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It’s been 25 years since Ludacris roared onto the scene with his major label debut, Back for the First Time, and the rapper is celebrating in style with a new limited-edition Movado collaboration.
The Ludacris x Movado collection features two watches inspired by the rapper’s catalog of hits and his Atlanta roots. Appropriately dubbed the “MVP” and “Welcome to Atlanta” (after two of Ludacris’ biggest tracks), the watches are a modern take on Movado’s BOLD Quest silhouette from the Seventies, reimagined in a black and gold, and a black and red colorway to represent the rapper’s go-to color palettes. The face on each watch features the actual sound signature (I.e. the up and down acoustic markings) from Ludacris’ 2003 song, “Stand Up.” The caseback, meantime, is etched with the rapper’s signature.
Ludacris x Movado – Welcome to Atlanta Edition
$795
Buy Now AT MOVADo
The 40mm watch features a shaped case and integrated bracelet in a brushed black finish, with Movado’s signature dot at 12 o’clock.
A super collectible release, each watch is numbered and limited to only 250 units, available at Movado.com. The watch is presented in exclusive packaging that was created for the collaboration.
For Ludacris, who also stars in Movado’s current “Always in Motion” campaign alongside Jessica Alba, Julianne Moore and others, getting the chance to work on his own timepiece with the 144-year-old watch brand was a career highlight. “It’s one thing to buy other pieces, but it’s another thing to collaborate on one and make a unique one all on your own,” he tells Rolling Stone.
Ludacris x Movado – The MVP Edition
$795
Buy Now AT MOVADO
This watch features a 40mm dial and yellow gold bracelet, along with a polished bezel and the signature Movado dot.
In addition to the black and gold watches, two different one-of-a-kind Movado timepieces were created for the partnership, with an estimated value of $50,000 per watch, according to the brand. Ludacris kept one watch for himself (seen in photo below) and the second will be auctioned off later this year to raise money forThe Ludacris Foundation, which works to promote education and “healthy lifestyles” for children in underdeveloped communities, per the rapper. “It’s to help kids learn to help themselves,” he says.
Rolling Stone caught up with Ludacris to chat about his love for watches, his memories of recording Back for the First Time, and why he thinks the TikTok generation needs to focus on building a legacy.
You’ve been a longtime Movado ambassador and now you have a new collaboration with the brand. What is it about Movado that speaks to you?
When I was a kid, my first watch was a Movado. I think my father bought me one. So you know, you always have that nostalgia and you truly have those memories for a lifetime that just bring you back to not only childhood, but also aspirations you had. It’s aspirational. I think that’s the best way to put it.
Have you always been a watch guy?
I have been a watch guy all my life, but now because of my friend Kevin Hart, I am becoming way more of a watch guy, and a collector of things like exclusive timepieces, which is dope because with Movado, we’ve come up with a collaboration of my own watch that is exclusive and timeless.
Wait, get back: how did Kevin Hart get you into watches?
We go on vacation together almost every year. And when I say he has a problem, like this dude has like millions and millions of dollars worth of watches. You know, every day it’s another watch and you have to fit it to certain occasions and certain things. But it’s dope because now he’s got me. You can’t have friends and you’re going out and you’re wearing the same exact watch while they’re always switching it.
They got millions of dollars worth of watches. So I think it’s like a good type of peer pressure in terms of getting your watch game up and getting your watch collection up.
Your new Movado collaboration celebrates 25 years since you hit the charts with Back for the First Timeand “What’s Your Fantasy?” What do you remember about that time?
At the time, it was just about giving the world my heart and making sure that I took this calculated risk of putting this music out, win, lose or draw. I took a risk on myself and I won really, really big. But at that time, my mindset was truly just thinking that I want to share this albumin hopes that the rest of the world loves my music as much as I love my music. I wasn’t thinking about collaborating with these big companies at the time.
We’re talking about your watch collaboration today, but which of your many musical collaborations has been your favorite?
I love Snoop Dogg and Missy Elliott. Those are my two favorite artists to collab with. It’s because I’m all about fun, and if fun is not involved in something, then I’m really not enjoying myself. With those two artists, it’s fun, fun, fun, fun, fun.
Are there any current artists that you like right now?
I’m a fan of of JID. I think he’s really great. He’s from Atlanta and he just put out a project and I think he’s extremely talented. I also like Cyhi the Prynce — I think he’s very underrated. He’s from Atlanta as well. You know, I’m an underdog fan, man. The ones that I know are dope, but they haven’t really gotten their critical acclaim worldwide yet; I’m pulling for those type of guys.
You mentioned being hyper-focused on the music at the start of your career and not really being aware of brand deals. What do you think of the current generation of artists, who seem to partner with brands almost out of the gate?
That’s such a good question because there’s no one answer for that. I think it can be for the betterof some individuals who are thinking in terms of diversifying their portfolios in the beginning of their careers. But it also hurts some of the music for those who are thinking solely about that mindset and not thinking about their art as well.You’ve got to think about legacy; it’s all about legacy.
What about artists using outlets like TikTok to get their music out?
My daughters are TikTok fans. So a lot of times they may know the song, but not necessarily know the name of the artist. Sometimes they do and sometimes they don’t, which is like a good and a bad thing at the same time, because it’s like, you want to be known as this artist and have people put the face recognition with the name. But now in the world of TikTok, they know your song, but they don’t really know the artist. I just watched the MTV Awards and even I’m having trouble putting faces with names. So it’s kind of a crazy world, man. But I guess it depends on who you ask, because you know, I come from an era where you had to put the face with the name — you didn’t have a choice.
We also sat with a song or album for an entire summer and now we have a new trending song on TikTok every week.
Exactly. I couldn’t agree with you more bro.
You’re more than 25 years into your career and you’ve achieved incredible success, with Grammys, number-one singles and even a SAG Award for your acting. Do you ever have fantasies of just retiring to an island somewhere and calling it a day?
Wellactually, I do have a place on a Caribbean island, but instead of just saying, ‘To hell with all of this’ and ‘I’m just gonna move there,’ I love to compete. So I go there maybe on a three-day weekend, and then come back refreshed and ready to compete again.
Who do you consider to be your competition?
Everybody, man. What do you mean? I’m very competitive and I’m also very inspired by my generation, and the new generation. So I would say I’m inspired by the past, the present and the future and that’s what keeps me wanting to keep going. But the biggest competition is myself, man. Myself yesterday is my biggest competition.
What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned in the last 25 years?
Life makes sense backwards, not forward. Let’s put something prolific in there.
What do you mean by that?
It means, you go through hardships, and you don’t realize why you were put through those hardships until you make it through. But also, I am one of those people that believes everything happens for a reason and to just go with the flow. Maybe that’s the advice that I would give.
