Ludacris' eighth studio album, Cineplex, will be the sequel to his 2008 album Theater of the Mind

Ludacris' Cineplex will be produced as the sequel to his 2008 album Theater of the Mind

Although Ludacris' last album, Theater of the Mind was the lowest chart album debut of the rapper's career (to be fair, it sold 214,000 copies in its first week at number five on the Billboard 200), the rapper will stick with the film-based thematic unity of the album for his projected 2009/2010 release of Cineplex.  Though information on the album's concept and release date is sparse at best (most likely due to the fact that the rapper has been spending the bulk of his time on the release of a collaborative album with Shawanna titled Battle of the Sexes), Luda has commented on the similarity which the album will have with Theater of Minds.  Cineplex will be designed with a theatrical concept in mind in which each track will have a thematic purpose, much in the way which a scene in a movie does (this is perhaps similar to the "rock opera" style of album production which, most recently, Greenday's 21st Century Breakdown has made popular).  Ludacris also suggested that, instead of having featured artists (as the traditional conceptual style promotes), Cineplex will have Co-stars, confirming appearances by Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg, Katt Williams, Young Jeezy, Ne-Yo, Trey Songz, Kanye West, Alicia Keys, and others as well. 

Despite the star-studded cast, however, Ludacris' own musical capacity will most certainly substantiate the album's success.  Although the artist's activity in the entertainment community has been predominantly in the film sphere (taking part in twelve films in the last nine years) the Luda's musical style has a unique aesthetic which has yet to be matched.  The emotional anger and energy of his style of rapping has consistently complemented a sampling technique which remains true to the genre's origins in disc Jockeying.  Ludacris' ability to create hooks in his sampling techniques is unmatched both in style as well as their sheer audacity (I am reminded most readily of the legendary chorus hook from Chicken and Beer's "Screwed up" which features a female voice repeating the phrase "F*ck You (I'm Screwed Up)" eight times).  Although whether or not Cineplex will see a "toning down" in the rapper's lyrical content waits to be seen, the theatrical concept, star-studded cast, and quality of musical talent which Ludacris brings to the table promises that the album will be quite fantastic.