The story of Master P’s No Limit Records was profiled in the BET documentary series No Limit Chronicles in August. But the docuseries didn’t feature any input from Beats By The Pound, the legendary production team responsible for the label’s sound and platinum-selling albums from 1995 to 1999.
With such a glaring absence in the series, HipHopDX caught up with the entire crew to discuss why they weren’t involved in No Limit Chronicles and their perception of the show. Mo B. Dick, KLC, O’Dell, Craig B and Carlos Stephens explained why they chose not to participate and pointed out the errors or exaggerations they witnessed.
“We were reached out to, but we just didn’t want to do the interviews because based on our history, we had our suspicions,” Mo told DX. “Rightfully so. So, we just respectfully declined the offer because we don’t know if it was a ploy or smokescreen and something like that. So, we as a collective said we not gonna do it.”
The BBTP team’s skepticism proved to be accurate as they watched P control the narrative in the documentary. In one episode, the Hip Hop mogul implied the producers weren’t successful following their departure from the label.
“We already knew that’s how that was going to go,” Craig said. “We already knew that. So, we just sat back and watched how they did the Chronicle thing or whatever. I already knew how it was going to go. But we have our own story.”
The crew was also frustrated because they previously announced a documentary years before the BET series. While the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted their plans, the crew still intends to proceed with the project. They want to detail the truth of BBTP, which they believe wasn’t conveyed in No Limit Chronicles — particularly regarding the origins of the production team.
“There was some inaccuracies in the Chronicles,” Mo explained. “I can only say the Most High, just be honest with you, put us together. Me and KLC had already knew each other. Not knew, but we met previously some years prior. And we met again in Richmond, and we were occupying the same space with [Mr.] Serv-On and Mia X.”
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He continued, “We shared an apartment and when we saw that we were going to be occupying the same space, doing the same thing, I made an appeal to him. I was like, ‘Say, man, how about doing a production team?’ And it went from there. We agreed on a name and that was it then. Later on, we were hearing some materials from [O’Dell and Carlos Stephens] and he already had a relationship going on with Los. And we just came together, should I say, organically. It was an organic thing that happened.”
In No Limit Chronicles, P claimed he created BBTP. The series also used interviews with Mia X, Mr. Serv On and a few Hip Hop journalists to cover the production team’s history with the label. But BBTP members suggest the series was doctored to a degree.
“Mia told the truth,” KLC noted. “I know what Mia was talking about, but it was clearly edited that they took what they wanted from her … It’s like they made Mia fit the format of what they were talking about.”
O’Dell also believed Mia’s answers were heavily edited. He said he stopped watching the series after witnessing things he lived through be misrepresented.
“What made me say it had to be edited was Mia brought me [to the studio],” he recalled. “So, I was like, ‘I know Mia know that she brought me there.’ So, this had to be an edit. That’s about the time that I said, ‘Oh, this is a work of fiction. Let me go ahead and find something else to watch. Let me wait for the Ruff Ryders Chronicles.'”
He added, “At least I’ll learn something [watching Ruff Ryders Chronicles] because I wasn’t there. Because I was like, no, I know she knew she brought me there. Literally with a bag and dropped me off at the studio. So, it was definitely an edit though. I knew Mia wasn’t lying.”
Although BBTP could easily be upset about the documentary, the veteran producers didn’t let it bother them. The members found humor in the distorted view of reality and didn’t treat the series as a genuine record of Hip Hop history.
“My personal view of the Chronicles is that it falls more into the category of a reality show versus a docuseries,” Mo said. “It has the full tone of reality TV because we know reality TV is scripted. It’s fit to get views. It was for the purpose of getting views and entertaining people. I think it was successful in that aspect.”
He continued, “But the people who know documentaries, the people who associate with us knew something wasn’t right. Because we have people that we’re associated with and were actually witness to some magnitude of our experience, including our families, our friends. I’ve got fraternity brothers and stuff like that who were there and witnessed some of the stuff that we endured. So, I’ve been getting phone calls about [the discrepancies].”
Look out for more from HipHopDX’s conversation with Beats By The Pound soon. The crew also discussed their departure from No Limit, rebranding as the Medicine Men and their upcoming projects, among other topics. Watch the first episode of No Limit Chronicles above.
I’m looking forward to seeing this documentary by Beats By The Pound.
I don’t care about all that but I did love Beats by the Pound’s music and they were the main reason I listened to No Limit albums.
Producers and musicians will always be superior to a rapper. They deserve the utmost recognition and this comes from a woman and hip hop fan. Rappers need to humble themselves and respect the gift that is a producer/musician. Beats matter. Quality beats matter the most!! Thank you for your contribution to hip hop, Beats by the Pound; your best is yet to come. Nobody determines y’all future success cuz god gave y’all the gift to create music. Now run tell a non-producing rapper that!
I ain’t lying! If the beat ain’t rocking I don’t even listen to it! I’m a 80’s baby and I came up listening to no limit, cash money, hypnotized minds, playa fly, trill fam, bun b, pastor Troy and our local rappers. No limit helped paved the way I can give them that but I don’t think too many albums would have been sold if shit like Hoody Hoo didn’t come out.
They had a Different Sound from the others in the Music Industry…I Loved their Sound.
P done did these niggas dirty
So, you decline the offer to tell your side of the story, then complain about the way the story was told. I don’t get it.
This has been going on for some years because they basically got fired by Master P after he got a new deal and don’t fuck with him anymore. These dudes aren’t nostalgic about this shit sitting around thinking about the good old days because they kept eating. KLC built the Medicine Men and they kept on pushing.
bbtP are fantastic producers. they always had a knack for making the rights beats for all of the no limit roster. at times bbtP sounded repetitive, but for the most they were hitting on all cylinders. percy miller is looking suspect after saying he created bbtP. same thing happened to mannie fresh of cash money. bbtP has a legacy an when they do their documentary ill be all eyes.
As a 90s no limit fan, P probably did do em dirty. Beats by the pounds had alotta bangers but some of their beats on other albums were also wack and they left no limit to never reach that level of fame again. So they should’ve told their story instead of being salty about it.
Shut the f****** when you don’t know what you’re talking about ain’t nothing wack about beats by the pound nothing is the Niger who was singing who was rapping on the motherfuking beats double zwack
No label ever fell off like that after losing their sound. That shit was stark. Cash Money bridged themselves from Manny Fresh to their new era with T-Mix who was dope as hell from his Suave House years and probably produced Wayne’s best album, but No Limit just like went from that fire shit from Beats by the Pound to some all out wack shit. Even Death Row still had some dope production after Dre left and even after Pac died for a few years.
Agreed!!!!
Master PeePee was TRASH and grossly overrated! He churned out mediocre BS for only 4 years and NOT ONE CLASSIC Hip Hop Song that lasted the test of time! He’s tried to ‘comback’ for near 30 with NO LUCK! He’s UNTALENTED and NEVER paid his people right, ask BEATS BY THE POUND! They Got ZERO good things to say about the narcissistic ASSHOLE! EMI paid for and negotiated Snoop not this BOZO! That was a STAIN on Snoop’s career with that flimsy country BS ‘Game is To Be Sold’….. GTFOH
Haha. You sound real salty.
Country bullshit????? My nigga New Orleans nowhere NEAR country salty hating ass TRUTH 100??
You was NO LIMITS biggest fan huh, lol. You wanted to be Master P, lol… Goofy boso
Exactly what I’ve been telling all these clowns they praise people like him birdman and puffy who do their artist foul
I need a BBTP/Medicine Men Doc and Compilation. Then, I need StudioLinked to stop bullshitting and release the VST!
The VST is available. I purchased and downloaded it 5 months ago. The sounds in it are AWESOME!
The hate is real now that’s tru .. tell the people about your flaws with p the truth 100 you a busta in that come from Florida master p music was fire an u no it
P a snake y’all all dick handlers fa real he made everything about him which is impossible it takes a team beat it
At this point I believe each member or affiliate close with no limit records should at least just once if only just one time does an interview .! If for no other reason then to tell their perspective of how things went down or how things happened I think a lot of darkness will come to light. There’s a lot a juicy fat story down there not nationally being tapped into YET… I love beats by the pound I am glad that they’re doing this and those gentlemen are about the art and they’re also about not being taken advantage of
Master P’s marketing magic made a lot of No Limit artists and producers pop, the pen and pixel art, everything worked together….after the passing of Pac and Biggie and the tension in hip hop at the time, P filled a gap, he kind of mimiced Tupac’s style and a bit of the deathrow sound…Beats By The Pound were not particularly outstanding as producers,they had a few great tracks here and there but were not overall outstanding,after No Limit they havent done anything super except Ludacris “Move” by KLC….Odell is the most musical of them, MoB sings off key …the marketing magic of No limit worked for them at the time and P having the sense to utilise the market gap left by Deathrow and Bad Boy
Agreed 100%…all of this!!
FOH Weirdo! Beats By The Pound changed the sound of Hip Hop forever! P wouldn’t have been able to “market” his brand without them Period. As a matter of fact, their DNA is prevalent in today’s music from Trap to R&B. Speaking of R&B, Mo B inspired most of today’s Trap singers. His voice on the hooks was the soul of No Limit Records. Maybe your ear wax has built up and hardened. I highly recommend you visit your nearest ear, nose, and throat doctor very soon.
MoB doesnt have a good singing voice, otherwise Gangsta Harmony would have been a big hit
P did sub-par marketing on Gangsta Harmony and pushed the release date so far back that everyone was tired of waiting for it. When it was finally released it entered at #16 on the Billboard R & B/HipHop Charts and got an A+ rating in Entertainment Weekly. Definitely not associated with not having a good singing voice. “Picture U and Me” is on the No Limit Greatest Hits Compilation. Plenty babies were made off of GH including my triplet boys, fool! Every hook Mo B. Dick sang for No Limit is a classic to this day! Go somewhere and suck something.
F*ck off b*tch @ss n*gger
Now they gave up a chance to be on a highly rated documentary that has has Snoop, Master P and featured on BET
How many people are going to watch a documentary that has just THEM on it, these guys have been shooting themselves in the foot since leaving No Limit
they have to understand they are not a Jermaine Dupri, Timbaland or Dr Dre as far as status goes
Dude, you are weird as fuck! Beats By The Pound are the Goats! I’m from the ATL and heard Jermaine Dupri interview Mo B. Dick on V103 showing BBTP major love a few years ago. I also watch a YouTube of Pharrell giving them their props. COVID-19 quarantine got you delusional…smh
*watched
Im stating facts, outside of Master P’s marketing machine, no A- lister reaches out to them….they are not elite producers like Dr Dre or Dj Premiere, they needed to be in the No Limit fold to matter on a national level
STOP THE FOOLERY!!! {Drops the mic}
You don’t get to tell me what to think , you aint my boss, so f*ck off!!
You gave your own stupid opinion, I never bothered you because you have the right to you own stupid opinion
so take your stupid sh8T away from me, internet tough guy, f*ck off!!
You gave your own stupid opinion, I never bothered you because you have the right to you own stupid opinion so take your stupid sh8T away from me, internet tough guy, f*ck off!!
What BBTP should’ve done was get paid and get in on that money from the Chronicles When they were asked… I could see the disappointment if they weren’t … which is what makes the difference between them and Master P, who’s still trying to let ppl eat from the table even after the No Limit dynasty … but they’d rather fake not being bothered, complain and not getting paid. The confidence they have to think ppl will be in suspense to watch some salty ass niggas storytelling….
Mr p a phony real people dont do anything for money
Hollywood will pay you to lie and you’ll hear the truth from beats by the pound for fre
I watched the chronicles, and came to the conclusion that it should have been named The Master P Chronicles instead of No Limit Chronicles. It was obviously scripted in favor of Saint Perfect Miller. Everybody was at fault for the demise of No Limit Records except P (FOH).
And it was Buster Bitch of him to authorize that negative portrayal of Big Ed (R.I.P.) Being that P was the executive producer and Romeo was producer the NL Chronicles. Yes I read the rolling credits at the end of each episode.
Here’s something that would have served P well. Sometimes you win the battle and lose the WAR. P won the battle by not paying the more which they deserved and or not meeting face to face. He lost the WAR because No Limit fell way off after they split. It takes money to make more, he had it and foolishly he didn’t wanna up the funds. Who knows where No Limit could have been had he just paid the people more that was RESPONSIBLE for the sound that made him hot. Tragic
No limit did fall off, but Carlos remains in the boat, & mp still make gold & Platinum plaques, every album
So it is what it is.
If they were asked and refused. Its their fault if they didn’t get to add part of their story. Obviously P tried to feed them just like he always tried to do with his people. They shouldn’t be complaining if they chose not to participate.
Sorry about that, all my responses were meant for David David