If you’re unfamiliar with the music of Chris Bridges, better known as Ludacris, then you should definitely be paying attention to him for his cigar-loving lifestyle. He has been an avid cigar fan for years. In fact, as a celebrity smoker, he’s killing the cigar game. He often shows off with a stick in his mouth alongside fellow rappers, celebrities, and other friends.
When he’s not making music or starring in movies like the Fast and Furious franchise, Ludacris touts his love of cigars. He’s very outspoken and advertises his love of Cubans all over his Twitter page. You’ll see him posing in photos with a smoke alongside other fellow rappers. Some include Usher and Ne-Yo and comedic actor Kevin Hart, to name a few.
A Southern Transplant and Self-Published Success
Christopher Brian Bridges didn’t start out as a multi-platinum selling icon known for his less than serious lyrical content. Born in Illinois, Bridges moved to Atlanta at age nine where he began to rap shortly thereafter.
By the time he was a teenager, Bridges would be working as a DJ until self-publishing his debut album Incognegro, which he published under the pseudonym, Ludacris. This led gained him a moderate amount of success despite not having an actual label and it solidified his new name.
Ludacris’ music positioned him to sign with the label Def Jam South. From here, he made his first major-label record debut with the album Back, For the Very First Time. Then, he experimented with wordplay and less serious rap content. The album became a major success and catapulted him into stardom.
Word of Mouf and Movie Stardom
Not one who slacks, Ludacris later released three albums over three years. Two of these albums made multi-platinum status. When his third album Word of Mouf went multi-platinum, Ludacris Hollywood noticed him and he received offers for movie roles.
During his Hollywood career, Ludacris has played many large and small parts. This included a recurring role in the blockbuster series Fast and Furious which he began in 2002. His roles led him to greater success – he had already won a grammy. Since then, he has won many other awards for acting.
His film roles have not let him shy away from his music, however. He still actively records music between filming movies. Despite his schedule not leaving him much free time, he still plays the cigar game well. Yet, you can catch him enjoying a cigar during red carpet events and after-parties for premieres. Unlike many celebrities who smoke cigars during their leisure time, Ludacris is a proud cigar smoker. In fact, he’ll often pose for a photo while smoking one, even if others in that same photo don’t smoke.
Entrepreneur and Cigar Game Lover
Since attaining success in music and film, Ludacris has also branched out into the business and cigar worlds. In fact, he’ll promote any favorite smokes he finds. Among his favorites, he loves collecting and aging any premium Cubans he can find. Some of these include Monte Cristo #2.
Ludacris isn’t like some smokers who light up whatever they’ve got. He prefers storing his cigars awhile and letting them age. Then, he’ll bring them out when he feels it’s time to party or enjoy a good smoke.
It’s rumored, that he has a personalized humidor custom-built for his favorites. It’s also sized to hold the number of smokes he likes to keep on hand. His custom-built humidor is actually more well-known than what he prefers to keep inside it. That speaks volumes about the value Ludacris places on his cigars.
Ludacris’ love of the cigar game doesn’t stop with Cubans and a custom humidor though. He also co-owns Conjure Cognac, a drink he is fond of pairing with a cigar. Whether this venture came to light because of his love for cigars or he happened upon a combination that works isn’t known. One thing is certain, though. The right pairing of a cigar and a drink is a great thing indeed.
Ludacris’ Future and Smokin’ Cigar Game
Ludacris is likely more known today for his movie roles than for his nonsensical rapper role. That doesn’t mean he’s stepped away from the studio yet, though. If you’ve learned anything about him so far, then you’ve discovered he likes to stay busy.
When he’s not rapping, making blockbuster films, or closing business deals, Ludacris does charity work. He did a charity drive in 2011 that helped restock the libraries in New Orleans. This was after Hurricane Katrina devastated their book supplies. He also founded The Ludacris Foundation to help promote healthy living, leadership, and mentorship for young people.
Even that isn’t enough. He also promotes a line of headphones. He has a chicken restaurant in Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta. He manages his own record label. He endorses a line of shoes, and he has various real estate holdings throughout the country.
Whether it’s his music, movies, business deals, or other media, the idea that you won’t be seeing more of Chris Bridges is simply, ludicrous. Considering his love of a good stick, it’s also safe to assume he’ll continue killing the cigar game as well.
Photo credit: Eva Rinaldi, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons