Ghetto D (Remastered)

By the time Ghetto D was released in September 1997, the No Limit label had grown from a New Orleans venture into a global movement. Rather than use the album as a solo vehicle, Master P shares Ghetto D with the entire No Limit roster. Whereas Ice Cream Man had encompassed a range of Southern rap styles, Ghetto D is all about the New Orleans sound. The music is made entirely by No Limit’s in-house production team — built around KLC, Craig B, and Mo B. Dick — and each beat is the quintessence of skittering, bass-heavy menace. The lyrics delve deep into the regret, rage and paranoia of project living — one marvels at the fact that such an uncompromising and unrelentingly localistic album would eventually sell 10 million copies worldwide. Master P’s groaning flow made “Make ‘Em Say Ugh” a huge song, but elsewhere he wisely cedes to his more dynamic underlings. The album is at its most incendiary when Fiend, Mystikal, Mac and Mia X are on the mic. However, P and his brother Silkk the Shocker close the album in fine style with “Bourbons and Lacs,” a molasses slow anthem that epitomizes the culture of Southern hip-hop.