On Friday, thousands of Mississippi State University students and Starkville residents swarmed downtown for the 2024 Bulldog Bash. After a day full of local musicians, vendors and food trucks scattering the street, large crowds began to move in for the anticipated headliner — Ludacris.
Ludacris, a a Champaign, Illinois, native, started his rapping and acting career when he moved to Atlanta, Georgia, at age nine. He has a plethora of hit songs and features and is also known for his acting roles in the Fast and Furious series.
He has multiple albums that have made big impressions in the music industry, such as “Back for the First Time,” Billboard’s No. 1 “Chicken-N-Beer,” and Billboard’s No. 3 “Word of Mouf. ” His 2006 album, “Release Therapy,” also peaked the chart, earning him a Grammy for Best Rap Album.
Along with his rapping and acting career, Ludacris released an animated series in 2009 called “Karma’s World” based on his daughter Karma and her journey to find her voice. With all of his achievements, awards, and well-known media, Starkville was excited to see the performance he was bringing to Mississippi.
The Bulldog Bash Committee, MSU faculty and the Student Association Cabinet took to the streets of Starkville to execute a charming and calm market during the day and transform it into a crowded party later in the evening.
Ludacris took the stage of the largest free concert in Mississippi at 9 p.m. and put on a show for 52 minutes, sending thousands home before 10 p.m. Although Friday night was eventful, Ludacris’s arrival did not send the usually busy Cotton District into a pre-show buzz.
The usual restaurants crawling with students getting excited for Starkville’s most exciting event of the weekend were bare, with the same amount of traction that an uneventful weeknight would have due to most students, residents and Ludacris fans crowding to the stage earlier in the night to secure close spots at the show.
While it was expected for Ludacris to perform his verse in Justin Beiber’s “Baby,” he also shocked the crowd with his diverse setlist.
Attendees expected Ludacris to play his songs and features, but his setlist was a mystery and a shock to the crowd. With his own classics such as “Act A Fool” and “My Chick Bad,” Ludacris also performed some unexpected and unoriginal classics, including “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana.
Although many of the songs Ludacris played were not by him, the crowd still erupted in screams of excitement for each one. Fans lined the streets, sidewalks, balconies, and surrounding areas to get even a glimpse of the show.
Of course, fans went wild when the first few notes of “Baby” played, and fans cheered any time Ludacris would make an announcement, but compared to the level of noise usually executed by Starkville residents, the show was quiet.
The noise level of fans did not reach the commotion made for Jason Derulo last year, but the crowd’s excitement remained loud enough for Starkville residents outside the walls of Bulldog Bash to feel the crowd’s effect.
Although Ludacris put on a show for a short time, the traction and energy he evoked in the crowd made Friday night memorable for the fans and another successful Bulldog Bash.
