Rapper Ludacris gives back to Atlanta through LudaDay Weekend

ATLANTA — He is best known for his music and roles in films like “The Fast & Furious,” but through LudaDay Weekend, Ludacris also spends a large amount of his time giving back to the city that gave him his start.

Festivities for the 9^th annual LudaDay Weekend took place at Georgia State University for the second year in a row. On behalf of The Ludacris Foundation, there were various fundraising activities offered throughout the celebration that were available to students, families and the Atlanta community.

LudaDay weekend took place Labor Day weekend in Atlanta. It is a three-day charity event that features many celebrities who are all committed to giving back to the Atlanta community. It is the longest running celebrity endorsed charity weekend in Atlanta.

One of the most anticipated events that take place at Ludacris’ alma matter is the celebrity basketball game. In the past, celebrities like Usher, Chris Brown and Justin Bieber have come out to face off with “Team Luda.” This year, the celebrity team was “YMCM (Young Money Cash Money).”

Celebrity members from each team featured Houston Rockets player Dwight Howard, television and radio host Kenny Burns, actor Larenz Tate, Houston Rockets player Josh Powell, Atlanta Dream player Tiffany Hayes and various reality TV stars. The game was a tough one. After going into three minutes of overtime due to a 107 to 107 tie, in the end, team Ludacris won 118 to 115.

Next year will be the foundation's 10^th annual LudaDay Weekend. Ludacris said that would be the one to top.

“This 10th year, we’re going go full throttle.”

He also stressed that while everyday was filled with fun activities, the events aren’t just about entertainment.

“It’s not just about partying, every single day we’ve done something where we’ve gone back to my high school, we’ve done panel discussions. We talked to underprivileged youth one-on-one. We try to make an impact and do it bigger and better every single year,” he said.

Ludacris is currently one of the judges on ABC’s “Rising Star” and on Sept. 1, has a documentary airing on VH1 called “ATL: The Untold Story of Atlanta’s Rise in the Rap Game.”

WSBTV