Master P — Ice Cream Man

In 1995, Master P leaves Richmond to settle permanently in New Orleans, moving his No Limit here and founding his own production team, Beats by the Pound, including KLC, Mo B. Dick, Carlos Stephens, Craig B and DJ Daryl. In April 1996, Master P releases his fifth solo studio album, entirely produced by Beats by the Pound, with guests such as Mo B. Dick, Silkk the Shocker, Mia X, UGK, Big Ed, Mr. Serv-On, Three-8, and Skull Diggery.

The record is gangsta, dealing with weapons, drugs, ghetto life, women and crimes, with some trespassing into the socio-conscious. Overall, the lyrics are generic, while the production drives the project for a long time. The Beats by the Pound selection is atypical of the usual No Limit catalog, it's done really well and sounds fresh: solid bass lines, accessible hard downtempo and midtempo drums, g-funk layered synths that cloud the tracks, great samples, melodic and funky, pianos, and tired strings.

This LP, distributed by Priority, paves the way for success for Master P, it's his first CD to have an important sales response, climbing to third position among the rap releases, and surprisingly becoming one of the best-selling hip-hop projects in two consecutive years. Additionally, it's the rapper's first gold certificate, five months after release, and third platinum, in 2002.

It's considered to be Master P's best studio album ever, I believe it too, and there's a reason, the first half hour is undeniably brilliant. His rapping is confident, sharp and regular, he delivers at his finest over great rhythms, "Time for a 187" boasts a compelling soundscape that seems to have been extracted from the soundtrack of an apocryphal James Bond movie.

The original version of "The Ghetto Won't Change" with the Al Green sample is definitely one of the best things you can hear in Master P discography. Then the album falls, without collapsing excessively, stretching for the next fifty minutes, playing, relaxing and basking in the income built in the first part. With 80 minutes of material it's actually too long, worth it for TRU fans (there's no C-Murder here, curiously) and for fans of the g-funk / southern union. 7.5/10.