On this day, Sept. 14, in hip-hop history…

Hypnotize Minds Productions
Hypnotize Minds Productions
loading...

1999: After spending a number of years behind bars on robbery charges in the mid-1990s, rapper Project Pat reemerged with his debut album, Ghetty Green.

The 20-track, underground classic is horrorcore at its finest. Entirely produced by his future Three 6 Mafia counterparts—his younger brother Juicy J and DJ Paul—the LP is lined with eerie, hardcore southern beats and bars about the murder and drug trafficking that characterize the grimy streets of Memphis. It's a harrowing look at the reality Project Pat faced in his hometown during one of hip-hop's most pivotal eras.

Ghetty Green also has a number of big-name features, including ascendant New Orleans duo Big Tymers ("Choppers," "Ballers (Outro)"), Noreaga ("Represent It"), Three 6 Mafia ("Gold Shine"), Juicy J ("Sucks on Dick"), Crucial Conflict ("Stabbers") and more.

Out of the project's eight solo tracks, "Out There" is a fan favorite as Pat reminisces about his life post-prison. In 2018, Drake borrowed a few bars from the track for BlocBoy JB's "Look Alive," which broke the Billboard 100 Top 5.

On it, Drizzy slightly rephrases a line about Project Pat's jail stint, rapping "If I fucked up, I'ma be downtown mane/Fourth floor-bound, mane, that's if I get caught, mane/Pushed me to the edge, so it really ain't my muthafuckin' fault, mane." On the original version, Pat spits "If yo' ass step, I'ma be downtown, mane/Fourth floor bound, mane, that's if I get caught, mane/Pushed me to the edge, so it really ain't my fault, mane."

Unlike its follow-up, Ghetty Green didn't see much commercial success. The album peaked at No. 9 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and No. 52 on the Billboard 200. Pat's sophomore LP, Mista Don't Play: Everythangs Workin, was certified gold shortly after its release with the help of its lead single, "Chickenhead."

See 12 Rappers Who Have 10 or More Solo Albums in Their Catalog

More From KOOC-FM