Ludacris Says He Paid $20K To Make His First Album

Ludacris knows something about taking a risk. 

On Incognegro, his debut independent album, which was released on Aug. 17, 1999, he invested $20,000 out of his own money.

Speaking with PEOPLE at the Waymo x Uber event on Monday (June 16), Luda recalled how he bet on himself.

“Just not knowing how the world would receive it and taking the biggest risk by just putting music out there,” Ludacris said.

“The fear of failure is something you have to overcome in order to accomplish great things. And I think that that was a crossroads of my life going into the success that it did because I told myself I wasn’t going to be afraid of the outcome,” Luda continued. “Those are the type of risks that have the reward that I’ve been able to live off the fruits of the label.”

Betting on himself was the best decision he ever made. Eventually, Def Jam loved the project and signed him in 2000. The same year, Luda rereleased Incognegro on Oct. 17, 2000, with a new title, Back for the First Time.

“I put [Incognegro] out independently, and then it got 50,000 sold, where Def Jam signed me. I took two records off and added three other records. So what people may not know is that it was an independent album way before it got the success.”

The album spawned classic hits such as  “What’s Your Fantasy?,” “Southern Hospitality,” “Phat Rabbit,” and sold over 3 million units in the United States and was certified triple platinum.