The 2014 Billboard Music Awards are getting a dose of Southern hospitality.
Hosting this Sunday’s annual music celebration on ABC is one of hip-hop’s all-time most successful artists — Ludacris.
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Luda is the owner of 18 Hot 100 top 10 singles, the third-most of any hip-hop musician. He’s also produced five No. 1 albums on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and 29 top 10 singles on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Additionally, the Atlanta-based rapper boasts a considerable acting resumé, making him an ideal choice to hold down hosting duties. He has appeared in acclaimed films like “Hustle & Flow” and “Crash,” in addition to a recurring role on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.”
Currently, Ludacris is in the midst of filming for “Fast & Furious 7” (his latest of several films for the series) and working on his upcoming studio album “Ludaversal,” due out this fall.
Stars who will present awards alongside Ludacris include Shania Twain, Phillip Phillips, Josh Groban, Lucy Hale and Bleachers’ Jack Antonoff. There will be performances from Shakira, 5 Seconds of Summer, Florida Georgia Line, Imagine Dragons, Jason Derulo, Jennifer Lopez, John Legend, Lorde, Luke Bryan, Miley Cyrus, Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood, OneRepublic, Pitbull and Ricky Martin.
Fan voting for the 2014 Milestone Award presented by Chevrolet will continue through the first two hours of the awards show, ending at 10pm ET. To vote for finalists Ellie Goulding, OneRepublic or Carrie Underwood go to billboard.com/milestone.
The BBMAs, which are produced by dick clark productions, will be broadcast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena on ABC from 8 p.m. ET. Yahoo will be streaming this year’s red carpet show. For additional information on the 2014 Billboard Music Awards visit us at billboardmusicawards.com or the Billboard hub at billboard.com/bbma.