Bullets Gots No Name

Master P "99 Ways To Die" (No Limit, 1995)


Master P "Bullets Gots No Name" (No Limit, 1995)

Wheels on the Tank is back again with the first record from the Tank's 5-Star General covered in this space.  99 Ways To Die is actually the third proper release from Master P (in addition to a couple of 12s), and the production remains on a strong West Coast vibe.  Beats are handled by the usual suspects from the early No Limit days:  E-A-Ski, CMT, Larry D., and K-Lou, though Bay Area O.G. Al Eaton lends his sampled funk to three tracks, as well.

This is a strong entry in the NL catalog that finds P refining his tales of the gangster lifestyle over thick, bass-heavy grooves and sinister synths on tracks like "17 Reasons" and "Dead Presidents", while "Baby Jesus" Eaton's electric piano and church organ vamps provide the backdrop for the thug lament of "When They Gone" (dedicated to Eazy-E who passed away earlier that year).

However, it is the title track that stands out as perhaps the most memorable and enduring on the album.  Larry D. lays down a fat, foreboding bass line (straight out of the World Class Wreckin' Cru playbook) and a woozy synth melody, as P lets the listener know there are 99 ways to die in his world...and only one way to stay alive.  It's a lifestyle that that leaves him searching for even the slightest of reprieves:  "Blood drippin' from my nose, I'm in a cold sweat/I done smoked this fool, can't sleep I need a cigarette."  It's clear that this lifestyle can take its toll on even a cold-blooded killer "dumpin' bullets in your back like young Scottie Pippen".

At the same time, though, P & Ski (along with Rally Ral) let you know that they won't hesitate to let 'tecs ring out on the Spice-1-sampling "Bullets Gots No Name":  "Hollow tips in ya, bang!/So duck when you hear that rat-tat-tat 'cause bullets got no name."  It's yet another example of how greatly the gangsta funk of early-90s West Coast artists influenced P and the pre-NOLA No Limit sound -- names like the RBL Posse and San Quinn don't usually come to mind when discussing this label, yet there they are sprinkled all over early compilations from the imprint.

But with that in mind, we'll be moving on from the Ski & CMT tenure behind the No Limit boards to the Beats By The Pound takeover, with a criminally slept-on artist who's 1995 album marks an important shift in the evolution of the Tank.  So check back here soon.

(All tracks ripped @ 320 kbps.)