Ludacris

When Def Jam signed Ludacris in 2000, the Atlanta rapper had already released a regionally successful independent release (Incognegro) with a hot single ("What's Your Fantasy"), so all the powerhouse label did was repackage the album, re-release the single nationally, and throw in four big-name collaborations. It was a wise decision, as Incognegro certainly sounds like a major-label release, produced largely by talented newcomer Shondrae and to a lesser extent by top Southern rap producers Organized Noize. Plus, the four new tracks -- the Neptunes-produced club-banger "Southern Hospitality," the previously released Timbaland-produced "Phat Rabbit," the rowdy U.G.K.-featuring "Stick 'Em Up," and the provocative Trina and Foxy Brown remix of "What's Your Fantasy" -- are album highlights, the sort of good-time collaborations that would become Ludacris' specialty hereafter. Elsewhere, though, Back for the First Time is a major-label album with an underground aesthetic. Producer Shondrae crafts Dirty South-style beats with a unique touch that resembles no other major-label producer circa 2000, and the sporadic guests -- I-20, Fat Wilson, Shawnna, Pastor Troy, and 4-Ize -- are hungry underground rappers from the Atlanta scene. This array of Def Jam-payrolled big-name collaborations and previously released underground tracks ensures that Back for the First Time appeals to all, from the already-down Southern scene to the lucrative national mass market.