Ludacris wants to help you eat healthier

By Lisa Respers France, CNN

(CNN) — Ludacris is bringing the flavor in a different way these days.

The rapper turned actor is leaning in to his love of cooking to encourage others to choose the kitchen over hitting the drive-thru lane. That’s why, on a recent hot day in Atlanta, Georgia, Ludacris was handing out samples of his lemon pepper chicken cutlets.

“There’s nothing more Atlanta than that, especially when you’re trying to remix something and make it more nutritious and healthy,” he told CNN of his specialty dish.

Ludacris has teamed with the food and flavor company Knorr to spread the word about the benefits of home cooking. He approached the project as only a superstar rapper could, remixing a classic hip-hop jam, “The Choice Is Yours” by Black Sheep.

Ludacris said he went with the 1991 hit because he loves “paying homage to all of the hip-hop forefathers and the ones that put me here.” He even got Black Sheep member Andres “Dres” Vargas-Titus to appear in the new video.

“I also think that [the comg] was the perfect hook because it [says] ‘You can either get with this or you can get with that,’” Ludacris said. “Meaning you can go with fast food that’s not nutritious or you can go now with fast food that is nutritious. So the hook kind of just perfectly fit what we were trying to do.”

By nutritious fast food, Ludacris means simple home made dishes. Ease of cooking is one reason why he connected with the spice company.

“A lot of us, you know, sometimes we are strapped for time and we all grab food that is available at the time or we hurry up and get fast food that’s not nutritious,” he said. “And that’s why I’m partnering with Knorr so that we can give people better options that are fast.”

It’s not the first time Ludacris has shown off his culinary skills.

Back in 2021, he hosted the cooking show “Luda Can’t Cook,” which aired for two seasons on Discovery+ (which is owned by CNN’s parent company).

The premise was the star learning his way around the kitchen. And while he’s now more comfortable with his skills, he’s probably not going to be catering any dinner parties anytime soon.

“I always tell people I only know how to cook what I eat,” Ludacris said. “I don’t know how to lcook for other people, but I’m good enough to cook for myself.”

It’s his wife, Eudoxie Mbouguiengue, who really has mastered cooking, he said. So much so, Ludacris said he doesn’t even cook with her at home.

“I don’t even need to come anywhere in her vicinity to help out,” he laughed. “She’s phenomenal at cooking, like beyond phenomenal.”

The-CNN-Wire
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