One of the more curious entries into the early-2000 teen pop explosion, Lil' Romeo shot straight to the top of the Billboard charts with his first single at the unheard-of age of only 11. Alongside Lil' Bow Wow, Romeo proved that a substantial market existed for clean-cut preteen rappers with cute looks and PG-rated rhymes. Of course, the young rapper didn't break into the rap game alone. Just as Jermaine Dupri had masterminded Bow Wow's success, Romeo owed much to his father, notorious rap mogul Master P. Given his father's reputation as a savvy businessman, it was perhaps no surprise when a substantial buzz surrounded the youngster before his debut single even hit the airwaves.

With a father and two uncles — Silkk the Shocker and C Murder — who were all superstars during No Limit's mid- to late-'90s reign, Romeo couldn't help growing up in a rap-centric environment. In fact, his father even had him contribute cameos to No Limit albums, such as 504 Boyz's Goodfellas, long before he considered launching his son's career. It wasn't until 2000 that Master P first seriously considered catapulting his son into the spotlight. Around this time, Master P's No Limit empire had quickly crumbled; not only had most of the label's roster been dismissed, but sales were undeniably dismal. It was clear that Master P needed a new direction — even if that meant moving away from the gangsta motifs that had initially made the label famous. At this same moment in time, a young preteen rapper by the name of Lil' Bow Wow was monopolizing the airwaves with his innocent raps and cute looks. Master P did what he has always done best: find what sells, create a generic version, release it on a new imprint without No Limit's tarnished reputation, and market the hell out of it.

Though many, no doubt, scoffed at Master P's questionable choice to propel his son into the spotlight, it worked better than anyone could have expected. First came the expected media-targeted hyperbole, with Master P comparing Romeo to Michael Jackson. Next came the lead single, "My Baby," a song that took no shame in its overt interpolation of the Jackson 5's "I Want You Back." Then came the results: the song quickly rose to the top of the Billboard charts, most notably lodging itself atop the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart, before the full-length album even hit the streets. Suddenly, Master P seemed relevant once more, thanks to his son, with an album that didn't even warrant a parental advisory sticker, once again proving that even if the Southern entrepreneur's reputation had been built through exploitation rather than aesthetics, he was surely one of rap's craftiest businessmen. — Jason Birchmeier