Ludacris returns to Honolulu in January

Grammy-winning hip-hop artist Ludacris will perform Jan. 12 at the Blaisdell Arena. (Courtesy photo)

Def Jam recording artist Ludacris, known for his playful, party-centric lyrics, drawn-out vocals and Dirty South style of hip-hop music, is set for a concert in Honolulu’s Blaisdell Arena on Jan. 12, 2013.

Tickets, $45.50 upper level and $55.50 for floor and loges seats, go on sale this Friday, Nov. 16, via Ticketmaster, online at ticketmaster.com, by phone at 800-745-3000 and at outlets including Walmart.

“He’s going to be performing with a full band, it’s not just a DJ set — which is something pretty cool. He’ll be performing a mix of his classic hits and new tracks from his album, ‘Ludaversal,’” said Mike Moravec, partner in concert promoter SkyHi Productions. “He was interested in coming to Hawaii. He’s been wanting to come to Hawaii for a while now.”

Ludacris has performed in Hawaii, opening for Snoop Dogg at a concert more than 10 years ago, but as far as Moravec knows has not headlined a concert in Honolulu.

Ludacris’ albums have sold more than 20 million copies, according to his Def Jam bio, beginning with the 2000 triple-platinum breakthrough album, “Back For the First Time.”

He’s also appeared in several films and TV shows, including “2 Fast 2 Furious” and the fifth film in the sequence, “Fast Five.” He has been in Europe filming the sixth “Fast” film, and hosted the MTV Europe Music Awards alongside Heidi Klum on Nov. 11 in Frankfurt, Germany.

The Atlanta artist has been in the lead-up to the release of a new album, “Ludaversal,” to be released on the recording artist’s own Def Jam imprint, Disturbing Tha Peace. He’s in familiar territory singing his lady’s praises, drawing out vowels and drawling out, “All right all right all right!” on the album’s second single, “Representin,” with guest vocals by Kelly Rowland.

The latest drop, “Rest of My Life,” hops on the trend of working EDM into hip-hop and pop music, a la Beyonce and Nicki Minaj. Switch-cutting from crooned lyrics by Usher and swooping beats from David Guetta, Ludacris sings, “Only got one life to live. I’ma party till I’m dead. What the hell’s a life worth, if it’s not on the edge?”

“Rest of My Life,” predictably, has drawn some critical comments from fans who don’t want Ludacris to “go Nicki Minaj” with electronic beats. Ludacris’ signature vocal delivery and preoccupation with nightclubs, women and “weed” remain constant, however.

Reviewing 2010 album “Battle of the Sexes,” McClatchy-Tribune News Service critic August Brown praised Ludacris for his “gleefully elastic patois, one of rap’s most distinctive and ever-pleasurable voices.”

“‘Ludaversal,’ I think, is a play on universal,” Moravec said. “He’s making music from different sources, all over the world.”
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Elizabeth Kieszkowski is editor of TGIF, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s weekly arts and entertainment section. Reach her via email at ekieszkowski@staradvertiser.com or follow her on Twitter.

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