User:Haley Marnette/Southern Hospitality (song)

Music Video

The official music video for Southern Hospitality by Ludacris was written directed by Jeremy Rall and cinema choreographed by Chuck Ozeas. The video features Ludacris, Lil Jon, Jazze Pha, Scarface, and Too $hort, and was originally distributed by MTV.

The music video contains references to Atlanta life through his clothes (such as his limited edition Atlanta 05 jersey from FUBU or his Atlanta Hawks and Atlanta Braves jackets). Prominent locations in Atlanta that are highlighted such as popular fast food restaurant Church's Chicken, which is headquartered in Atlanta after finding new life there when it had almost went under. The video also shows some locations on Auburn Avenue, also known as Sweet Auburn, which is considered the "commercial, cultural, and spiritual center of African American life in Atlanta prior to the civil rights movement.". One such example of a location on Sweet Auburn that is shown is that of Thelma's Rib Shack, previously known as Auburn Avenue Rib Shack, a popular location known to have been favored by famed activist and minister, Martin Luther King Jr.

Video Description

This video opens with Luda walking out a large mansion with two men behind him. Ludacris is wearing baggy clothes with a large chain and a grill. His friends are wearing similar attire. They pull up in front of a garage and get into an expensive Cadillac. They begin to ride on the street in the Cadillac while looking at the hot women on the side of the street. They begin to dance with the music. After rapping on top of the car they were riding in, he and his friends stand in front of a rib shack, showing off their jerseys with “ATLANTA” on them. A man shows the camera fried catfish, a shout out to the dirty south, while black men in suits and suitcases start dancing to the music as well. Luda shows off his grill again, then begins to dance with a hot woman. The video switches between these scenes with everyone dancing along to the song. The beat changes and shows two women walking alongside the street, while luda and his friends are smoking. They run towards Luda and he runs away into the street and gets hit by a car. Then Luda (now with an afro) keeps rapping upside down on the street, showing off people with big afros. All of the people introduced in all of the scenes continue to dance until the end of the music video.

Trivia

• In an interview with GQ, Ludacris stated that he had eaten soon before hanging upside down for the music video and threw up soon after recording the scene
• Southern Hospitality was a last-minute addition to the album and Ludacris was surprised by it's popularity