Twenty years ago today, on October 31, 2006, Birdman and Lil Wayne released Like Father, Like Son on Cash Money and Universal. It was the joint album that turned the Cash Money boss and his protege’s “father and son” bond into a whole brand, and it landed with Wayne right in the middle of his run between Tha Carter II and Tha Carter III.
What It Was
Recorded in 2005 and 2006 at Cash Money’s studio in New Orleans, the album runs 20 tracks with production from T-Mix, Scott Storch, Jim Jonsin, DJ Nasty & LVM and Robin Thicke, among others, per Wikipedia’s album entry. The guest list reached from Miami to the West Coast: Fat Joe, T-Pain, Rick Ross, Tha Dogg Pound and All Star Cashville Prince all show up.
The Records That Hit
The lead single, “Stuntin’ Like My Daddy,” arrived in July 2006 and set the tone: flashy, Southern and built around the duo’s whole persona. “Leather So Soft” followed in November, flipping Jodeci’s “Feenin’,” and “Know What I’m Doin'” brought in Rick Ross and T-Pain in early 2007. “You Ain’t Know” was the fourth single.
Deeper in the tracklist, “1st Key” samples UGK’s “Pocket Full of Stones,” a nod to Southern rap royalty, and “Cali Dro” teamed the Cash Money crew with Tha Dogg Pound.
By the Numbers
Like Father, Like Son debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 with 176,000 copies sold in its first week, and it hit No. 1 on both Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Top Rap Albums charts. The RIAA certified it Gold on December 11, 2006, barely six weeks after release. Reviews were mostly positive, with XXL giving it four out of five.
The Legacy
Two decades later, the album plays like a snapshot of a label at full power. Wayne was on his way to becoming the biggest rapper alive, and Birdman was cementing the Cash Money empire’s image of cars, jewelry and family loyalty. Birdman even announced in 2009 that a movie named after the album was coming, but it was never made.
The father-and-son story got a lot more complicated in the years that followed, but on Halloween 2006 it was pure stunting. If you were around for it, you remember “Stuntin’ Like My Daddy” in every club and car from New Orleans to the Carolinas.
Where does Like Father, Like Son rank in the Cash Money catalog for you?
Source: Wikipedia, 105.1 The Bounce
