Ludacris has given his official co-sign to Jack Harlow for flipping Fergie’s 2007 track, “Glamorous,” on his song “First Class” and claims that “he did it justice.”
The Atlanta native sat down with GQ to discuss some of his most iconic tracks like “Southern Hospitality,” “Area Codes,” “Move Bitch,” and more. He even discussed his collaboration with Fergie on “Glamorous.”
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The double-platinum track appeared on her debut album, The Dutchess, released in 2006. According to Ludacris, in discussing how the collaboration came about, he had to consider the fact that the Black Eyed Peas singer had a more pop-oriented style, whereas he had more of a gritty, Southern sound.
Ludacris said he asked himself, “How does this fit into the Ludacris world?”
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“Not only how can I get out of my comfort zone and continue to do things that sometimes people wouldn’t expect me to do, but it’s [about] still trying to come [up] with different subject matter and working with an artist that people haven’t seen me with,” he said.
He continued: “I look for all these different things. How much do I believe in the record, the tempo of the record, the time of the record…”
He added, “I just remember getting on there and just going with the flow. Understanding what the subject was. Understanding the assignment [and] completing the assignment.”
When asked if he understood Hip Hop purists’ objections to artists sampling relatively new tracks, such as “Glamorous,” Luda seemed completely unconcerned. As a matter of fact, it seemed that he encouraged it.
A sample from Fergie’s popular song appeared in Jack Harlow’s now-charting hit “First Class” in 2022. It would eventually peak at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
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“How can I not be okay with it?” the rapper/actor began. “I’m doing shows, and there’s a whole new generation that is identifying with the record, even they haven’t heard my verse, just because Jack Harlow is doing it over. I feel like he did it justice. It’d be different if it was trash, [but] it’s not trash. Jack Harlow did it extreme justice, and I like the record.”
Luda admits he understands Hip Hop purists’ point of view, but said that “If you don’t accept what’s new, you’ll become your own worst enemy. You don’t have to necessarily like it, but you gotta embrace it.”
