Peering out a hotel window, Ludacris is considering a more sedate lifestyle. Less Chicken 'N Beer, more exercise and books. Maybe even giving up some of his hard-partying ways.

But the witty, free-flowing 26-year-old rapper isn't about to get all conscious on us just yet. After all, this is the same guy who stripped in his Splash/Waterfalls video and whose latest single tells critics to take their thoughts and Blow It Out a place that would be more than a bit uncomfortable.

Ludacris' ability to turn a phrase in the most unique of ways is what's made the former Atlanta radio DJ one of today's most successful rappers. Though he's only on his third album -- Chicken 'N Beer -- he's rapped on more than a dozen hits, thanks to numerous collaborations like Usher's recent No. 1 smash Yeah!

His penchant for explicit words and topics led Fox News talk show host Bill O'Reilly to urge Pepsi to drop him as a pitchman in 2002. Though O'Reilly was successful, Ludacris did get his revenge on record -- his barbs against the popular conservative are among the most hilarious rhymes on his multiplatinum album.

AP: What do you think about the Federal Communications Commission's crackdown on indecency?

Ludacris: That whole deal is really crazy to me. It's really sad that Janet Jackson was just going to let her (breast) out and the next thing you know, the FCC is just cracking down on everything.

AP: Has it affected you?

Ludacris: It affected me already, because my Splash/Waterfalls video was a little kind of sexually explicit, but on certain video channels, I won't name any, they had to completely stop playing mine during the daytime. It's going to make people kind of like, I guess, not be as blatantly vulgar, on videos and music. And in a sense, it's a good thing.

AP: You did an "uncut" video for your song Booty Poppin', and Nelly's explicit Tip Drill video was recently the subject of protests. What do you think about the controversy over such soft-core porn videos?

Ludacris: The people that are criticizing are mostly those who have never seen anything like this or haven't experienced this. Hip-hop music, what we're doing is showing you the reality of what goes on. We're not necessarily trying to promote it in our minds, we're trying to show the reality of what goes on in our neighborhoods. I would say to people who criticize, they're scared of the truth, because this is what's going on, it's like watching the news.

AP: Did the whole Bill O'Reilly thing help you at all?

Ludacris: I'm sure a lot of people who didn't know who Ludacris was definitely know who I am because of him, talking about my name. Because the audience that watches his show, a lot of those people are ones that haven't necessarily heard of my music or heard of me. So I wouldn't doubt in my mind that it made me a little more popular, because some people say any publicity is good publicity, and I also think it made him popular. And yes it did spark something, because rap is all about emotion, so I couldn't help but to let out my feelings about the subject.

AP: Do you think corporations have pulled back from rappers?

Ludacris: It doesn't seem like it to me. At first I was thinking some corporations would pull back from me, but I haven't seen any resistance. There's still a lot of deals on the table that I'm negotiating and we've done business with other companies since this incident. It would seem as if a lot of companies would pull back from hip-hop music, but it just seems like they're gravitating more to it.

AP: What are some personal goals you'd like to achieve at this point?

Ludacris: I'm at a point where I feel like I want to learn more. I want to increase the brain capacity. I'm really into empowering myself and just making myself stronger. There comes a time in everybody's life where they just feel like they just wanna get on the right path. I just want to stimulate my mind.

AP: You talk about expanding your mind -- would you give up marijuana?

Ludacris: I've thought about it, but I'm not at that point where I can completely stop yet. Maybe will eventually, but not yet. Especially, the next album is called The Red Light District. There's some smokin' songs on there.

AP: What can Ludacris do that no other rapper can?

Ludacris: No one is as versatile as me. If I ever want to be known as anything, it's the most versatile MC, from

T.I and Ludacris square off.
While everybody is talking about the Lil Flip and T.I battle, Ludacris has recently licked shots at T.I as well. An unofficial remix of a Young Buck track featuring T.I has just surfaced with Ludacris dissing the self-proclaimed "King of the South" at the tail end of the cut. [Listen]

TI apparently took subliminal aim at Ludacris a few months back on a track dissing fellow southerner Lil Flip. However, this time, Luda skips the subliminals and takes an obvious shot at his arch nemesis by spitting:

My deals never get screwed; my contracts practice abstinence / I'm the masterr in this program; hazing these undergraduates / So "pimpin be easy", stop catching feelings / 'cause you worth a couple hundred grand and I'm worth millions / Nobody's thinkin about you plus your beef ain't legit / So please stay off the T-I-P of my d1ck!

Ludacris promises a new album by the end of the year!

He also told MTV that he is starring in a new movie.

A record label has filed a lawsuit in United States Court, Southern District of New York, alleging that Ludacris and Kanye West took the hook for the hit single "Stand Up" from their single.

BMS Entertainment/Heat Music claims they handed a demo of their group I.O.F. (Its Only Family) to Ludacris on four different occasions between August 2002 and May of 2003. Court documents say the demo was also personally handed to Kanye West in May of 2003.

The Demo contained their song "Straight Like That" which they allege Ludacris stole.

"The industry has systems set up for artist to get paid for their work," says Jeff Billingsley, CEO of BMS Entertainment/Heat Music LLC. "In entertainment, many unsigned artists and producers have had this problem; it's nothing new."

Billingsley said that he was not attempting a get rich scheme, but had a legitimate gripe against Ludacris and West, since the song helped fuel the platinum success of the album Chicken and Beer.

"We are not trying to do a get rich quick scheme," Billingsley said. "They [I.O.F.] have their own buzz on the streets and throughout the industry. We don't do business like that and no one will take from us without being confronted. I.O.F. feel that they have been done a disservice and want to take it through the proper channels and let the courts decide."

The group is currently featured on the Spike Lee "Home Invaders" soundtrack and have opened up for such acts as 50 Cent and NORE.
Source: All Hip Hop

Last week, a New Jersey indie label filed a shocking lawsuit in the courts against Ludacris and super-producer Kanye West, alleging that the chorus for "Stand Up" was jacked from one of their songs.

Though unable to elaborate on the suit for legal reasons, the label's representatives, Jeff Billingsley and "Black", spoke exclusively to SOHH.com on the incident. Billingsley, CEO of the New Jersey based record label BMS Entertainment, claims Ludacris was handed a copy of "Straight Like That," a song by BMS Entertainment recording artist I.O.F, several times between August 2002 and May 2003. He also states that Kanye West, the producer of Luda's hit "Stand Up," also received a copy.

"We gave him the CD four times in well publicized places... BET studios, MTV studios. Two members of IOF gave [Ludacris] the song twice in the same place," Billingsley told SOHH.com via phone. "Everybody from Method Man to Nore to Kevin Liles got CDs."

While "Stand Up" was released last fall, BMS stresses that "Straight Like That" was recorded and copyrighted in 2000. According to BMS, the resemblance between the tracks is so striking that heads initially mistook Luda's cut for a revamped collaboration between the two parties.

"Somebody called us from down south and they were like, "Did you do a song with Luda?" And then more and more people kept coming to us asking us about it," Billingsley explained. "We sat down with the group. We went and got a musicologist, who's worked with everyone from Micheal Jackson to Julio Iglesias, in order to determine whether we had a claim. We had to make sure we did this even before we got a lawyer."

Meanwhile, Black hopes to set a precedent with the suit by showing that unsigned artists don't have to be victimized.

"This happens to a lot of unsigned artists," Black shared obviously bothered. "It's not just us. We're trying to start a worldwide movement for these kids that don't have a lot of money and don't have a chance to represent themselves."

Thus far, BMS has taken all the steps to insure they are properly prepared to face the courts. However, they emphasize that their intentions are motivated by their honest belief they've been wronged -- not to take gratuitous shots at Kanye West and Ludacris.

"The reason we're doing this is that we don't do business in a form that allows somebody to feel comfortable stealing somebody's music. We're the type to confront the issue head on. And we're taking every step to make sure that it's taken care of legally," Billingsley revealed. "We want to let the court decide. If the song was copyrighted in 2000 we want the judge to be able to prove it. We respect Ludacris and Kanye West. We're not trying to get at them just cause they're getting some shine."

LUDACRIS FEATURING SHAWNA / OVERALL SCORE: 8.5

Stage Performance - 9: As expected, Luda got live from the first track until the last.

Audience Response - 9: Luda got the crowd involved during his performance and in between songs. He put out the energy and the crowd gave it back.

Song Selection - 7: Luda definitely could have went back to hit the crowd off with "Area Codes" or "Saturday," but he opted for lesser known album cuts.

Perks - 9: Shawnna was expected to be there, but who knew she was going to make such an impression? Concert-goers lost their minds when she made a bid for fastest rapper on "RPM" from Disturbin Tha Peace's Golden Grain. After getting a second to catch her breath, Shawnna was joined by Beenie Man for a rendition of "Dude" remix. Dance Hall lovers quickly came out of the woodwork. Interestingly, Lil Flip drew no reaction upon assisting Luda with a track and a performance of "Game Over."