Ludacris - Release Therapy

DTP / Def Jam
“I’m bout to carry Def Jam on my back.” Someone call Nostradamus and tell him he’s got some competition. Def Jam has one of the best rosters in hip hop (spare maybe Aftermath), but can they get it together? Hell naw. Can anyone write a number one song? Can anyone outsell Janet [...]

DTP / Def Jam

“I’m bout to carry Def Jam on my back.” Someone call Nostradamus and tell him he’s got some competition. Def Jam has one of the best rosters in hip hop (spare maybe Aftermath), but can they get it together? Hell naw. Can anyone write a number one song? Can anyone outsell Janet in their first week? Well, spare maybe the self-serving CEO, it looks like Luda’s the answer. So it’s selling well, yes. It has Pharrell collabs (ie singles), yes. But is Release Therapy actually any good? Well this may be seen as a backhanded compliment, but it’s one of the better hip hop albums of 2006.

We kick it off with Luda in prime form on Warning. Are his intros the first thing he records on these albums? Just as was the case with both Chicken & Beer and The Red Light District, Luda sounds ridiculous on the intro track; hungry, passionate, dedicated and animated beyond any other personality in hip hop. Then for the rest of the album we’re wondering where the guy from the intro went.

Having said that though, Luda has one of the more interesting and obvious personalities in hip hop. Even on what is obviously filler material ie; Mouths To Feed, Luda’s still more interesting than Jeezy, who incidentally pops up on one of the album highlights Grew Up A Screw Up, which utilises an obvious but still dope Biggie sample.

One of the real surprises here is the Field Mob collab Satisfaction. Ridiculous beat and I’m lovin Field Mob’s verses. While the bulk of Release Therapy’s guests (R. Kelly, Jeezy) seem to be going through the motions, the hunger of Field Mob really stands out, despite both of these guys flipping Snickers-related ‘punchlines’. Wait, maybe they were literally hungry.

While the first half of the album is standard modern hip hop (ie hot beats and nothing really being said), things take a turn in the second half of the album. The target-ambiguous diss track War With God provides compelling repeat listens (that beat don’t hurt either), and the jail dedication Do Your Time featuring Beanie Sigel and Pimp C is sickness. You can really hear the passion in both Beanie and Pimp C’s voices. A track that touches on real life and real experiences in this day and age is a rarity, and this is another example of what we’re missing out on.

Runaway Love, and Freedom Of Preach round out the album, also featuring Luda in varying states of social awareness, with equally varying levels of success.

Release Therapy is another Ludacris album. It has some unbelievable moments, some head-scratchingly stupid songs and if nothing else, will keep you entertained for the duration of the album. Does this guy have the capacity to produce a true classic? Possibly, but I get the feeling time is running out.