The 25 Greatest No Limit Songs Of All Time
#25: TRU f/ Master P "Swamp Nigga"
Released:
#24: Choppa f/ Master P "Choppa Style"
Released:
#23: Kane & Abel f/ Master P "Gangstafied"
Released:
rapping about it
#22: Master P f/ Silkk The Shocker "The Ghetto's Tryin' To Kill Me!"
Released:
#21: Magic "9th Ward"
Released: 1998
New Orleans is driven by neighborhood pride, and No Limit's snarling
second-stringer Magic was all about his 9th Ward, going as far as giving
himself the nickname "Mr. 9th Ward" and knocking out this anthem for
his ’hood. When Magic says he's down to die for the 9th, you have no
choice but to believe him.
#20: 504 Boyz "Wobble Wobble"
Released:
#19: C-Murder f/ UGK & Master P "Akickdoe"
Released:
#18: Master P f/ Silkk, Mo B Dick & Gambino "Burbons & Lacs"
Released: 1998
Making a list like this and not including the entirety of Ghetto D is a difficult task in and of itself. But "Burbons" is essential. It turns the traditional car anthem into an emotional outing, firing off swerving memories over synth harpsichords. It's like the ’90s answer to "Be Thankful For What You Got."
#17: Mia X "I'll Take Ya Man
Released: 1997
Often overlooked in the midst of the end-of-days true-school rhetoric haters pushed during the South's ascendancy was just how much No Limit drew on the golden age of New York hip-hop. In fact, Mama Mia was straight from that era, with her rhyming days dating back to ’80s house parties in New Orleans. Here, she pays homage to Salt 'N'
Pepa with "I'll Take Ya Man." (Mia would probably be too humble to admit
it, but she's always been a better rapper than either of them.)
#16: Mac f/ Mystikal "Murda, Murda, Kill, Kill"
Released:
#15: Soulja Slim "Soulja 4 Life"
Released:
#14: Master P f/ UGK "Break 'Em Off Something"
Released: 1996
Though their relationship eventually deteriorated into Pimp C getting a much-mythologized hotel room beatdown courtesy of Percy's goons, the UGK/No Limit alliance was practically unstoppable when it was in full force. "Break ’Em Off Somethin'" might be the best of their collaborations, with P
stealing the show with his all-too-memorable opening bars: "Hustler,
baller, gangster, cap peeler / Who I be? Your neighborhood drug dealer"
Something has to be said for his skillful simplicity.
#13: Fiend "Talk It Like I Bring It"
Released:
#12: TRU "Hoody Hoo"
Released:
#11: Young Bleed f/ Master P "How Ya Do Dat"
Released:
#10: Soulja Slim "From What I Was Told"
Released: 1998
Already a minor legend in New Orleans, Slim's No Limit coming out party was monumental. The chorus also proved to be eerily prophetic of the decade that
followed, mentioning both World Trade terrorism (the ’90s attack,
obviously) and a comparison to ’Pac that would predict Slim's own
similar martyrdom.
#9: TRU f/ Mia X "No Limit Soldiers"
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#8: Mystikal "The Man Right Chea"
Released:
#7: Snoop Dogg f/ Butch Cassidy, The Eastsidaz, Nate Dogg & Master P "Lay Low"
Released:
2001
#6: Master P f/ Pimp C & Silkk "I Miss My Homies"
Released: 1998
The beauty of P's "Ugghhh" battlecry lay in its adaptability. He mostly used it to express excitement, but on "Miss My Homies" it's all about pain. Alongside Pimp C and his brother Silkk, he pours out the O'Jays ode to "Brandy" and repurposes it in remembrance of the the fallen souljas.
#5: Master P "Mr. Ice Cream Man"
Released:
#4: C-Murder f/ Magic & Snoop "Down 4 My N's"
Released:
#3: Silkk The Shocker f/ Mystikal "It Ain't My Fault"
Released:
#2: TRU f/ Mia X "I'm Bout It, Bout It"
Released:
#1: Master P f/ Fiend, Mia X, Mystikal & Silkk "Make Em' Say Uhh!"
Released: 1998
Lifted from Masterdon Committee's 1982 old-school hit "Funkbox," P's "Make Em' Say Uhh!" (yes, that's really the horribly-spelled title) refrain is guttural and divisive, quickly becoming the most-loved (and -loathed) adlib of 1998. But more than a grunt, the track was a national introduction for the No Limit roster. As is often the case, Mystikal steals the show with a rapid-fire closing verse, but the rest of the crew hold their own as well.