On this day, April 16, in hip-hop history...

master p ice cream man
No Limit Records
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1996: Master P, head of No Limit Records, drops his fifth studio album Ice Cream Man. The album is a massive success, becoming the first platinum seller the label has ever seen and setting the precedent for a bunch of other albums from the label to do the same. P says it was the first "national album" of his to go platinum.

The LP was propelled by the strength of the single "Ice Cream Man," which heavily samples the World Class Wreckin Cru's "Turn Off the Lights" from 1987. In fact, Percy Miller was often accused of biting songs from the past including Dru Down's "Ice Cream Man" from 1993, Eazy-E's "No More Questions" from 1988, and E-40's "Captain Save a Hoe" from 1996, amongst others. Master P simply called his approach "New Orleans gumbo."

The album was also the one of the first of Miller's releases since officially relocating (and bringing No Limit) to New Orleans. His previous album 99 Ways to Die found him still repping Richmond in California, and though rap from the West and the South have always shared some similarities, Ice Cream Man solidified the label as the leading Southern one.

In addition, it was also a hit in the wake of a new distribution deal with Priority around the same time. No Limit acts like TRU, Tre-8 and Mia X were selling well, but not platinum like the Ice Cream Man.

No Limit would of course go on to dominate much of the late '90s rap market until Cash Money came around, and the struggle there would birth a new leader. But Master P is still at it with new artists, and Ice Cream Man is still a dope listen all these years later.

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