1994 vs 1997 version
Imagine going to Sam Goody in 1997 and see a wrapped up copy of Master P’s “debut” album of “The Ghetto’s Tryin to Kill me”. You pay 16.99 for the album along with 3.99 for the latest single from Ma$e. Once the transaction is complete, out of curiosity you turn the Master P album over and notice something strange. The tracklist seems odd and the date is completely wrong. You go home and put the album in the stereo and notice some tracks sounding up to date compared to the remainder of the album. You have officially bought into Master P’s ingenious marketing that you will find out more about as time progress.
No this album isn’t Master P’s debut album, rather it’s more of a critically acclaimed album during the transition of No Limit heading towards the long awaited Priority deal. Also, there are huge differences between the album you just bought and the “OG” version of The Ghetto’s Tryin to Kill Me. The 1994 version has a different tracklisting from the 1997 version.
1994
1. "Intro" (00:12)
2. "Some of These Hoes Jack" (04:38) (featuring: King George & Lil Ric)
3. "Late Night Creepin'" (04:25) (featuring: Big Ed]
4. "Playa Haterz" (05:17)
5. "Somethin' Funky for the Street" (03:18)
6. "Commercial" (02:33)
7. "Any Thing Goes" (04:59)
8. "Study Being for a Gangsta" (04:02) (featuring: King George)
9. "The Ghetto's Tryin' to Kill Me!" (04:37) (featuring: Silkk the Shocker)
10. "Bastard Child" (04:55)
11. "Just an Everyday Thang" (05:08) (featuring: C-Murder)
12. "Commercial Rev Intro" (01:24)
13. "Rev. Do Wrong" (03:37) (featuring: TRU)
14. "Hands of Dead Man" (04:41)
15. "211" (04:03) (featuring: Sonya C)
16. "No Limit Party" (07:10)
1997
1. 'Intro" (0:11)
2. "The Ghettos Tryin' to Kill Me!" (4:09)
3. "Always Look A Man In The Eyes (Bonus Track)" (5:06)
4. "Anything Goes" (3:09)
5. "Late Night Creepin'" (4:14)
6. "I Got The Dank" (2:31)
7. "Robbery (bonus track)" (3:31) (C-Murder)
8. "Playa Haterz" (3:36)
9. "Some Jack" (3:57)
10. "Something For The Street" (3:18)
11. "Bastard Child" (2:29)
12. "Hands Of A Dead Man" (2:50)
13. "211" (4:01)
14. "Just An Everyday Thang" (3:12)
15. "No Limit Party" (3:58)
There are various reasons behind the changes in the album, but the main issue was the falling out between King George and Master P. I don’t know much of the details, but it was mainly a control issue between both parties which led to King George being cut from various tracks and some tracks being gutted altogether. Now that we have that ordeal out of the way, let’s talk about the review. The album is probably Master P’s best effort from his previous albums that were released. He’s still inspired by the Richmond sound, but he start to have muscle of his own with tracks like the album track, “Anything Goes”, and “Bastard Child”. Now the “bonus” tracks on the new album….they were hit and miss. It’s good for a typical No Limit album with Beats by the Pound production, but to have a track by DJ KLC followed by an dated track like “Anything Goes” throws the album off a bit, and even ruins the intention of the OG version.
Bottom line, please search on Ebay or a local Mom and Pop store for the OG copy of “The Ghettos Tryin To Kill Me”. The remastered version is like listening to a dubbed copy of Doggystyle with a demo of a Crooked I track over “What’s My Name”.
