P Revisits His Familiar Hip-Hop Turf

** MASTER P

“MP Da Last Don”

No Limit/Priority

Master P and his No Limit Records seem to have popped up from nowhere. After releasing the direct-to-video film “I’m Bout It” last spring, P and his most famous phrase became integral parts of the hip-hop community. “Make Say Ugh,” the biggest single from “Ghetto D,” P’s 1997 set, later became a radio and music video programming mainstay.

But to a multitude of hip-hop followers, releases from P and No Limit’s other stars--TRU, Mia X and Silkk the Shocker--have become an essential part of their record collections. Although many of the label’s artists may not be the most talented lyricists, they connect with their fans like few others. Speaking directly and explicitly to the downtrodden and the persecuted, they present themselves as your struggling friends down the street.

“MP Da Last Don,” Master P’s fifth solo release, keeps this tradition alive, but it does little more than unimaginatively rework his earlier recordings, failing to match the intensity, freshness and excitement of “Ghetto D,” his finest work. P also incorporates tired Mafioso themes throughout the double album’s 29 songs, while the sound beds from No Limit’s Beats by the Pound production squad fall short of their usually spine-tingling level.

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