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When it comes to understanding the fairer sex, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges has done his homework. Whether he's learning firsthand from his mother, working with his protégée Shawna or chilling with his friend Gabrielle Union, Luda has a pretty good sense of what women want and how they think. The ATL lyricist and actor allowed ESSENCE.com to pick his brain about what it means to lose and win in love, whether men and women can just be friends and making peace with Bill O'Reilly and Oprah.

ESSENCE.COM: So you're upcoming album, "Battle of the Sexes," sounds provocative. Which women can we expect to hear on this project?

LUDACRIS: Shawna is on the majority of the [album] giving the female perspective but everyone else is a secret right now. The first single is definitely a female anthem, "My Chick Bad." The rest of the females are a secret for now. What's most prevalent on this album is relationship issues. I want to present the female perspective and bring something fresh to the industry to fill that void. When is the last time you heard an all-female album? Not since like, "Ladies Night," or even before. 


ESSENCE.COM: Thank you for lifting the sisters' voices in hip-hop. We know love is a battlefield, so tell us have you ever suffered a casualty? 

LUDACRIS: Absolutely. To say that I haven't would be claiming I've never lost anything and that's the furthest from the truth. Whether it's you arguing and knowing you're wrong, there's always a lesson to be learned. Losing continues to help you grow, improve and eventually win. The one thing I've gained in my relationships is to always be in tune with a woman's feelings, wants and needs by listening and observing closely - be intuitive to her emotional state. Of course, every relationship is different so you can't practice the same thing on every woman, but those little things count.

ESSENCE.COM: Yes, applaud this man! Recently, you made a mockery of the Gabrielle Union/Dwayne Wade pregnancy rumors on Twitter, which really made people believe that you two were official. Does this mean men and women can be friends?

LUDACRIS: I chose to tweet about Gabby's pregnancy rumors because the topic came up while we were at dinner. I was simply showing her how Twitter can be used as a forum and voice for the people. Even I don't tweet about my every move because I am doing too much. And yes, men and women can be friends because Gabby's my friend. (Laughs.) Even if a man is physically and mentally attracted to a woman, if he's respectable he can remain [platonic] with that woman and respect those boundaries.

ESSENCE.COM: Speaking of friends, have you kissed and made up with Bill O'Reilly who has harshly criticized you in the past? 

LUDACRIS: People want to attribute hip-hop to violence but I attribute ignorance to violence and other negative things. As rappers we get picked on. It's just not fair. It's not like we made up these words, but not everyone understands that some of the coded language we use is a term of endearment so they criticize. As for Bill O'Reilly, I recently ran into him at the White House Correspondents' dinner. I marched right over to his table and the first thing I said was, "I had to meet the man who has so much to say about me, but who has never met me." After a good ten minutes we started chatting about my foundation and the greater good to figure out what positive could come out of all the negative things we said about each other in the past. So we'll see.

ESSENCE.COM: We love that you flipped the script by showing him the respect he didn't show you. Oprah had some words for you too when you appeared on her show in 2006. Have you reconciled with the Queen of Talk?
LUDACRIS: After my father passed away about two and half years ago she reached out to me and I took that as her way of apologizing and it meant a lot to me so I'd definitely say we made peace. At the end of the day, people see my videos and think when they meet me I'm supposed to be hanging from the ceiling and acting crazy. I'm not always turned up to 10 and a comedian. They don't realize I have a calm side and like to chill.

Check out twitter.com/ludajuice for more of Ludacris's "Battle of the Sexes," in stores this September.