Imagem Music has signed Ludacris to a worldwide exclusive, long-term co-publishing agreement, the company told Billboard.biz exclusively today (July 20).
Ludacris – an actor, entrepreneur and philanthropist as well as a very distinctive, three-time-Grammy-winning rapper — also is a prolific songwriter, the announcement notes. His more recent accomplishments include co-writing three hit singles he also performed on, including “Baby” with Justin Bieber, “Tonight (I’m Lovin’ You)” with Enrique Iglesias and “Break Your Heart” with Taio Cruz. In June of this year, Ludacris was named the ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards’ Songwriter of the Year.
According to Nielsen SoundScan, Ludacris has scanned 14 million album units and 10 million tracks in the U.S.
Richard Stumpf, president of Imagem Music USA who has been hired to expand the company’s reach, said in a statement that Ludacris “is a forward thinking artist who has proven himself in both music and film.”
His other endeavours include a restaurant, his own spirit, Conjure Cognac, and now Soul By Ludacris headphones.
The co-publishing deal is for songs Ludacris writes going forward. The MC is currently finishing up an album, which is expected to be issued in the fourth quarter this year.