Unnggghhh! I couldn’t stand these covers…! Thank Pen and Pixel for the nonsense!

I think it was from 1996-1999 when I noticed a huge stock pile of No Limit albums featured at just about every Hip-Hop related outlet that sold music. No Limit Records was founded by Master P midway into the 90’s. He ushered in a new group of talent consisting of his 2 brothers Silkk and C-Murder along with Mia X, Skull Duggery, Kane & Abel, Mac, Soulja Slim, Tre 8, Mr Serv-O, and even Snoop and Mystikal (to name a few) who managed to get a recording and distribution deal from Priority Records. For over 3 years Master P flooded the market with half talented rappers backed by watered down beats and packaged over a Pen and pixel design glorifying the millions they stacked and the studded bling they rented. From 1996-1998 No Limit had record sales hit 28 million units in U.S. (75 million units worldwide) with an estimated income of $250,000,000. (back than) Now that is a lotta records to sell!

The thing I didn’t understand is who bought those albums? I look back at the many friends I had in college and I think I even went onto ask people if they could name 1 No Limit song and I got the same response… “Unnggh! Na! Na! Na! Na!” was pretty much the only single people recalled. I have this idea that Master P used the media and retail outlets to push his products with absurd lifestyles and half ass covers. Nowadays… when I think about it… you never see that No Limit Brand of music that flooded the late 90’s in any stores. Minus Snoop, Mystikal, Master P and a few C-Murder albums, (which are all still available) from the 30 plus artists P signed, you rarely see their albums in the used bins let alone the bargain bins. (a rare occasion, I’ll see Mia X’s or Soulja Slim’s releases!) you may also find 5-6 of them out and about, but where did the 75 million units of No Limit albums go? Were they buried? Burned? Steam rolled?

Just where did the millions Master P sold go? I know Das Efx’s “D-Generation X” album didn’t go multi-platinum but I see it at every used bin I dig at. I should be happy we’re not seeing them. I never really got into the whole “No Limit” thing because I knew it would be a fad. While P was dropping countless albums to the masses, I was real busy pickin’ up underground gems like Abstract Rude, Aceyalone, Living Legends and unreleased Hobo Junction material. Thats word.