Audacious on his rhymes and indulgent with his appetites, Ludacris may flaunt the cartoonish side of his personality, but he isn't just another unreconstructed Southern rapper. Chicken -N- Beer, his third album (to go along with dozens of guest spots), shows a rapper balancing the weed, women, and fried chicken with shots at those who've crossed him and a look at a few celebrity perils, delivered with his lightning-quick phrasing and cutting wit. That he's able to harness all this to his usual rollicking, all-in-good-fun persona is a testament to the best rapper in the business, one of the few who's actually celebrating something — and having a great time doing it.