The Red Light District
2004 studio album by Ludacris
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The Red Light District is the fifth studio album by American rapper Ludacris. It was released on December 7, 2004, through Disturbing tha Peace/Def Jam South. The album's title refers to an urban tourist district where the standard industry is prostitution.[4] The CD is accompanied by a 41-minute DVD made by Decon of Ludacris visiting the red-light district, a cannabis grow-room, an adult 'cam-house' and the recording of the Red Light District CD/DVD promo concert in Amsterdam, Netherlands.[5]
| The Red Light District | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | December 7, 2004 | |||
| Genre | Hip-hop | |||
| Length | 65:22 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer |
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| Ludacris chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Red Light District | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| PopMatters | 5/10[2] |
| RapReviews | 5.5/10[3] |
Production was handled by Timbaland, Craig King, DJ Green Lantern, DJ Toomp, DK All Day, Donnie Scantz, Heazy, Icedrake, LT Moe, Needlz, Organized Noize, Polow da Don, Salaam Remi, The Medicine Men, Tic Toc and Vudu, with Chaka Zulu and Ludacris serving as executive producers. It features guest appearances from Bobby V, DJ Quik, DMX, Dolla Boy, Kimmi J., Nas, Nate Dogg, Sleepy Brown, Small World, Trick Daddy and Doug E. Fresh. A pre-famous Future co-wrote a track on the album, "Blueberry Yum Yum". The album was supported with four singles: "Get Back", "Number One Spot", "The Potion" and "Pimpin' All Over the World" and a promotional single "Blueberry Yum Yum".
In the United States, the album debuted at number-one on the Billboard 200 album chart with 322,000 copies sold in its first week. On September 29, 2005, it received a double platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America for selling 2 million units.
Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 70/100[6] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [7] |
| Cokemachineglow | 68/100%[8] |
| Entertainment.ie | [9] |
| HipHopDX | 3.5/5[10] |
| laut.de | [11] |
| Los Angeles Times | [12] |
| Now |   [13] |
| RapReviews | 8/10[14] |
| Rolling Stone |  [15] |
The Red Light District was met with generally favourable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 70, based on sixteen reviews.[6]
Soren Baker of Los Angeles Times wrote: "Ludacris includes thoughtful rhymes on "Child of the Night" and "Hopeless", but his humour is still his biggest asset and the reason he commands respect".[12] Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone named it "his most inventive album yet".[15] Dom Sinacola of Cokemachineglow wrote: "so, Ludacris is still a distance from a definitive, unmatched hip-hop statement, but I'm content with his glaciered pace and middling "a-a-a-a-b-b-b-b-etc" frame. It's just too much damn fun to pass up".[8] In mixed reviews, AllMusic's Andy Kellman wrote: "Luda hasn't slipped into the complacent lap of luxury as deeply as some of his fellow platinum contemporaries, but it's evident that he's not as hungry as he once was".[7]
Commercial performance
The Red Light District debuted at number-one on the US Billboard 200 album chart with 322,000 copies sold in its first week.[16] On September 29, 2005, it received a double platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling 2 million units.[17]
Track listing
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[18]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Intro" | Timbaland | 1:25 | |
| 2. | "Number One Spot" |
| DJ Green Lantern | 4:34 |
| 3. | "Get Back" |
|
| 4:30 |
| 4. | "Put Your Money" (featuring DMX) |
| Icedrake | 4:13 |
| 5. | "Blueberry Yum Yum" (featuring Sleepy Brown) |
| Organized Noize | 3:55 |
| 6. | "Child of the Night" (featuring Nate Dogg) |
| DK All Day | 5:01 |
| 7. | "The Potion" |
| Timbaland | 3:54 |
| 8. | "Pass Out" |
| Needlz | 4:21 |
| 9. | "Skit" | 0:55 | ||
| 10. | "Spur of the Moment" (featuring DJ Quik and Kimmi J.) |
| LT Moe | 4:15 |
| 11. | "Who Not Me" (featuring Small World and Dolla Boy) |
| Craig King | 4:56 |
| 12. | "Large Amounts" |
| Vudu | 4:33 |
| 13. | "Pimpin' All Over the World" (featuring Bobby Valentino) |
|
| 5:29 |
| 14. | "Two Miles an Hour" |
| DJ Toomp | 4:45 |
| 15. | "Hopeless" (featuring Trick Daddy) |
| Heazy | 5:05 |
| 16. | "Virgo" (featuring Nas and Doug E. Fresh) | Salaam Remi | 3:31 | |
| Total length: | 1:05:22 | |||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 17. | "Get Back" (Sum 41 rock remix) | 4:13 |
Samples credits
- "Number One Spot" samples from "Soul Bossa Nova" by Quincy Jones.
- "Get Back" contains an interpolation from “Fuck You Tonight” by Notorious B.I.G..
- "Child of the Night" samples from "Portuguese Love" by Teena Marie.
- "Who Not Me" samples an interpolation from “Stick Em” by The Fat Boys.
- "Large Amounts" samples from “Pick A Pocket Or Two” by Clive Reville.
- "Two Miles an Hour" samples from "Little Child Runnin' Wild" by Curtis Mayfield and "Summertime" by DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince.
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[30] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[31] | Silver | 60,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[17] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[32] Video |
Gold | 50,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||