A star was unveiled Thursday on the Hollywood Walk of Fame honoring Chris “Ludacris” Bridges for his film career, a day before the premiere of “Fast X,” the tenth film in “The Fast and the Furious” series.
Vin Diesel, who has appeared in the last six “The Fast and the Furious” films alongside Ludacris, and rapper-turned-actor LL Cool J were among those in attendance at the ceremony at 6426 Hollywood Blvd.
“No matter what people say I can’t do,” said Ludacris, “I will continue to break those stereotypes and show people that it’s possible, to make everyone proud who got me here today, because you all inspire my hard work and dedication to receive this star today.”
The star is the 2,756th since the completion of the Walk of Fame in 1961, with the original 1,558 stars.
Ludacris joined the fast-paced film franchise with the second movie, “2 Fast, 2 Furious,” released in 2003, playing racing host Tej Parker. He has played that role in every film in the franchise since.
Ludacris made his acting debut in the 2001 comedy “The Wash,” playing an angry customer.
He was part of the cast of the 2005 Best Picture Oscar winner, “Crash,” which also won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. He also received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture in 2006 for “Hustle & Flow.”
Ludacris’ other film credits include the 2011 romantic comedies “No Strings Attached” and “New Year’s Eve.”
Chris Bridges was born on September 11, 1977, in Champaign, Illinois. When he was 9 years old, he moved with his family to Atlanta, where he began his career as a rapper and co-founded the independent record label Disturbing the Peace in 1998, which released his debut album “Incognegro” in 1999.
His first studio album, “Back for the First Time,” released in 2000, was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for selling 3.103 million copies. Each of his first five studio albums has been certified platinum, as have six of his eight.
He has sold more than 24 million albums worldwide.
Ludacris received his first three of his 20 Grammy nominations in 2001. He won Grammy Awards in 2005 for best rap/sung collaboration for “Yeah!” and in 2007 for best rap album for “Release Therapy” and best rap song for “Money Maker.”