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Lil B has been considered a godfather to the internet age of rap, from the cloud rap stylings that have reappeared in plugg style production to the memes to the infinite stream of mixtapes. All these have been considered hallmarks of the streaming age, but his influence comes from those that preceded him.
Master P’s No Limit Records held a similar ethos, the Pen & Pixel covers & endless run of albums are all elements that made them an unstoppable force in the ’90s. While there is a big difference between a single rapper & an entire record label, but this also goes to show how technology has developed to allow an artist like Lil B to strive. Here we’ll look at some of the clear connections to draw between Lil B & the No Limit Record label.
Lil B – Task Force & Master P – Only God Can Judge Me
While by this point, Lil B had adopted the Pen & Pixel style that made the No Limit label iconic, he hadn’t blatantly drew from their album covers. This changed with the 2012 release of Task Force, where he pulled the cross seemingly directly from Master P’s Only God Can Judge Me. Its an unmistakable flip of the cover art, and even shares the same run time of the album (one hour & twelve minutes).
Lil B – White Flame & Soulja Slim – Give It 2 ‘Em Raw
Adding into Lil B’s fantastic Flame series, Lil B puts his own spin on the classic Soulja Slim cover. A beloved No Limit artist that had unfortunately passed away, its clear Lil B wanted to show love to the original art work. While the mixtape doesn’t reach the same quality of Soulja Slim, it is still a fun listen.
Lil B – “Network” & Master P’s Flow
Master P was always criticized for taking 2Pac’s flow, and while he did take elements of it, he undoubtedly put his own spin on the flow. On Lil B’s song “Network,” its clear his interpolating the Master P flow, and not the Pac flow. The only thing missing from the Lil B song is the iconic Master P Uhh‘s.
Lil B – “Bitch Mob Wants You” & C-Murder – “They Don’t Really Know You” (ft. Master P & Erica Fox)
On Lil B’s “Bitch Mob Wants You,” he does a flip of C-Murder’s track “They Don’t Really Know You.” The beat is identical but Lil B even does his own take on the hook for the track. He obviously doesn’t have the same vocal chops as Erica Fox, but the sentiment is there.
Lil B – “Bitch MOB ANTHEM” & Silkk the Shocker – “We Like Them Girls” (ft. Master P & Petey Pablo)
While Silkk the Shocker’s album Based On A True Story was a last ditch effort for mainstream success, there were a couple hits on it such as “We Like Dem Girls.” On “Bitch MOB ANTHEM,” Lil B recognizes the banging beat with his own take of the track. He doesn’t take any flows, but instead goes for his own flow on the track.
Lil B – “Pay 4 Pussy” & 504 Boyz – “Life is Serious”
Lil B takes a much more light-hearted approach to the 504 Boyz’s track “Life is Serious.” While 504 Boyz take up the heady & heavy topics of just stay alive, B takes the approach of his relationships with women, those that are worth his time & those that are not. While B is just riffing on the track, its one of his more concise tracks thematically.
Lil B – “MMMMMMM DAMN” & C-Murder – “Down for My Niggaz” (ft. Snoop Dogg & Magic)
While the other tracks in this list are usually direct sample flips, here Lil B makes an insanely abrasive track. The sample doesn’t only come truly clear until the end of the track, but the C-Murder sample is playing all throughout. In addition to this, Geto Boys track “Scarface” gets multiple vocal samples used within it as well.
Lil B – “Be a Superstar” & Master P – “I’m Going Big Time”
A much older Master P song, Lil B takes a track off of one of his earliest albums. During this era, Master P’s style is less like Pac & much more like other late 80s & early 90s west coast rappers. These little elements can be found in Lil B’s rhymes on his version of the track. Adding a shout out to No Limit at the end of the track, he fully embraces the influence. The track also got a Chopped & Screwed version years later on his album Gutta Dealership.
Lil B – “Free Lil B” & C-Murder – “Y’all Heard of Me” (ft. B.G.)
One of Lil B’s rawer tracks, he raps over C-Murder’s track “Y’all Heard of Me.” Rarely you get to hear Lil B with this energy, and he does C-Murder well on this track. You can hear little elements of C’s flow in the beginning of track as well.
Lil B – “Real 100” & Master P – “99 Ways to Die”
On the same Black Flame mixtape, he does another flip of an early Master P track. Occasionally playing with the “soulja” slang, he rips through with a endless feeling freestyle. Lack of a narrative & stream of thought are what make Lil B’s tracks so different from the crowd.