Ludacris

Ludacris began dating Gabonese model Eudoxie Mbouguiengue in 2009. He proposed to her during a flight to Costa Rica on December 26, 2014, and the couple married later that same day. Together they have two daughters, Cadence and Chance. Ludacris also has two daughters, Karma and Cai, from previous relationships.

In January 2020, Ludacris officially acquired Gabonese citizenship alongside his mother and his daughters. His extended family includes R&B singer Monica, who is his cousin, and comedian Richard Pryor, who was his distant cousin.

Born Christopher Brian Bridges in Champaign, Illinois, Ludacris began rapping at nine years old and moved to Atlanta, Georgia, during his youth. He worked as an intern and radio DJ at Atlanta's Hot 97.5 under the name "Chris Lova Lova". During this period, he met producer Timbaland and recorded his first official feature on the 1998 track "Phat Rabbit" credited as Ludichris.

Ludacris co-founded his own independent record label, Disturbing tha Peace, to release his 1999 debut album Incognegro. The album gained traction through the breakout single "What's Your Fantasy" featuring Shawnna. Following the song's commercial momentum, Def Jam South signed Ludacris and repackaged the project into his major-label debut, Back for the First Time (2000). The album peaked at number four on the Billboard 200 and spawned another top-charting single, the Pharrell Williams-assisted "Southern Hospitality".

In 2001, Ludacris released Word of Mouf, which featured hit singles such as "Rollout (My Business)", "Area Codes" featuring Nate Dogg, and "Move Bitch" featuring Mystikal and I-20. His 2003 follow-up, Chicken-n-Beer, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and produced the Kanye West-produced anthem "Stand Up", giving Ludacris his first number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 as a lead artist.

Ludacris earned widespread mainstream acclaim through high-profile guest features, most notably on Usher's 2004 global hit "Yeah!" alongside Lil Jon, which won the Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. His 2004 album The Red Light District debuted at number one, propelled by singles such as "Get Back" and the Austin Powers-inspired "Number One Spot". In 2006, he released the concept album Release Therapy, which earned the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album and yielded another Billboard Hot 100 number one with "Money Maker".

Ludacris made his major film breakthrough in 2003 as mechanical expert Tej Parker in 2 Fast 2 Furious, cast by director John Singleton. He went on to make the character a permanent fixture of the Fast & Furious franchise, reprising the role in Fast Five, Fast & Furious 6, Furious 7, The Fate of the Furious, F9, and Fast X.

Beyond the action franchise, he earned critical praise as part of the ensemble cast in the 2004 drama Crash, which won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. His other screen credits include the drama Hustle & Flow (2005), the sci-fi action film Gamer (2009), the romantic comedy No Strings Attached (2011), and the thriller End of the Road (2022).

Ludacris maintained a steady presence in music throughout the late 2000s and 2010s, releasing albums including Theater of the Mind (2008), Battle of the Sexes (2010), and Ludaversal (2015). In 2010, he was featured on Justin Bieber's global hit single "Baby", which became one of the highest-certified singles in United States history.

Drawing inspiration from his eldest daughter, Ludacris created and executive produced the animated musical children's series Karma's World, which premiered on Netflix in October 2021. He also voiced the character of Conrad Grant, earning nominations at the NAACP Image Awards for the production and his vocal performance.

In 2002, Ludacris established The Ludacris Foundation, an outreach nonprofit dedicated to youth empowerment through education, healthy living, and leadership development. He has also partnered with literacy campaigns to donate books to underserved school districts.

His entrepreneurial ventures include co-ownership of Conjure Cognac, his line of Soul By Ludacris headphones launched in 2011, and real estate investments. In November 2016, he opened the Chicken N Beer restaurant inside Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. In 2023, he expanded into stage production as a producer on the Broadway musical How to Dance in Ohio.