Ludacris

Putting the dirty in Dirty South and the hot in Hotlanta, Ludacris stormed onto the rap scene in 2000 with the sexpot single "What's Your Fantasy." He hasn't relinquished the title Loud Mouf of the South since, puffing his chest out like a rooster rocking ice in "Stand Up," huffing and puffing 'til he blows the club down in "Get Back," weaving through the whistling [i]Austin Powers[/i] action of "Number One Spot," and adding some extra [i]oomph[/i] to the already aggro "Yeah!"

Ludacris unrolled silky-smooth verses over the sneaky piano chords of "Welcome to Atlanta," and became [i]the[/i] go-to guest for singles in need of a voice both smooth and spicy. While Missy Elliott tests his mic prowess with cracked-out rhymes and [i]Twilight Zone[/i]-like tracks of back-spun samples and ominous strings ("Gossip Folks"), Jamie Foxx lets Ludacris step right in and rough up the R&B-roasted conga line of "Unpredictable."

If you're wondering why Ludacris sounds so ready to conquer the rap charts even on early singles, like the Timbaland-tracked "Phat Rabbit" and the spare but bouncy "Stick 'Em Up," know this: He spent several years studying the game from the other side — as a DJ at an Atlanta radio station. Best believe that Luda's wide grin stems from being the one receiving heavy rotation now, whether it's through the soul-searching stroll of "War With God," the poison-tongued honesty of "Tell It Like It Is," or the horn-blasted "Breathe in Breathe Out."

Ludacris was the first artist signed to Def Jam South, the label helmed by Scarface, when it launched in 2000. But the natural born star had already wrapped up his debut album, [i]Inconegro[/i] for Disturbing Tha Peace, his own label (currently the home of Shawnna, Field Mob, and more). That album wasn't some slapdash, basement-quality bid for stardom, either; it was good enough to be expanded with bonus tracks and reissued as [i]Back for the First Time[/i] — a potent mix of rampant bragging backed by club-ready beats and an intoxicating flow. Since that time, Luda hasn't dropped the ball (or the mic, in his case) even a minute, kicking out a nearly never-ending string of mint singles, like "Area Codes," "Move Bitch," "Stand Up," "Southern Hospitality," "What's Your Fantasy," "Get Back," and "Rollout (My Business)."