Ludacris -- "Rollout (My Business)" (2001)

Now tell me who's your housekeeper,

And what you keep in yo' house?

"Rollout (My Business)" touches on many of rap's favorite things -- diamond jewelry, Mercedes Benzes with 20-inch rims, weed, hoes, etc., etc.  But the real point of the song is what a royal pain in the tuchus fans can be when you're a big star like Ludacris.

Pop songs are usually monologues, not dialogues.  But "Rollout" takes the form of a Platonic dialogue (hip-hop style) between Ludacris and an imaginary fan -- a sort of "Everyman" who is intrigued by Ludacris's flashy lifestyle and very curious about various details of his life.

The fan wants to know about Ludacris's car:  "Man, that car don't come out until next year, where in the f*ck did you get it? That's eighty thousand bucks gone!"  He wants to know where Ludacris procures his drugs:  "Tell me who's your weed-man, how do you smoke so good?"  Naturally, he has questions about Ludacris's female companion:  "Is that your wife, your girlfriend, or just your main b*tch?"

Some of the fan's questions are a bit barbed: "You's a superstar, boy, why you still up in the 'hood?"  (In other words, if you're such a big deal, why are you still living in yo mama's house?)

The old Ludacris

Other questions demonstrate the fan's gullibility -- he seems to swallow certain exaggerated rumors hook, line, and sinker:  "Now who's that buck-naked cook fixin' three-course meals?  Getting goosebumps when her body tap the six-inch heels!"  

Obviously, Ludacris doesn't really have a statuesque personal chef preparing gourmet meals for him while clothed in nothing but a pair of very high-heeled shoes.  Gotta be a crazy tabloid-inspired rumor . . . right?

The new Ludacris

By the way, one woman who reviewed "Rollout" on Amazon -- she identified herself as "Ladybug" --  admitted that she particularly enjoyed those lines:

I specifically like the part where he says "Whose [sic] that bucket [sic] naked cook fixing three course meals? Getting goosebumps when her body taps those six inch heels."  For some reason I always picture myself frying chicken in nothing but high heel shoes.  Oh well.

(Ladybug, if you are reading this, please contact me immediately at www.2or3lines@gmail.com -- I'd like to discuss your comments on "Rollout" in more detail.  And I'll buy the chicken.)

The fan's nosiness eventually oversteps the bounds of propriety.  First, he asks  "What in the world is in that bag, what you got in that bag?"  When Ludacris fails to tell him, he keeps pushing it:  "What in the world is in that case, what you got in that case?"

"What you got in that $850
MCM backpack, Ludacris?"

Ludacris finally loses it and let's him have it:

Get out of my business, my biznass,

Stay the f*ck up out my biznass!

Well said, Mr. L.

"Rollout (My Business)" was the first single from Ludacris's 2001 album, Word of Mouf.  It was nominated for the Grammy for "Best Male Solo Rap Performance," but lost out to a song that will be featured on 2 or 3 lines in the very near future.

Be sure to watch the video of "Rollout (My Business)" -- Ludacris is a very funny man:

Click here to buy the song from Amazon: