Ludacris needs absolutely NO introduction. This is a man that can rhyme any word in the English language with ANY OTHER WORD in the English language. This week we take a look at “Representin’” featuring the suddenly omnipresent Kelly Rowland. This song comes to us from the soon-to-be-released Ludaversal, which is rumored to be produced by The Neptunes, which means I am going to like it a lot.
Ludacris
Kelly leads off the track with the chorus and a laid back beat consisting of drums and a slowly swelling synth. Slow, but playful 808 style drums play throughout. Southern Hip-Hop is prone to complicated hi-hat rolls, and this song is a great example. We eventually add a similarly slow swelling synth bass and a clean electric guitar arpeggiating chords. The chorus adds in a high octave piano and a slightly thicker collection of synths. Luda lays down smooth verses with his signature complicated word placement. No fun wordplay is present, but I suppose that comes with age and success. Eminem calmed down quite a bit with age, so the absence of “watermelon, chicken and beer” jokes is excusable.
We are looking at another sex jam, plain and simple. That is what the lyrics are about, that is what the tempo and beat are geared toward. This song is very simply designed for one purpose. It is not a hit radio single. It is an R&B single. His previous single “Jingalin” is the club hit. I foresee a few months of radio play and then fading into obscurity. Ludacris is going to have to come a little harder with his next track if he wants to be on top once again.
Chicken and Beer