On Thursday night, entities from New Orleans’ two greatest music factions realigned within a couple of hours of each other. The No Limit Soldiers reunited as the headlining performance at this year’s Global Spin Awards at the Orpheum Theater before Birdman held the 20th-Anniversary Cash Money Records party at the House of Blues.
No Limit’s Master P, Mia X, Silkk The Shocker, Mystikal, Fiend, and Lil Romeo all came together and, later that night, the packed crowd at HoB–including Philadelphia 76ER Jahlil Okafor–got a surprising onstage reunion. Although the only signature Cash Money MC in attendance last night was Juvenile, Birdman and prolific producer Mannie Fresh, who was responsible for the beats behind the label the first 10 years, brought back the Big Tymers. They performed together for the first time in over a decade.
Fresh and Bird started with “Hot Girl” and then went into “Project Chick” and “#1 Stunna.”
Birdman the thanked the crowd for coming and celebrating the legacy of the label and announced that the Big Tymers are going on tour, starting in a month. The charismatic Fresh then took over as the DJ played “Set It Off” and Young Jeezy’s “And Then What.”
“Back to the muthaf–kin’ Big Tymers,” Mannie then said. “Fresh it’s our turn!” Birdman added. That singled the horns of “Still Fly.”
“Gaaator booooots / With the pimped out Gucci suits / Ain’t got no job, but I stay suave,” everyone started to sing. “Can’t pay my rent, ’cause all my money’s spent / But that’s okay, ’cause I’m still fly.”
The Big Tymers’ time on stage together ended with intensity as “Get Your Roll” was the close out. The hometown faithfuls rapped along with each word, conjuring up memories of the video where Fresh and “Baby” took to a parking lot and did donuts in foreign cars, wore white tees, and platinum jewelry in the club, and kept fresh blue and black bandanas.
“Beyond Cash Money, to be in hip-hop for 20 years is a blessing,” Fresh told REVOLT TV exclusively backstage.