Master P
Ice Cream Man

THE REVIEW

01. Intro
02. Mr. Ice Cream Man
03. Time For A 187
04. 1/2 On A Bag Of Dank
05. Break 'Em Off Somethin' (Ft. UGK)
06. How G's Ride (Ft. Big Ed & Silkk The Shocker)
07. No More Tears
08. Ghetto Won't Change, The
09. Commercial 1
10. Playa From Around The Way (Ft. Mob B. Dick & Silkk The Shocker)
11. Sellin' Ice Cream (Ft. Mob B. Dick)
12. Time To Check My Crackhouse
13. Bout It, Bout It II (Ft. Mia-X)
14. Back Up Off Me
15. Never Ending Game
16. Watch Dees Hoes (Ft. Mob B. Dick, Mr. Serv-On, Silkk The Shocker & Tre-8)
17. Bout That Drama (Ft. Silkk The Shocker)
18. Killer Pussy (Ft. Mob B. Dick)
19. Things Ain't What They Used To Be (Ft. Mob B. Dick)
20. My Ghetto Heroes (Ft. Skull Duggery)

In 1996, Priority Records, one of the most important production companies in history (with significant works from the likes of Snoop Dogg, Bad Azz, Ice Cube, and Westside Connection), dedicated itself to the distribution of the album Ice Cream Man, produced by No Limit Records. This is Master P's ninth album, a guru of the Dirty scene, boasting the achievement of a platinum album, a prestigious recognition in the '90s when the "battles" between East artists, the true first wave of hip-hop culture, and the rest of America, namely West Side and Dirty South, raged in the musical landscape.

The album navigates through 20 tracks, which in itself could be a problem, as the risk of sounding monotonous throughout can be a lethal blow to the record. Yet, in my opinion, this remains the unrivaled album for Master P in his entire career: in 20 tracks, he manages to sound perpetually fresh, never retracing his steps. What does it mean? Simply that no track ends up being repetitive, and the sounds differ from song to song, making listening pleasant and never boring. But what tracks are we in possession of once we listen to this album? Let's say that the Dirty South set in 1996 is quite different from the Dirty South that's pervasive on the streets and in clubs across America today, as in this work we don't deal with too many bangs (the usual window-shattering boxes), claps, absent lyrics, and repeated motifs that last the entire track, but rather soft musicality, less gloomy than the classic eastside and westside of the period, with funk-like rhythms and, as the Americans say, "fresh". Additionally, a special note surely goes to Master P's flow, which is truly engaging, entertaining, and at times hypnotic, especially when he decides to hit the accelerator in tracks like "Break 'Em Off Something", where the showdown occurs in a song with two Dirty legends, UGK, who faced their peak period between '92 and '96.

The productions are truly interesting because they are closely followed by Master P himself, leaving only Ken Franklin to produce "How G's Ride" and "No More Tears", which are truly the funkiest sounding of the whole album and, in my opinion, the most beautiful in the entire work. The others, as mentioned, are supervised by Master P, assisted by B-Legit and Celly Cel. To accompany this artist in the work, besides the already mentioned UGK, there are also big names like Big Ed, Silkk, Mo B, and Tre-8, No Limit Records teammates.

That being said, it remains a milestone of the Dirty South, and listening to this album is a must for those who love the genre. I strongly advise departing from the usual Hip Hop community tendency to denigrate these works in favor of Eastside culture, because listening and broadening one's musical culture is a duty for anyone who loves this world. Pete Rock teaches us!

Link to Videos-Singles Extracted From the Album:

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGbfymq9rAg
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eEXjK5bPFY