‘I got so much love for the 314’

ATL rap veteran Ludacris demonstrated his special relationship with St. Louis when he took the stage under the Arch as part of the entertainment lineup for Celebrate 250 Friday night. He was among the opening night artists of a weekend celebration presented by Celebrate Saint Louis that included several of the biggest names in music from hip hop, reggae, pop, country and EDM. 

The relentless heat didn’t deter tens of thousands from rocking with the rap star for Luda’s hour-long set. His performance reminded the audience of his reach and depth as an artist in the 25 years since he broke through as a reliable hip-hop star with the type of bars that can fit in just about any genre.

He opened his set with “Number One Spot,” a 20-year-old track that proved prophetic. But before he settled into his show, he gave props to St. Louis for supporting him from the very beginning. 

“Since we are celebrating a quarter-century, I gotta be honest with y’all,” Ludacris “When I first started this whole run, I put out an independent album. Way before I was signed to Def Jam or any major company, I put out an album and started selling it independently.”

He told the crowd that he went around the country to promote and sell the album.

“Three cities supported me from day one,” Luda said. “St. Louis was one of those cities. Y’all caught on early. So I got so much love for the 314. Thank y’all from the bottom of my heart. If it wasn’t for y’all, I wouldn’t be here.”

It was a gesture he paid forward early on. After being signed to Def Jam and getting a distribution deal for Disturbing Tha Peace (DTP), St. Louis rap artist Chingy was one of the first acts signed to the label. 

After hopping into his verse on “Holidae Inn,” Luda brought Chingy out to perform the song alongside him. Then the pair tag teamed Chingy’s signature hit “Right Thurr.” The song anchored Chingy’s triple-platinum album that he released as part of the DTP family. 

Luda had the audience’s full attention after his segment with Chingy, and he never let them go. 

As he promised when he started the show, Luda leaned on his entire catalog for his Celebrate 250 performance. He went all the way back to his major label debut “Word of Mouf” with “Rollout” “Move [b-word expletive] and “Area Codes.” 

He performed with the hunger of a new artist and the energy of a seasoned veteran well versed in the art of live hip hop performance. He worked both sides and the middle of the massive stage and with bare minimum as far as vocal track assistance. 

In addition to his new single “Pull Over,” Ludacris gave the crowd what they came for with hits like “Act A Fool,” and “Throw Them Bows” 

What was most striking about his set was his high profile features. Luda has provided verses on some of the biggest club bangers of the early 2000s – and he gave the audience a taste of how useful he was in adding his special sauce to those songs. 

From Usher, Justin Bieber and Fergie to T-Pain and Ace Hood, Luda has been a dependable contributor to pop music as much as he has been to hip hop.

The audience exploded when he performed his verse from the remix of Justin Bieber’s breakthrough hit “Baby.” The crowd sang along to Bieber’s prepubescent vocals. 

DJ Infamous deserves a nod for keeping the energy level at a maximum for a five-minute mini feature – probably to give Luda a chance to cool off before he closed out the high impact show. 

Infamous leaned on heavily on DMX tracks before closing out with Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,’ a risky choice for a hip hop show that paid off enormously. 

But the highlight of the show was the performance of his verse from DJ Khaled’s 2010 anthem “All I Do Is Win.”

“When I step into the building, everybody’s hands go up…and they stay there,” the hook says before Ludacris launches into his explosive, unforgettable verse. And that’s exactly what they did.

Celebrate 250 concerts continue tonight (Saturday, July 4) with a lineup that includes Stephen Marley, Kenny Loggins and Miranda Lambert. For the full schedule and lineup, visit www.celebratesaintlouis.org

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