It was a full “Luda Day” hosted by Urban One on Juneteenth at Cannes, with 3x GRAMMY-winning global superstar Ludacris as he joined us for several events in celebration of Black culture.
Urban One's CEO Alfred Liggins sat down with Ludacris for a special ONE-on-ONE conversation to discuss representation, Black excellence and history. As a key member of hip-hop that has uplifted the community for decades, Ludacris shared insights including that “we (Black consumers) have our ear to the streets. We ARE the culture…” Regarding being drivers of culture and its undeniable impact and influence even before the rest of the world catches on, he added, “we are the catalyst for change in our everyday lifestyles, and everything that we witness going on...”
Ludacris’ day with Urban One was a “full circle" one. During the conversation, he shared that he started his career as a DJ on Urban One-owned station 97.5 FM, now 107.9 FM. In reflecting, he said that “(Urban One) provided a platform for me to be authentically myself and from there I was able to evolve and grow and get signed and different things.” He added, “this is a full circle moment for me coming back and having a chat and being able to perform for the company that I started with.”
That evening, Urban One hosted ONE VIP, an exclusive VIP reception, with Ludacris making a special appearance, followed by his pulling out all the stops to cap off the night with an extraordinary performance at our Urban One party on Influential Beach presented by Brand Innovators, where he took the stage for a one-hour set during the ONE Night happy hour which featured some of his chart-topping hits including “Yeah” and “All We Do Is Win,“ as well as a duet with Carmelo Anthony. DJ Trauma was the resident DJ for the evening, and Anthony Anderson, JB Smoove and other notable athletes, celebrities, and influencers stopped by to experience the fun!
