No Limit no more: A tribute to the tank

So did you hear the bad news? No Limit Records is bankrupt. Yes, maybe Lil' Romeo wasn't the edge they were in such dire need of anyway. Master P's label, the pioneer in the "bling-rap" genre, is rolling the tank on its merry way to greener pastures, ones thick with daytime cable appearances. \nIt'd be easy to kick P while he's down, if you want to call a $300 million-plus net worth "down." But that'd be easy. Instead, why don't we celebrate the near-decade of No Limit glory, when "Ugh!" wasn't just something you did after eating bad sushi. \nIntroducing the No Limit Tribute CD, complete with all the songs that gave No Limit its identity. Yo, P! Distribute this puppy and you're sure to add another zero to that bankroll. Ya heard!? Below are the cuts that'd make the cut.\n"Make Em Say Ugh" -- This classic was included among Blender's "50 Most Awesomely Bad Songs" list. But you know what comes right before bad? Awesomely! Yep, the song's gotta be awesome to be bad, and "Ugh" is awesome to a tee. The video was ridiculous, and distributed No Limit to the masses. Big things happened as a result of this song for No Limit, and this was likely the peak of its "pop" success. \n"I Can Tell" -- Pop music has produced some sweet duets: Sonny and Cher, Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, heck, even Mary J. Blige and Method Man's "You're All I Need" was ghetto-sweet. Add Jamo of 504 Boyz and Mercedes to that list. All you need to know is in the chorus: "You ain't gotta say too much/from the look in your eyes I can tell you wanna fuck." It's beautiful…\n"It Ain't My Fault" (Remix) -- Silkk the Shocker and Mystikal did this one. Mystikal's dropping of "Did I do that?" in the hook changed the game, bridging dirty south with Steve Urkel. Soon after, Mystikal left No Limit for Jive Records and better production in hopes of making more money. Today, the only place he shakes his ass is in the slammer for sexual assault. \n"I Got the Hook Up" -- You saw the movie, right? It may not have been a classic, but it was certainly an entertaining hour and a half, complete with mentally challenged gangs on bikes. P and friends went the R&B route on this one and it got serious airplay. The soundtrack itself wasn't half bad, even though I admittedly sold it back a few years ago in need of loose change for a Polar Pop. \n"Still a G Thang" -- Snoop Doggy Dogg was in trouble. His label was in the pits, his homies were getting shot, Dr. Dre had bounced outta the gangsta rap scene and the law was on Snoop's doorstep. Without a record deal, P extended his hand, or shall I say tank, to him, and that's how the "Doggy" was dropped from Snoop Doggy Dogg. "Still a G Thang" revived his career, reminding everyone of his earlier successes. Two Dre-less, horrible records off No Limit ensued, until Snoop and P parted ways. Both were better off as a result. \n"Bout it, Bout it" -- "Bout it, Bout it" was the biggest smash of the early No Limit days, and was one of the catchiest, most-used phrases by middle-class white kids in sagging jeans for years. \n"Wobble Wobble" -- A pretty sad attempt at chasing a hit single. No Limit was most likely sick of all the chart-topping success of rival label, Cash Money, and wanted their own piece of the pie. For as much as Cash Money is everything wrong with hip-hop today, its production with Mannie Fresh was always a little better than No Limit's no-name's and its choruses always seemed to move a crowd. That's all the credit I'll ever give to the self-proclaimed billionaires. Just another case of rappers getting rich off saying they're rich. \n"My Baby" -- Lil' Romeo coming onto the scene had his pops calling it the "future soldier of No Limit," but Romeo probably signified the end. The single made them some money, but their street cred was all about gone by now. It's pretty tough to rap about guns and crack and even tougher to believe it after your baby boy is on the scene. But the single did it's job, hitting #1 on the charts and fitting P's image for the Nickelodeon staple, "Romeo!." Do you think anyone who watches that network has heard "Burbons and Laces?" \nToday, there is no longer a No Limit Records. There's a New No Limit Records, comprised of P, Lil' Romeo and Silkk, but don't expect much more to come from the tank. There'd be a bit of an identity crisis at this label, one which made its success from "ice cream"-selling stories and tales from the Third Ward projects, to Lil' Romeo and daddy P staring on Nickelodeon (in one of the highest-rated shows on cable). Every time I see Master P on that show, it makes me want to forget the days when we'd all be driving to high school blasting Ghetto D, rolling to: "if you want me come get me/how the fuck you gon' take me/I got my true niggaz wit me and we ridaz"