Ludacris Wins Landmark Award at 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards, Teases New Music

Ludacris took center stage at the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards on Thursday, March 26, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, not just as host but also as a major honoree.

The rapper and actor, whose real name is Christopher Bridges, received the Landmark Award, celebrating artists whose work has shaped music and culture over decades.

The award was presented by Vin Diesel, his co-star in the Fast & Furious franchise. During his acceptance speech, Ludacris expressed gratitude to the many people behind the scenes.

"This particular award is one of those things where I work hard, but I absolutely don't do it myself," he said, giving a shout-out to mixing engineers, producers, songwriters, label executives, DJs, stylists, and more.

At one point, his speech was playfully interrupted by his own voice shouting, "Luda!," signaling it was time to wrap, People reported.

Laughing, he added, "They're using me against me right now." He concluded by thanking his wife, Eudoxie, and his fans.

"I thank y'all for 25 years. I'm coming back with new music. I love you," he announced, hinting at upcoming projects since his last album, Ludaversal, came out in 2015.

Later in the evening, Ludacris returned to perform a medley of his hits, including "Rollout (My Business)," "Money Maker," "My Chick Bad," "Stand Up," and "Move Bitch," giving fans a high-energy trip through his career.

Ludacris Returns to Host 2026 iHeartRadio

Ludacris has been a music industry force since his 2000 major-label debut, "Back for the First Time."

He followed with multi-platinum albums like Word of Mouf (2001), Chicken-n-Beer (2003), and The Red Light District (2004), establishing him as one of the most influential artists of the early 2000s.

Over his career, he has earned three Grammy Awards and gained acclaim as an actor, notably as Tej Parker in the Fast & Furious films.

According to Yahoo, this year's iHeartRadio Music Awards also honored Miley Cyrus with the iHeart Innovator Award and John Mellencamp with the Icon Award.

Taylor Swift led the nominations with nine, followed closely by Alex Warren, Sabrina Carpenter, and Bad Bunny with eight each. Other performers included Kehlani, Lainey Wilson, RAYE, TLC, Salt-N-Pepa, and En Vogue.

Before the show, Ludacris expressed excitement about returning as host.

"I'm excited to return as host of the iHeartRadio Music Awards to celebrate and perform alongside some of the best in the industry," he said, promising "special performances and surprise moments fans are going to love."

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Ludacris, Iheartradio