Triple OG Percy Miller, aka Master P, never claimed to be a great rapper. He never wrote the wittiest punch lines, hottest lyrics or most mesmerizing metaphors. In fact, the CEO/ film maker/ mogul/ actor known to millions as Master P may never even be mentioned for his rapping abilities at all.
But P’s grimy ghetto tales and rowdy, raw delivery made you feel his pains of coming of age in New Orleans’ poverty-stricken, drug-infested Callio Projects. Added to that, Mr. Miller has always had the A&R expertise to surround himself with the rawest, untapped talents to transform his one-time fledging No Limit Records into a heralded hip hop institution.
Now, some 15 years since NL dominated the radio, tore up Billboard charts and influenced every rapper-turned-entrepreneur in the rap game to follow, the Colonel resurrects his empire with No Limit Forever Records. And he unleashes a roster full of hungry rappers and producers with brand new group Money Mafia and banging mixtape ThePurpleTapeFiles
In usual No Limit fashion, the mixtape is jam-packed with 21 sizzling hot trunk-shaking tracks by way of in-house production guru BlaqNMild. From the mixtape intro, “Hell of A Life,” when P’s unmistakable baritone introduces tank dogs Ace B, Eastwood and BlaqNMild atop a mid-tempo groove and mellow piano chords, it’s evident that No Limit is back and ready to take over the game all over again.
And the HNIC proclaims his dominance past and future on the aptly titled “Guess Who Back” with Romeo and Playbeezy. Over a slick Eminem sample, amped-up production and Peavy-popping 808 kicks, P boasts: “I got five Grammys, n####, but I didn’t change/ The first n#### to bling, bling an album cover, mayne/ The first n#### to go independent/ And sell platinum records, n####, and I’m still winning.” P sounds like it’s 1995 all over again!
From the Internet favorite single “Power” featuring Gangsta, Ace B and Young Money/ Cash Money CEO and one-time nemesis Lil Wayne to the gritty “I’m Just Tryin” to gangster love story “What You Be On,” We All We Got is reminiscent of an updated No Limit Records. Then, there’s the futuristic, slow-moving, synthesizer-driven “If U Ain’t With Me.” Even the 21st Century remake cut “We Bout It” featuring P, Ace B and Calliope Popeye is just as noisy, raucous and rowdy as the original version.
Get to know more about Money Mafia with an exclusive video
There was a time in rap music when the world belonged to No Limit. Amassing an arsenal of gold and platinum plaques, Master P and his NL crew set the standard in business, music and marketing. And We All We Got marks the resurgence of a dynasty.
Lyricism: 9/10
Production: 10/10
Cohesiveness: 9/10
Replay Value: 10/10
Overall: 9/10
Standout tracks: “Changed On Me,” “Do It Fa Da Gram,” “Power,” “Hell of A Life,” “Guess Who Back,” “If U Ain’t With Me,” “What You Be On”