The rapper/actor talks about partying with Tommy Lee, working with Lil Wayne and how his new website is replacing the demo tape.

Interview: Joe La Puma

Is there anything Ludacris can’t do? Eight years after debuting as a rapper, he’s transitioned into a successful dramatic actor with a healthy business portfolio. He’s got a new album called Theater Of The Mind and three movies coming out this fall, but that’s the least of his concerns right now. He’s currently filming a new eco-friendly reality show called Battleground Earth with rocker Tommy Lee for the Discovery Channel. He’s even found the time to launch a new social networking website called WeMix, which gives up and coming artists a platform to get discovered by the industry. But even with all the side-projects, don’t get it twisted: he’s still got a few tricks up his sleeve when it comes to hip-hop.

Complex: With record sales down, everyone seems to be looking for a new lane. Is that why you created WeMix?

Ludacris: Not necessarily. It was more [a response to] the ever-changing music industry on so many different levels. Not just record sales, but how records are made and how people are signed. We did it so people who never had A&R experience can go through all of these artists in the comfort of your own home. Now they’ll have a demo right in front of you. Another reason is because people are manufacturing songs, and big labels are saying that people need to make a certain kind of song to be on the radio…I never wanted that to happen. I don’t want that to happen. I want people to be able to make the kind of music that they want to make and be very happy about that.

Do you attribute the drop in sales to that “manufacturing”?

Ludacris: I attribute that to the consumer getting smart and not going out to buy albums from people that they think only have one or two good songs on their album. It’s good that the consumer is getting smarter. To be honest, looking back, for the most part I feel that I’ve put out solid albums. You can say at least the majority of the albums have good songs on it, as opposed to there being only two or three good songs. My goal is to put out that perfect project where hands-down, the majority of the people all agree that 100 percent, every track, every single song is all the way on point. If that happens, the consumer will continue to buy albums as opposed to particular songs of iTunes. Home // CELEBRITIES // WEB EXCLUSIVE // Ludacris