Rapper and actor Ludacris has teamed up with startup founder Edwin Benton to launch Slang N’ Friendz, a mobile word game for iOS and Android.
“I thought it was a perfect partnership just because hip hop is a genre that is known for creating slang and some of that slang even making it into the dictionary or having double entendres or things of that nature,” Christopher Bridges, better known as Ludacris, told me. “That’s pretty much what brought us together.”
The basic premise in Slang N’ Friendz is similar to Scrabble and Words With Friends, but a difference is that you can play both traditional and slang words in word games. Players can also customize their tile sets and backgrounds, and hear Ludacris react to certain words you play. If you use a slang word like “turnt” or “bae,” you get bonus points.
This isn’t Ludacris’ first venture into the tech industry. In September 2015, Ludacris partnered with delivery app Roadie to help spread the word about the peer-to-peer shipping market. Ludacris is interested in the tech industry because it’s the future, he told me, and it’s a smart business move to stay current.
Ludacris has also invested in tech companies, but said he is not able to disclose those investments at this time. In terms of what he looks for in tech companies — whether he’s thinking of investing or collaborating — Ludacris said he always looks at things that could be useful and big in the future.
“I always look for things that I feel like are going to help the world in general and help people — kind of like how Roadie is people hiring other people and trying to help make the world a better place,” Ludacris said. “With Slang N’ Friendz, in my opinion, I feel like pop culture dictates what is considered as cool in this world and I think bringing people together and not limiting them to what everyone feels the dictionary is in terms of the english language, brings people closer together. It’s a cool element to it.”