When you're as successful an entrepeneur as No Limit honcho Master P, creator of a Cinderella-story hip-hop empire, it's easy for people to forget or overlook your artistic abilities. ONLY GOD CAN JUDGE ME should serve to alert the absent-minded that the man responsible for guiding some of the finest Southern hip-hop artists of the '90s is an important rapper in his own right.
As on Master P's previous recordings, the gangsta quotient is high, with many songs full of dark, gritty observations about crime and violence. There's more than thug life to ONLY GOD CAN JUDGE ME though. "Y'all Don't Know" is an inspirational message to Master P's constituents, urging them to pursue their dreams. "Get Yo Mind Right" is a joy-from-sadness composition based on the street-parade celebration of a New Orleans funeral. "Where Do We Go From Here" is a sunny-sounding tribute to loyalty and friendship, and judging from the guest list here (including Mercedes, C-Murder, Magic, and many more), Master P has no shortage of friends.