TOTALLY LUDACRIS

No, no, I hear what you're sayin'. I don't agree, but I hear you.

"Child of the Night" has that old R&B vibe. Some parts are corny, some are touching. Was that the intention?

Well, if you take away the corny part, yes. It's supposed to be touching the whole way through. It's all about someone's conscience and maturity catching up with them. I coupled it with the old Tina Marie sample. Everyone loves that--well, almost everyone. [Laughs]

So let's get to a song I love: "The Potion." It's perfect. The beats are tribal. The melody is hypnotic. The wordplay is untouchable.

Wow. It's good to know, 'cause I really went out on this one. I even sang--"Jump down, turn around, pick a bale of cotton." I've never done that.

That was you? I thought it was an old field recording. By the way, I appreciate that there are very few skits here.