Lil' Romeo

by Jason BirchmeierBetter known for his savvy schemes and industry knowhow than for his rapping, Master P introduced the world to his son, Lil' Romeo, in 2001. Furthermore, he did so with one of the year's surprise hits, "My Baby." The song not only made Romeo an overnight sensation but also revived Master P's struggling career. Suddenly, the rapper with the "Ice Cream Man" tattoo on his arm was better known for his fatherly ways than for "making 'em say 'ugh,'" but even if you put aside the heart-warming thug-rapper-turned-loving-father angle, Romeo's self-titled debut is still worthy of its success. Master P gives his son some great pop-rap productions to work with here. Some of the interpolations may be pretty obvious (the "I Want You Back" interpolation so central to "My Baby"'s success being Exhibit A), but such is the nature of pop-rap, and Master P understands this perhaps as well as anyone. He's mined the past for hooks of his own, albeit never this well, and he does so to a further extent for his son's debut. If anything, give Master P credit for producing an album for his son that's more engaging than most of his own.