Silkk the Shocker

Never as creatively adventurous as fellow New Orleans collective Cash Money, the No Limit crew banked on street cred and Master P's unrelenting entrepreneurship. This greatest hits compilation -- which runs 35-tracks deep -- doubles as a cultural artifact and offers an up-close-and-personal glimpse at a community that no longer exists. The quality of the tracks is uneven, but Silk Tha Shocker remains a phenomenal emcee, sounding like some (un)holy collusion of James Brown and Pookie from New Jack City.