Being a 7-time F1 champion and avidly pursuing interests outside the sport has its perks for Lewis Hamilton. The Briton, under his musical screen name ‘XNDA’ won the hearts of fans with an unpublicized feature in Christina Aguilera’s ‘Pipe’ in 2018. His roots in the performing arts industry, however, date further back. One of the many friends Hamilton made from Hollywood is American rapper Ludacris aka Tej Parker from the Fast and the Furious franchise. Interestingly, the Mercedes driver’s favorite road trip song is a 2001 Top 10 Billboard hit from his rapper friend.
Over the years, Hamilton has named several favorite artists. From swooning over Ty Dolla $ign and MadeinTYO’s creations in 2016 to vibing to Frank Ocean in 2023, rap seems to be his chosen genre. Ludacris, a master in hip-hop with 3 Grammys to his name, naturally has a special place in Hamilton’s heart and his travel playlist.
Ahead of the Monaco GP, Hamilton and F1 teammate George Russell were in the principality for the unveiling of Mercedes’ new car – the Mythos Purspeed. While conversing with Maximilian Chester, the 7-time champ spilled the beans on his favorite road-trip song. “Umm… move b*tch, get out the way”, he said, letting out a laugh immediately, adding, “unless you are cruising along and it’s a slow thing. Then you put on Bob Marley.”
From Prince as his all-time favorite to hip-hop sensation Ludacris and Rock and roll Hall of Famer Bob Marley in his playlist, Hamilton surely knows his music. This instance of him showing love for the 3-time Grammy winner isn’t the first time the duo has publicly acknowledged the other.
Ludacris and his “home skillet” Lewis Hamilton
In the last 2 years, Ludacris has made it a point to attend F1’s Miami GP. In 2023, the ‘What’s Your Fantasy’ singer and his Fast and Furious co-star Michelle Rodriguez attended the race and were seen interacting with Tennis’ Williams sisters. Though Ludacris didn’t make it two Miami GP attendances in a row, he performed his hits on Miami Beach ahead of the F1 race.
However, his first interaction with the F1 world goes back to his meeting with Lewis Hamilton. In 2015, the American rapper shared a throwback post of him with the Mercedes driver on the latter’s 30th birthday. Ludacris referred to his racer friend as his “home skillet”, a slang on the lines of ‘homie’, in the caption.
With Hamilton already revving up the hype around his much-awaited musical debut, will Ludacris be on board for a potential collaboration?