The LaGrange-Troup County Drag Strip is tucked away in a remote area of the county, a few miles from the Kia plant, and that was part of the appeal that led Grammy award-winning artists Usher and Ludacris to film a music video there Wednesday.
Drag strip co-owner Larry Hall said a representative from a promotion company contacted him last week about possibly renting the drag strip to shoot a video. Hall said the company sent someone Monday to check out the location and he was told it was what the company wanted.
It wasn’t until Wednesday morning, when crews arrived, that Hall found out the video shoot was for the two high-profile musicians.
The promotion company “said this was what they were looking for, and here they are,” Hall said.
Usher, 33, is a singer, songwriter, dancer and actor. His 2004 album “Confessions” was certified diamond with 10 million copies sold. Ludacris, 35, started his rapping career in Atlanta and has acted in Hollywood movies including 2011’s “Fast Five” with Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson.
Both artists received a Grammy in 2004 for the collaborated song “Yeah!” with rapper Lil Jon.
Drag strip co-owner Hosea McDaniel said the video shoot was great for the community and good exposure for the track, which he said many local don’t even know is there. Usher and Ludacris were on the drag strip from 10 a.m. until late Wednesday night shooting for the video, doing dance routines repeatedly.
“When you see a video on TV, it’s about three minutes long, you don’t see all of the work that goes into it,” said LaTorre McDaniel, son of Hosea McDaniel and a fan of the musicians. He came to the track after work to watch the video being filmed after his father told him the two stars were at the location. “We get to see the work of these two megamillionaire stars … and they’re here in Troup County.”










