MP da Last Don [PA] - P, Master (CD 2005)

An earmark of Master P s formula was to haphazardly imitate whatever was hip at the time in the Rap game. When P and his No Limit empire blew up, double-disc albums were a hot commodity. The late, great Tupac Shakur had released a double-disc set with All Eyez on Me in 1996, as did the Notorious B.I.G., posthumously, with Life After Death a year later. Even Bone Thugs-N-Harmony jumped on the bandwagon with their excellent (I know I ll catch some flak for that one) double-disc release The Art of War in 1997 as well. With all of these two disc sets, not to mention successful two disc sets, P probably wondered to himself why he hadn t thought of this sooner.

MP Da Last Don is a bloated, never ambitious, cliched piece of mid-'90s gangsta Rap that desires to be nothing that it s not. If you already hated Master P at this point, this album gave you all the more reason to keep doing so. Cluttered with guests, interpolations of classic '60s and '70s hits and cheap beats, it came complete with everything No Limit stood for. P s yearning for Pop success is readily evident on a few choice tracks here, but as a whole, MP Da Last Don is generally what you would expect from him. Although P got his formula down pat with the excellent Ghetto D just a year before, MP Da Last Don, however criticized it may be, is the last truly great Master P album.

You would figure for a double-disc release that P would at least delve into topics that he hadn t in the past. P knew what his audience wanted, however, and he delivered it to them with absolutely no chaser. Whether it s elementary gangsta rap or foreboding, New Orleans thug anthems, P knew exactly how to keep the records flying off the shelves. Although that eventually became a double-edged sword for him, while it was working, P and his No Limit cronies could do no wrong. And throughout the course of this 29 track release (14 tracks on the first disc and 15 on the second), P rarely deviates from the formula he d set for himself.

This is back when No Limit s production crew, Beats by the Pound, was developing a new sound and that is the key element to this record s success. It sounds far more industrial and layered than past No Limit works, and tracks such as "Welcome to My City" and "Hot Boys and Girls," are perfect examples of that. The crew even utilizes samples on occasion (which were rare for the team) and this adds some much needed depth to their otherwise synth-and-bass-oriented beats. There was obviously more money to be thrown around by this time and Beats by the Pound used it wisely.

But where Beats by the Pound were improving their productions and experimenting with new styles, Master P was the same rapper that he d always been. Hardcore tracks such as the anthemic "Soldiers, Riders, and G s," which featured the newly signed Snoop Dogg, as well as No Limit favorites Mystikal and Silkk the Shocker, and "Let s Get Em," which featured C-Murder and Magic, were perfect examples of No Limit s bottom basement, cheap, spare sound. The lyrics were not the important factors here. That honor goes to Beats by the Pound s increasingly complex production. Other standouts include the flossy E-40 feature "Get Your Paper" and the insightful "Ghetto s Got Me Trapped" which is as good as anything P stuck on Ghetto D.

Every Master P album since his inception has had a song dedicated to his deceased brother, Kevin Miller. Ghetto D had the standout single I Miss My Homies and P emulates that song to perfection with the touching Goodbye to My Homies. Backed by excellent production, backup vocals supplied by Sons of Funk, and a superb verse by Silkk, this track has gone down in history as one of Master P s most honest and introspective. Contrary to popular belief, P has always been introspective and songs like this perfectly exemplify this.

P even makes sure to include a few socially conscious numbers. "Black and White" is about the struggles a black man experiences in a society dominated by whites, while "Dear Mr. President" finds P writing an imaginary letter to, you guessed it, the president of the United States. Both are excellent tracks and are complemented by insightful lyrics. Silkk the Shocker guests with an admittedly mediocre verse on Black and White, but Mac proves why he was always one of the Tank s most underrated lyricists on the unforgettable "Dear Mr. President."

Other topics covered throughout the course of the album are an ode to P s mother with "Mama Raised Me" which features Snoop Dogg and Soulja Slim and even a brief storytelling rap, featuring Mia X, which describes a situation between two drug dealing lovers that eventually get knocked by the DEA ("Thinkin Bout U"). There s even a remix to Make Em Say Uhh here; a remix that I ve favored over the original since I first heard it. The only songs that I really don t care for are those that have a slight Pop edge to them, such as the catchy "Thug Girl" and the all-but-entertaining "Gangsta B "

Even on more mainstream-oriented material, the gangsta elements shine through in each and every one of P s raps and that s what saves this album. Beats by the Pound also play a large part in the record s success, as I said, and even though the album is far too long, maybe that s a good thing. You get a lot for your dollar, and if you re a No Limit fan, this album is certainly worth it. MP Da Last Don was out-of-print for a couple of years, but was recently re-released. Unlike the re-release of P s Ice Cream Man, none of the tracks have been deleted; this is the LP in its entirety. Not quite as influential, or as good, as both Ice Cream Man and Ghetto D were, MP Da Last Don is still worth every penny you own. And with the re-release currently available, it won t cost you an arm and a leg.