Ludacris’ “Back for the First Time” Turns 25: Producer Bangladesh Looks Back
Last week marked 25 years since Ludacris released his major label debut album “Back for the First Time,” which skyrocketed him to fame and led him to find success in music and in acting, becoming a household name in the process. In honor of the 25th anniversary, Bangladesh, the producer who made the beats for most of the songs on the album, met with VIBE to reflect on the milestone.
Shondrae Lee Crawford, better known as Bangladesh, was born in Des Moines, Iowa, but began his career in Atlanta where he established himself as a hitmaker through his unique, sample-free and keyboard-focused production style. Before finding success in the music industry, he was a barber in ATL, making beats in his spare time and hoping to have his music heard by the right ears.
Ludacris was also in the early days of his rap career at the time, trying to make it big. And as fate would have it, Luda became a client at the barbershop where Crawford worked, and after listening to some of Crawford’s cassette tape beats, the two began a partnership – “What’s Your Fantasy” (which peaked at 21 on the Hot 100 chart) was one of the first songs the duo made together. Much of the success of “Back for the First Time” is owed to Crawford’s production work; though, according to him, there were “a lot of politics back then. The new upcoming producers or artists were a little overlooked by the established ones. It was more political. Like “What’s Your Fantasy” wasn’t supposed to be his first single because I did it.”
Since then, Bangladesh has made tracks with Beyoncé, Lil Wayne, Kelis and many more, becoming a key player in the Hip-Hop and Rap scene of the late 90s and early-mid 2000s. Two of Lil Wayne’s most popular songs (“A Milli” & “6 foot 7 foot”) were produced by Bangladesh, and after a period of legal battles with several different artists, he’s finally earning his share of the royalties for his beats. He’s also still making music, collaborating with a wide variety of artists – including up-and-comers trying to break into the industry.
Ludacris just re-released “Back for the First Time” on vinyl, as a special 25th anniversary edition in celebration of the milestone. “That’s the beauty of music,” as Bangladesh puts it. “It’s always something you could reflect on, look back on. You kind of remember where you were when you heard it.”
