Better known for his savvy schemes and industry knowhow than for his rapping, {$Master P} introduced the world to his son, {$Lil' Romeo}, in 2001. Furthermore, he did so with one of the year's surprise hits, {&"My Baby."} The song not only made {$Romeo} an overnight sensation but also revived {$Master P}'s struggling career. Suddenly, the rapper with the "Ice Cream Man" tattoo on his arm was better known for his fatherly ways than for saying "ugh" in a thuggish way. It's quite a dramatic story for sure. But even if you put aside the thug rapper-turned-loving father story, {$Romeo}'s self-titled debut is still worthy of its success. {$Master P} gives his son some great {\pop-rap} productions to work with here. Some of the interpolations may be pretty obvious (the {&"I Want You Back"} interpolation so central to {&"My Baby"}'s success being a perfect example), but such is the nature of {\pop-rap} and {$Master P} understands this perhaps better than anyone. He mined the past for hooks of his own, albeit never this well, and he does so to a further extent for his son's debut. If anything, give {$Master P} credit for producing an album for his son that's more engaging than most of his own. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide