Theater of the Mind is the seventh studio album by American rapper Ludacris.[1] It was released in the UK on November 21, 2008, and internationally on November 24, 2008, by Disturbing tha Peace and Def Jam South.[2] Ludacris calls the album "theatrical", with guest performers credited as "co-stars".[3]
Background
The album was slated for release on October 21, but was pushed back to November 24. In April 2008, a song named "Let's Stay Together" appeared on xxlmag.com;[4] supposedly from the new album. It is now an iTunes bonus song on the album. T.I. appeared on a track called "Wish You Would", produced by DJ Toomp.[5][6]
The album cover was released on October 24, 2008, on wemix.com. The cover is an homage to Sly and The Family Stone's Life album, which had the band appearing as all the cinemas goers in the picture. Ludacris planned on releasing a sequel to this album in 2009.[7]
In ’09, I’m definitely dropping another album. I’m working on a Battle of the Sexes album and a Theater of the Mind 2. With Battle of the Sexes, I’m trying to do some stuff with Shawnna."
Ludacris has been talking to T.I. and Young Jeezy about a tour together.[8]
"I haven't confirmed anything yet. It's little talks here and there. But I'll put it out there: I would love to do a tour where it's me, T.I. and [Young] Jeezy. Me, Tip and Jeezy would be outrageous. But nothing is confirmed at the moment."
Ludacris released a "Gangsta Grillz" mixtape, with DJ Drama, titled The Preview. The mixtape was released as a digital download on July 28, 2008. This mixtape was well known for his disses toward George W. Bush, Hillary Clinton and John McCain.
Leaks
On October 24, 2008, three songs from Theater of the Mind, "Do the Right Thing", featuring Common and Spike Lee, "I Do It for Hip Hop", featuring Jay-Z and Nas, and "Last of a Dying Breed", featuring Lil Wayne were leaked to the Internet. Ludacris commented on the situation:
Although I don't know where the leaks came from, the 3 songs leaked to the Internet today were unfinished tracks and premature versions of songs. I'm glad that my fans are excited about the new project, but to get the final masterpiece, the album Theater of the Mind premieres on November 24.[10]
Theater of the Mind garnered a mild reception from music critics. Addi Stewart from NOW praised the cinematic concept throughout the record, from its title to the vast majority of featured artists on every track.[17]Entertainment Weekly's Simon Vozick-Levinson said about the overall feel of the album: "Theater feels a bit like yet another Ocean's Elevensequel. We've watched this movie more than a few times, but it's always fun to see this many talented pals cutting loose together."[16] Josh Eells of Blender felt the lyrical content making up the whole concept record was lacking and too complacent for Luda, saying that "Punch line for punch line, Luda is still the best in the business, but these sex jams and hater disses feel too flat and perfunctory for his thousand-watt personality." He concluded that after the final track "the whole thing seems less like an album than a branding exercise—an obligatory effort to keep the “hip-hop star” line on his CV."[14]The A.V. Club's Nathan Rabin commended the upbeat tracks and lyrical collaborations with T-Pain, Nas/Jay-Z and T.I. but felt they were only decent retreads of Luda's previous material and lacked the strengths found in his guest verses on other people's records. He also compared it to Kanye West's 808s & Heartbreak on how it engages its respective fanbases, saying that Mind is "more immediately accessible, but ultimately less resonant" and could benefit from a "radical reinvention" that's similar to Heartbreak.[13]Robert Christgau cited "I Do It for Hip Hop" as a "choice cut",[15] indicating a good song on "an album that isn't worth your time or money."[22] Ian Cohen, writing for Pitchfork, commended the first third for its lyrical boasts, criticized the middle portion's "one dimensionality" and "woefully underdeveloped" party jams and found the final half's hip-hop checklist tracks passable if the listeners can stomach the logic behind them, saying that "[W]hile Theater isn't quite as dire as the above may indicate, like every other Ludacris record, it doesn't grow on you-- in fact, it actually contracts."[18]
Chart performance
The album debuted at number five on the Billboard 200, selling 214,000 copies in its first week, making it his sixth top 5 album on that chart. It was his first album since 2000's Back for the First Time and 2001's Word of Mouf to not reach number one status, and his lowest charting album in his career. As of March 2010, the album has sold about 671,000 copies, achieving a gold certification.[23]
"MVP" contains samples of "Virgo" performed by Nas, "DTP for Life" performed by Disturbing tha Peace, and "All Night Long" performed by Mary Jane Girls.
"Do the Right Thang" contains samples of "Na Boca Do Sol" performed by Arthur Verocai.
"Let's Stay Together" contains samples of "Everybody's Breakin' Up" performed by Billy Paul.
Personnel
Credits for Theater of the Mind adapted from AllMusic.[24]
