Chicken-n-Beer
Chicken-n-Beer is the fourth studio album by American rapper Ludacris. It was released on October 7, 2003, by Disturbing tha Peace and Def Jam Recordings. Recording sessions took place from 2002 to 2003, and it was handled by several record producers, including DJ Nasty & LVM, Kanye West, Mo B. Dick, DJ Paul, Juicy J and Ludacris himself. The album, Chicken-n-Beer is musically similar to Ludacris' previous work, with his use of a fast, highly versatile flow. Some of the songs on the album take a political overtone.
Chicken-N-Beer
October 7, 2003
2002–2003
60:22
- Ludacris
- Kanye West
- Ruh Anubis "Moby Dick" Yazid
- DJ Nasty & LVM
- Icedrake
- DJ Paul
- Juicy J
- Zukhan Bey
- Erick Sermon
- Black Key
- T-Storm
- Jook
The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, selling 429,000 copies in its first week; unlike Ludacris' previous albums, the album achieved success outside the United States, charting in several European territories; including Germany and the United Kingdom. Upon its release, Chicken-n-Beer received positive reviews, with critics praising Ludacris' technical rapping abilities and production choices, although some criticized the adult humor in the lyrics as excessive. It was supported by four singles that were released from the album, two of which – "Stand Up" and "Splash Waterfalls" – became Ludacris' first to peak in the top 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Lyrics and themes[edit]
Ludacris frequently employs a fast-paced flow on Chicken-n-Beer, whilst often suffusing the words he raps with humorous punchlines and innuendos.[1][2] Writing for BBC Music, Lewis Dene noted Ludacris to typically incorporate "lightning-quick phrasing, cutting wit and reference points a plenty" into his lyrics.[2] Many of the songs on Chicken-n-Beer are of a predominantly sexual nature,[3] and there were compared by Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club, to the material recorded by the likes of the hip hop group 2 Live Crew.[4] "Stand Up" was described as a "steamy sex rap",[1] and "Hoes in My Room", a collaboration with fellow rapper Snoop Dogg, details a fictional encounter with a collection of groupies following a live performance. Rabin further observed that Ludacris addresses such topics with "irreverent glee", despite describing these themes "well-worn" and clichéd.[4] Ludacris attacks political commentator Bill O'Reilly, who specifically criticized Ludacris for the content of his lyrics and noted him as a bad influence.[4] "Blow It Out" and "Screwed Up" contain direct references to O'Reilly and his comments, as well as observations on the difficulties of fame.[5]
Commercial performance[edit]
The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, becoming Ludacris' first album to top the chart: the overall first-week sales of 429,000 copies were an improvement on Ludacris' previous album Word of Mouf (2001), which sold 282,000 copies in its first week in the United States, debuting at number 3 on the Billboard 200.[6] In its second week, Chicken-n-Beer fell to number 2, selling 194,000 copies, representing an overall sales decrease of 55% and bringing overall sales of the album to 623,000.[7] The album spent five weeks inside the top ten of the chart, selling 936,000 copies in that time:[8] it went on to spend a total of 45 weeks on the chart.[9] It also peaked at number one on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, although it remained on the chart for a longer length of time than on the Billboard 200, lasting a total of 51 weeks before exiting the chart.[10] On June 18, 2004, the album was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of 2,000,000 copies within the United States.[11]
Unlike Ludacris' previous releases, Chicken-n-Beer achieved reasonable commercial success outside the United States. It became Ludacris' first album to chart in Australia, where it debuted and peaked at number 98, then exited the chart after a single week.[12] The album peaked at number five on the Canadian Albums Chart: although it only spent a single week on the chart, no other Ludacris album has achieved a higher position on the chart,[13] and was certified platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association on January 8, 2004.[14] In Ireland, the album debuted and peaked at number 71 on the Irish Albums Chart, before exiting the chart the following week: to date, it remains Ludacris' only album to appear on the chart.[15] In the United Kingdom, Chicken-n-Beer achieved a peak position of number 44 on the UK Albums Chart, spending a total of four weeks on the chart – the longest length of time any Ludacris album has lasted on the chart.[16] It also became Ludacris' most commercially successful album in Germany, appearing at number 87 on the German Albums Chart in the only week in which it charted.[17]
Notes