Ludacris sat down with the CEO of Urban One Alfred Liggins for an in-depth discussion of the impact of black culture on America in Cannes, France.
On Wednesday (June 19), the Urban One Influential Beach at the Cannes Lions Festival in France was the setting for a spirited discussion between superstar rapper and actor Ludacris and Urban One CEO Alfred Liggins. The topic was the powerful impact of black culture in America and beyond. Liggins opened by sharing the origin of the bond between the two with the audience. “I'm a little older than him, but we started our careers together because I bought a little radio station in Atlanta in 1995 called Hot 97,” he began before recounting how Ludacris got his start at the station as an intern before asking the Grammy Award winner to share a little about his background.
Ludacris talked about how he started rapping at the age of 9 and how he came to Hot 97 in hopes of joining the group. “If I can get a job up there, I can pursue my dream of being an entertainer, an international entertainer,” he explained. “What happened was, like you said, I just went there and begged for an internship, and at first the company said, 'we're not hiring.' I said, “okay” and came back the next week and asked “Are you still hiring, I'm willing to do anything, I'm willing to work for free.” They call it pleasant persistence.” She would go on to reveal that after two months, she was hired to work on the morning show at just 18 years old.
The discussion soon turned to the impact of Black culture domestically and globally. “For a long time, it guided our local culture, the international culture, but it wasn't quite the way it should have been. How do you do that and what are the ways we can do that?' Liggins asked. “This is a perfect example of why and how we should invest in the black dollar,” Ludacris replied. “I'm trying to provide a safe space and an incubator for my kids the way Urban One provided a safe space and an incubator for me. I think the more we do these things and the more we have these conversations, the more open-minded people are and the more they want to invest.”
Watch the full conversation between Ludacris and Urban One CEO Alfred Liggins above.