, which will take place in Atlanta. Original Film producer Neal Moritz ("Cruel Intentions") said the movie will go into production as soon as the script is finished, which could be as early as this summer. Ludacris' schedule is booked through September, however. He will shoot his first starring role in "Radio" next month (before heading out from July to September on the Anger Management Tour (The rapper, whose sophomore album, Word of Mouf, was released late last year, has so far only appeared on the big screen in a small role in "The Wash." |
| Ludacris To Take Flicks For Playboy
By Chuck 'Jigsaw' Creekmur, BET.Com Staff Writer Posted June 10, 2003-- Atlanta lyricist Ludacris will be the latest pop artist to join the alumni as a guest photographer for Playboy Magazine. The "2 Fast 2 Furious" star put down the microphone to spend an entire day with the model Krystal Tamburino to get the sultry shots. Advertisement The exclusive shoot took place in Playboy's Chicago photography studio where the rapper was also interviewed by the adult magazine in a series dubbed the "Dirty Dozen." In the interview, 25-year-old reveals his more passionate side when it comes to flings with the young ladies as well as his unique love for the older woman. Of his preference for older ladies, he said, "Women don't reach their [sexual] peak until they're in their 30s. So yeah, I think older women are the best. Usually I'm in control, but with older women, one in particular, she pretty much controlled me. And I love being taken control of." He also revealed one starlet he had a crush on as a youth. "Janet Jackson. Man, not only because of her music, but because she's beautiful and she always keeps herself together," Ludacris said. "I liked the Janet Jackson with a little more weight on her, though. She's a little skinny for me now." As a celebrity guest photographer for Playboy, the rapper joins the ranks of Nelly, Xzibit, DMX and Ja Rule, all of who have taken pictures that can be found on playboy.com. |
| Ludacris Strikes Back At Bill O'Reilly
By Chuck 'Jigsaw' Creekmur, BET.Com Staff Writer Posted May 28, 2003-- Ludacris has been relatively quiet while conservative Bill O'Reilly aggressively combats rappers including himself, but that will change when the artist drops his third album. Advertisement Luda's Chicken & Beer is going to contain some choice lyrics on the popular news man, who campaigned against Pepsi using the rapper as a spokesman. O'Reilly's criticisms resonated with the executives at Pepsi, who promptly dropped Ludacris. But, Ludacris holds Pepsi accountable for their actions as well. "Pepsi, they don't value the black dollar. I wouldn't change a thing, it was a learning experience," he said to BET.com. "I definitely feel it was bigger than myself. They are attacking hip-hop, the culture, everything. Bill O'Reilly [is a] racist hypocrite. If you look at the end of the fiscal year, for Pepsi - they went down." The hip-hop community responded with a Russell Simmons-led boycott that resulted in a 3 million dollar payout that would go to various grassroots organizations in urban areas. The unnamed track will be on Chicken & Beer, which is slated to hit retail outlets nationwide in the early fall. In related news, Russell Simmons has released his own "energy soda," Def Con 3, which is deemed "the smart energy sode." Simmons originally announced the soda during the boycott of Pepsi. |
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'Get Back,' Ludacris Commands, Or He'll Take You Down 10.07.2004 Song will serve as first single from November 23's Red Light District. Ludacris (file) Photo: John Shearer First he told you to "move, bitch," and then he wanted you to "stand up." Now Ludacris is instructing fans to "get back." The song "Get Back" will be the first single from Luda's forthcoming album Red Light District. Like the Aforementioned singles, "Get Back," produced by the Medicine Men and Tic Toc, is an anthemic party track whose hook speaks for itself: "Get back, you don't know me like that/ Get back, you don't know me like that / Beep, beep, woop, woop, I ain't playing around/ Make one false move, I'll take you down." The Atlanta MC is getting ready to shoot a video for the single. At one point, famed director Spike Jonze was supposed to helm the clip, but he was unable to due to scheduling conflicts. There is currently no one scheduled to direct the video. Due November 23, Red Light District features DMX, Trick Daddy, Nate Dogg and DJ Quik, among others. The album follows up last year's Chicken-N-Beer. � Rashaun Hall For more on Ludacris, check out the MTV News Archive What do you think of this story? You Tell Us E-Mail this story to a friend Back to News Archive: Ludacris |
| The Streets Is Talking: News & Notes From The Underground
Let's hear it for frustration and aggravation. Woooooo! It brought three hip-hop greats together. You've probably been hearing the new posse cut "Virgo" � which features the combination of Nas, Doug E. Fresh and Ludacris � the past couple of weeks. If you haven't peeped it yet, wake up. Luda himself stopped by the MTV offices a couple of weeks ago to explain the track's origins. "The record came about because you have Nas, who's a Virgo, Doug E. Fresh, who's a Virgo, and I'm a Virgo," Luda said. "Nas put it together. We are three artists who are very upset about how the industry is, just the same old stuff going on all the time. You see Nas is in a completely different vein. Doug E. Fresh, you know how he probably feels about hip-hop today, and myself, I'm trying to go left when everybody is going right. All three of us got on this particular track and paid a tribute to what hip-hop is all about, how Doug E. Fresh started. He's beatboxing on there. We came together and did what we came to do." "Virgo" is featured on both Nas' November 30 release, Street's Disciple, and Luda's December 7 LP, The Red Light District |
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