new orleans no longer needs artist licence

As the label set up shop in New Orleans, it drew established acts like the nimble Mia X (a former member of New York Incorporated alongside Fresh), the eccentric Mystikal and the people's champ Magnolia Slim, and paired them with a seemingly endless roster of newcomers from across the state and P's family.ĭecked in images of tanks and camo, and heavy on features, No Limit albums brought to mind an invading army: If Cash Money bounce conjured block parties, No Limit evoked war zones. Master P was more a businessman than an artist, but his local brokering and marketing acumen fed into the music in the lurching flows of TRU and the surreal Pen & Pixel artwork that graced No Limit albums, P's constant talk of independence felt manifest.

Initially a record store in Richmond, Calif., where rapper and label head Master P had resettled after his brother was killed in New Orleans, No Limit grew into a regional powerhouse upon P's return. Cash Money struggled to hit it big in its initial years, but Fresh's syncretic beats would become the label's Rosetta Stone.Īs Cash Money regrouped, the No Limit Records tank rolled into town in the mid-'90s. U.N.L.V.'s 1993 song 'Mannie Fresh Mix,' a typical clinic, filets Sade's 'Nothing Can Come Between Us' into a funky bass track topped with slick scratches, claps and grunts. Fresh, who produced and mixed many of those early records, packed songs with rhythms and textures. Tee to cut tracks that showcased charisma on the mic as much as crowd engagement.

Founded by Ronald 'Slim' and Bryan 'Baby' Williams of the Melpomene and Magnolia Projects, the label recruited acts like U.N.L.V., Pimp Daddy and Ms. Get in line.Ī drummer, the son of a DJ and a student of New Orleans' many music traditions, the scene vet Mannie Fresh became a visionary for Cash Money Records. A repertoire of localized chants and dance moves emerged: What project you rep? What ward you from? Where dey at? Do the Eddie Bow. As they did with okra and sugar, New Orleaneans constantly adapted the tinny, arpeggiated sample - stretching it, warping it, chopping it and freaking it into myriad shapes. Beyond a signature of bounce, it was a catalyst for creativity. Noticing the enthusiastic crowd response to the xylophone-like refrain from The Showboys' 1986 proto-gangsta rap song 'Drag Rap,' mix-masters like DJ Irv, Mannie Fresh and DJ Jimi popularized what is commonly known as the Triggerman loop. But one source from farther away - Queens, New York - would become the linchpin of the sound. Bounce, the foundation of New Orleans rap, originates in the 1980s, with crews like New York Incorporated, Magician DJs and Sugar Brown Clowns hosting gigs.

New orleans no longer needs artist licence