Ludacris Says Fans Can Expect New Music Soon: ‘I Would Say an Album Probably Next Year’

With Fast X looming, one of the franchise’s heralded stars, Ludacris, sat down with Tamron Hall to discuss his upcoming 10th studio album and what fans can expect, and Billboard has an exclusive first look. 

“We’re definitely gonna get some music before the end of this year,” revealed the “Southern Hospitality” star on the Tuesday (May 16) episode of the Tamron Hall Show. “I would say an album, probably next year.”

Luda’s last studio album came in 2015, titled Ludaversal. It debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and included features from Usher, Miguel, Monica and Big K.R.I.T. 

Luda quipped with Hall about the project’s delay, blaming the Fast & Furious franchise’s hectic shooting schedule on the wait. “They keep shooting more movies. What am I supposed to do?” he joked. 

Despite his busy schedule, Luda has found time to crank out freestyles on social media. Last year, he caught the attention of his 15 million Instagram followers when he delivered a blistering verse over Armani White’s viral Billboard Hot 100 hit “Billie Eilish.” The post not only sits at a whopping 858,000 views on Instagram, but earned him an invitation to the burgeoning rapper’s “Legends Mix” of the song featuring Busta Rhymes and N.O.R.E. Months later, on April 20, Luda dropped another freestyle, accrued staggering numbers, and neared the 800,000 mark. 

“When I was young, I feel like some of my favorite rappers, once they get to a certain point, it’s almost like you wish that they were still kind of hungry and you feel like they don’t have it necessarily like they used to. I never wanted to be that,” he shared. “So it’s extremely important for me to prove to people that even though I’m doing all this other stuff, make no mistake, I still got it, and I’m still as hungry.”

Watch Luda’s interview clip with Tamron Hall above. Check your local listings for airtime.