Back in the day, the “No Limit or Cash Money” debate seem to have always made itself a part of the conversation between my peers and I–especially in the late ’90s. Typically, it was a hung jury. I was a fan of both so the conversations were always fun. But for some reason, we never put the albums against one another. Had we did that, maybe we would have gotten closer to a resolution. Or maybe not. Anyways, when I think of top tier albums from the two New Orleans-based labels, Ghetto D and 400 Degreez by Master P and Juvenile, respectively, come to mind.
P dropped Ghetto D in September 2, 1997. The title track, which is also the opening track, set the tone. Master P, alongside brothers, C-Murder and Silkk, utilize Rakim’s beat for a dopeman start-up kit.
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“Never let a n***a front you no do-zope, start from the ground work ya way up to a kilo,” P raps.
P being the business man that he is, he would essentially instructed us to “clean up ya dirty money to good money, cause legal money last longer than drug money.”
P was born and raised in the infamous Calliope Projects. Naturally, the streets were the core of the album. It really didn’t matter the subject matter. Whether it was dealing with the stress of the street life with tracks such as “Going Through Somethangs” & “Only Time Will Tell.” Or dealing with the opps with a track such as “Come and Get Some.” Either way, he was sure to give us the Rated-R version.
Ghetto D was promoted by “Make ‘Em Say Uhh!” and “I Miss My Homies.” The album was produced by the in-house team, Beats by the Pound.
Juvenile’s 400 Degreez came in November of the following year. Like P, he came from a notorious housing authority, the Magnolia Projects. Unsurprisingly, he would use his upbringing as the basis of his album.
When it comes to the wordplay, I gave it to Juvie. My reasons would be exemplified on the popular track, “Ha.”
“You know who got that fire green, ha. You know how to use a triple beam, ha Shit ain’t hard as it seems ha.”
Of course, there were other bangers on the album such as “Ghetto Children” and “Juvenile On Fire.” And what’s a Cash Money album without a Mannie Fresh intro?
400 Degreez was promoted by the aforementioned “Ha” and “Back That Azz Up.” The album was produced by Mannie.
P and Juvie had similar backgrounds, which resulted in their albums having equivalent street value. The releases help solidified New Orleans as a bona fide Hip Hop city.
Which album you like better; Master P’s ‘Ghetto D’ or Juvenile’s ‘400 Degreez’?
Master P – Ghetto D – 67%
Juvenile – 400 Degreez – 33%