Twelve years ago, on the r/hiphopheads subreddit, someone asked if the rapper Ludacris has a “cohesive fan base.” The comments on the thread were inconclusive, with some suggesting his fan base has dissipated in recent years.
Last week, a seemingly innocuous post on X sparked a firestorm, and Ludacris fans came out of the woodwork to defend their goofy king.
The igniting post, shared on December 31, reads: “Ludacris bad bars hit different because of his delivery. Like not only did you say some bullshit, but you yelled it.” Two days later, a response to the original post fanned the flames. An X user posted a clip of the rapper’s 2024 song “Number One Spot” with the caption “Man this shit did not age well ????????????.”
Ludacris fans—which we know now do exist—were not having it.
“Ludacris slander will not be tolerated in this household,” wrote one user, echoing a common sentiment on X. Many took the time to share what makes Ludacris such a notable rapper. “Hip Hop used to be fun and artist used to have their own style,” one user wrote. “Ludacris is one of the most creative and skilled rappers,” wrote another. “We need to re-estabilish his legacy, they disrespecting a legend!” wrote a third.
A few big names even chimed in. Rapper Vince Staples wrote: “Keep Ludacris name out y'all mouth.” O’Shea Jackson Jr., the son of Ice Cube, responded to the “Number One Spot” post with “Bro what!?! This is one of the dopest samples / themed songs ever.”
One of the biggest points of contention revolved around generational divides. “I’m not gone let yall rewrite history on ludacris you wasn’t there,” wrote a fan. “too much ludacris slander on the tl from people who weren't there and to this day have never been anywhere,” wrote another. Criticisms of younger folks hating on Ludacris even though they “weren’t there” at his height proliferated on X, with the implication being that they can’t understand his brilliance because they didn’t experience it in real time.
Others bemoaned the fact that today’s hip-hop listeners don’t know the difference between creative, skillful rap and pure nonsense. “They're so used to rappers just saying random bullshit for 3 minutes, that actual concepts are foreign to them,” one user wrote. “Y’all hate lyrical miracle rap. And in the same breath hate Ludacris. Go listen to your little druggies and leave us alone,” wrote another.
In a way, these fans are working to preserve the rapper’s legacy.
“Sincerely hoping that with all the Ludacris talk, he’ll have a musical insurgence. An entire generation of hip hop listeners don’t know the magic of absurdist rap and it’s sad,” wrote an X user. Another user called this the “hip hop revision era,” with young people writing off older music as bad or corny.
Like most internet squabbles, it’s really not that serious. In fact, the user behind the original post later wrote: “Man please shut up. It is a joke. We love Ludacris. I hate when tweets get outside my following lists, cuz here y’all come being dorks.”
What makes this instance of fan discourse interesting is the way it revived a fandom once thought to be disparate or in hibernation. Ludacris, as it turns out, does have people who ride for him.
Like many fan debates, this viral moment generated a discussion about taste. In this case, Ludacris fans contend that young people either have bad taste or don’t have the knowledge or experience to understand Ludacris’ significance. If you get it, you get it, and if you don’t––Ludacris fans are lying in wait to come correct you.
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