By Steven J. Horowitz. Luda links with some old friends for his eighth studio release. Ludacris has confirmed that his eight album Ludaversal is slated for release in May. Speaking with Billboard.com’s The Juice, Luda said that he’s already collaborated with Usher for the project, but that he’s hoping to surprise listeners with a handful of guests. “Usher is one person that I’ve already worked with,” he says, “and in terms of other artists, you can say that there’s going to be a lot of surprises on here.” Ludacris, who recently released his 1.21 Gigawatts: Back For The First Time mixtape, previously collaborated with Usher on “Yeah!” and Lil’ Jon’s “Lovers & Friends.”
He further says that the album is “about 40 percent done” and that The Neptunes have produced for the project. “I’ve pretty much collected about 80 percent of the beats that I need and I’ve started writing ideas on them. First I have to love the beat, absolutely love it,” he said, noting that the first single will drop in March. “It’s been a minute since I’ve been away from music, and there is just so much to talk about… So [the album] is mostly about my personal life, my travels, my experiences, rumors, gossip — you know, everything coming together in one.”