Ludacris has joined only a handful of rappers who have received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, taking possession of the 2,756th star at 6426 Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles.
In a livestream of the unveiling ceremony held on Thursday (May 18), the artist formerly known as Chris Lova Lova was joined by a star-studded bevy of supporters that included LL COOL J, Queen Latifah, Vin Diesel, and Tyrese.
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But it was when legendary Los Angeles radio host Ellen K announced that Luda’s eldest daughter, Karma, was about to share some thoughts that the “Roll Out” rapper got emotional.
“I was fighting tears. Seriously, I was glad that I had my sunglasses on today,” he said. “That blew me away. Usually, it’s not easy for people to keep certain things from me, but that was 100 percent a surprise. Seems like everybody knew but me! I’m a little pissed off right now. I’m a little mad.”
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Ludacris also gave props to his fellow rap contemporaries and supporters, while also remarking that he was the product of the collective of people that helped him become who he is today.
“No matter what people say I can’t do, I will continue to shatter those stereotypes and show people it’s possible in order to make everyone who got me here proud,” he said. “Because you all inspire my hard work and dedication to receive this star today. I’m motivated by legacy and history.”
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He continued: “This means that I’ve made my mark, my own personal history being documented. To be amongst these names is just amazing to me. I’m just so thankful. So, getting a star is a statement, but be clear about this statement, the even bigger statement to me is that we are all interconnected.
“And I am a culmination of the people who showed up for me today believing in me and pushing me to inspire me. So y’all be clapping for me all day I’m gonna need y’all to give yourselves a round of applause. Because I’m nothing without you.”
The unveiling of Ludacris’ star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame came on the heels of the premiere of Fast X, the latest installment in the Fast & Furious franchise, which hits theaters on Friday (May 19).
Earlier this week, Luda stopped by The Tamron Hall Show to give fans some updates on his eagerly-awaited upcoming album.
“We’re definitely gonna get some music before the end of this year,” he said to the longtime journalist. “I would say an album, probably next year.”
When he was asked why fans had to wait so long for a new Ludacris album, the rapper-turned-actor blamed the success of the Fast & Furious franchise. “They keep shooting more movies. What am I supposed to do?”
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He continued: “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. 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.”
