AceShowbiz -

Is a Grammy-Award winning rapper and actor as well, Ludacris is now turning restaurateur, making his first foray into the restaurant business.

The rap star, who was first rose to fame for his 2000 album "Back for the First Time", is teaming up with San Francisco Bay area restaurateur Chris Yeo, who already owns four California based restaurants, to open three restaurants in Atlanta.

The new restaurant, named the Straits of Malacca, will be launched by April this year. It will reportedly offer a modern twist on Singaporean cuisine, which is a combination of Thai, Indonesian, Chinese, Malay, Indian and Nonya cooking. It will, moreover, incorporate Georgian ingredients into the menu.

"I love Atlanta's charm, architecture, food and, most of all, the people," explained Yeo of his decision to expand his brand outside of California. "Chris Bridges' commitment to his community and his family sealed the deal for me - this market is ideal for Straits and likewise Straits is perfect for the city."

On his new venture, Ludacris was reported to purchase a property in Midtown Atlanta at 793 Juniper St. (at Fifth Street) for $2.7 million in March 2007 that will be the first location under the new venture. Buying real estate, in fact, isn't something new for Ludacris though he won't detail further on that matter.

"I don't generally speak about it," Ludacris said. "I keep it to myself. I'm definitely into real estate. I'm a silent partner and an entrepreneur outside of music."