Cash Money started as a New Orleans bounce label, veered into rap music, landed a deal with Universal valued at an estimated $30 million, and started cranking out classic albums. was the bigger deal at Cash Money, and Juvenile was the main subject of intrigue- nothing like “Ha” had ever been heard on rhythmic radio, before or since. The now-iconic wobbledy wobbledy–ing on the outro demonstrated unnatural smoothness and poise without much effort, seemingly by accident. Wayne had been introduced to the mainstream the previous winter as a warbling conversation piece on “Back That Azz Up,” the youngest and strangest Hot Boy, swimming in his regimental Girbauds and white tee. There are Fresh’s slasher-fic strings, pew-pew drums, and a quick author bio, right there at the beginning: “Straight off the block, gold nuts in my hand, trustin’ no man.” Why were the nuts gold? No idea. “Tha Block Is Hot,” the song, is a bullet sliding out of a barrel. We’re celebrating that by definitively ranking its top songs and albums, 20 years later. Thankfully, the Cash Money posse comes to his aid often, resulting in an excellent debut for the youngster, highlighted by the title track.The Ringer’s 40 Best Singles and Albums of 1999ġ999 was one of the most interesting music years ever. Taken as a whole, Tha Block Is Hot surely has its moments, though Wayne still seems a little green here. The remainder of the album is as solid as late-'90s Cash Money albums get - a few standouts here and there, mostly because of Fresh's beats, with lots of filler toward the latter half of the album. Even so, he still gets plenty of time to shine here, particularly on the fiery album-opening title track, which proved to be one of Cash Money's biggest hits to date. Considering all this, Tha Block Is Hot isn't much different from other late-'90s Cash Money releases like 400 Degreez, Chopper City in the Ghetto, and How You Luv That? Like those albums, Tha Block Is Hot is essentially a group effort despite Wayne's solo billing. In addition, the Big Tymers ( Brian "Baby" Williams and Mannie Fresh) make several appearances as well, and Fresh produces the entire album. From beginning to end, the teen rapper gets plenty of assistance from his former group mates ( Juvenile, B.G., and Turk), who back him on just over half of the album's 17 songs. Shortly after establishing himself as a prominent member of the Hot Boys, Lil Wayne entered the solo realm with Tha Block Is Hot.
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