From that high-profile snafu with Pepsi and Bill O’Rileyto his movie roles, Ludacris keeps busy. It’s easy to thinkthat he’s not focusing on the rap game if he’s into somuch other stuff right? Wrong.

 Chicken-N-Beer, the Atlanta-bred rapper’s thirdrelease on Def Jam is a four-star effort, and by far his best albumto date. Ludacris, relies heavily on his own talent and that of hiscrew, DTP. Of the 13 tracks, only four feature established artists.High-profile vocals include Snoop Dogg on “Hoes in MyRoom,” Chingy on “We Got,” Eightball & MJGand Carl Thomas on “Hard Times” and Houston’sLil’ Flip on “Screwed Up.”

The recipe for the album is similar to the rapper’s priortwo: freestyle sessions, smoking and drinking, partying, sex,introspection and pimpin’. The ingredients are similar toother mainstream rap albums but Ludacris’ charismaticdelivery and hilarious rhymes continue to make him stand out.

The lead single “Stand Up” is the KayneWest-produced club banger. It has the right amount of energy andpunch lines that makes it enjoyable in the club as well as in thecar.

Another standout track is “Splash Waterfalls.” Theverses follow along the progression of a romantic relationship— one that’s full of kinky sex. But the versesaren’t what makes this song great. Icedrake put together atrack that’s mellow in the background but is laced with afierce drum loop full of bounce.

“Hip Hop Quotables” is version three of thefreestyle track that always appears on Ludacris’ albums.Erick Sermon’s minimalist head-bobbing beat allows listenersto pay attention to the lyrics. The punch lines come back-to-backon this track. Don’t laugh too much, or you’ll miss thenext joke.

Chicken-N-Beer is served up well and fans will want a largeorder.