Often a forgotten destination due to high travel costs, Alaska managed to attract highly regarded and commercially viable acts like The Hold Steady, Iron & Wine, and Ghostland Observatory over the last few months.
However, none of those musicians can match the towering celebrity and widespread fan base of Ludacris, one of the world's preeminent hip hop artists.
But, before the alias and the fame, Ludacris was simply Chris Bridges.
He started his career at Hot 107.5 in Atlanta as DJ Chris Lova Lova and quickly started networking in the industry. Producer Timbaland (Aaliyah, Nelly Furtado, Justin Timberlake) saw chops in the youthful Bridges and put him on a track on his 1998 album, "Tim's Bio: Life from da Bassment."
From there, Ludacris the rapper, producer, actor, philanthropist, digital music revolutionary and crafter of fine alcohols was born.
He's "multi-talented, multi-faceted," said McConnell Adams, program director of local radio station KFAT 92.9. "He's not a guy you can pigeonhole."
Bridges' Ludacris Foundation, a charitable organization created to inspire young adults was named one of the 20 leading philanthropy foundations by Black Enterprise magazine.
He earned accolades as an actor, appearing in "Hustle & Flow," "RocknRolla" and 2006's Oscar-winning best picture, "Crash."
He also proved to be a successful entrepreneur with digital media and social networking site WeMix.com and a line of cognac, Conjure.
Still it's music that made Ludacris a household name.
2000's "Back for the First Time" sold upwards of 3.4 million units and captured the imagination of everyone from mainstream audiences to hip hop aficionados.
Five of Bridges' six solo albums this decade went platinum shortly after their release, netting him a slew of Grammy nominations and awards.
In an interview with Complex.com, Bridges talked about his focus.
"My goal is to put out that perfect project where hands-down, the majority of the people all agree that 100 percent, every track, every single song is all the way on point."
In the next year he is set to release "Battle of the Sexes," a collaborative album with Disturbing tha Peace label mate Shawnna and "Ludaversal," a follow up to 2008 solo album "Theater of the Mind."
Some stars in hip hop have burned brighter commercially this decade and others have managed to be more critically adored, but few have managed to stay as consistently relevant.
"I could just stop doin' music, but I refuse to do that, just because I love what I do," Bridges told DJBooth.net.
Promoters are dubbing his Anchorage debut "Ludacrismas." Originally slated to appear in this Friday, a family emergency pushed his Sullivan Arena show to Saturday. And while this isn't exactly egg nog and sitting on Santa's Lap, Christmas is still coming early for local hip hop fans.
Ludacris
Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
Sullivan Arena
$26.50 - $76.50
Tickemaster.com
By David Harper
Daily News correspondent
Alaska Dispatch Publishing