Master P - Featuring Master P

Genre hip hop Publisher Priority Records External Links Priority Records

Master P's music usually rises and falls with the quality of his collaborators. And while Featuring Master P is chock full of talented help, this disc never quite rises to the occasion. For instance, Snoop Dogg's distinctively relaxed rapping drives the ominous "Soldiers, Riders, And G's". Elsewhere, Ice Cube appears on "You Know I'm A Ho", Mystikal adds his flavor to "Made Ni**az", and C-Murder contributes to "Hoody Hoo". But despite its large talent pool, Featuring Master P falls flat most of the time. These raps take on all the predictable ghetto topics, such as "Gangstafied" and "Weed and Money", but they are also gangsta brags we've already heard many times before.

These may be lowbrow sentiments, but at least they're honest. Snoop Dogg helps out again with "Thug Girl", where the boys - including Sillk the Shocker - talk about "looking for a thug girl." But that makes sense because these are obviously thug guys. The '70s soul-influenced funky keyboards on "Thug Girl" is a nice touch. Next "Weed and Money" begins with sound effects of gangsta potheads coughing and smoking out. It could easily pass for a Cypress Hill familiar weed worship song.

Despite its street sounding name, "Gangstafied" smartly incorporates plenty of falsetto soul. With assistance from Kane & Abel & Mo B. Dick, this track makes you wish there were more smooth songs like it on Featuring Master P. It's lyric, which bemoans the dark realities of street life -- rather than extolling them -- sure beats the bling praises of "Ice On My Wrist".

Like many hip-hop releases, this disc suffers from the too-many-cooks-in-the-kitchen disease. The overall effect is dull predictability. And with all the many different participants from track to track, it also severely lacks continuity. Ultimately, Master P's is no masterpiece.