LOS ANGELES 鈥� Ludacris can rap, write songs, and act. He just can鈥檛 cook, and no, opening cans and slapping together bologna or grilled cheese sandwiches doesn鈥檛 count.
Back in his days of, as he says, not having 鈥渢wo nickels to rub together,鈥� Ludacris would throw together whatever he could find, chow down and get back to his music.
鈥淲hen men like myself are hungry, we just want to eat,鈥� he said Thursday on a video call. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 want to take 30 minutes to an hour to cook.鈥�
He鈥檚 finally upping his skills in the kitchen in 鈥淟uda Can鈥檛 Cook,鈥� a one-hour special that debuts Feb. 25 on the discovery+ plus streaming service. He gets schooled by chef Meherwan Irani, who introduces Ludacris to international
鈥淚t was an eye-opener and so many lightbulb moments for me,鈥� he said.
Ludacris isn鈥檛 the only entertainer in the kitchen. Singer Selena Gomez has been upping her quarantine cooking skills on 鈥淪elana + Chef,鈥� which was renewed for a second season on HBO Max.
Ludacris first got interested in food when 鈥渢here was a placenta that was attached to me when I was in my mother鈥檚 womb.鈥�
But his mother, Roberta, didn鈥檛 set much of an example in the kitchen.
鈥淚 love my mother with all my heart. My mother was not the best cook in the world,鈥� he said. 鈥淗er food and cooking has gotten better and better over a long period of time.鈥�
Ludacris cedes to his wife, Eudoxie, who is from the west African nation of Gabon, in their fully equipped kitchen.
鈥淪he does all the cooking, which is part of the reason I can鈥檛 cook,鈥� he said. 鈥淪he has her own style and she鈥檚 very, very good at it.鈥�
Will Packer, who executive produces the show along with Ludacris, admits he previously would not eat anything prepared by Ludacris.
鈥淚 would eat your cooking now,鈥� Packer said. 鈥淚f I had a choice, you or your wife, I am definitely eating your wife鈥檚 cooking first.鈥�
Ludacris tries his hand at Indian food in the show. 鈥淚t鈥檚 so complex that I just wanted to understand how it鈥檚 made,鈥� he said.
The irony of not being able to even cook rice ("it's going to stick to the pot") and owning a stake in Chicken + Beer, a restaurant serving Southern-style comfort food inside the Atlanta airport, isn't lost on the Grammy-winning rapper.
At the same time, he wants to correct one thing.
鈥淭he whole Luda can鈥檛 cook is only 99% true,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here's 1%; I can cook tacos."
Beth Harris, The Associated Press
