Why Limp Bizkit on Cash Money Makes Sense

It's confirmed: The Limp Bizkit-on-Cash Money era is upon us, whatever that might entail. Last week in Melbourne, Austrailia, Bizkit and House of Pain turntabilist DJ Lethal spun "Ready to Go," the first Bizkit-Lil Wayne collaboration. (Video below.) Critics have by-and-large withheld judgment, which means the group is already doing better than they ever have.

When word got out last February about Wayne signing Bizkit to Cash Money, folks wondered: Was this just more purp-infused rambling from Weezy? But as outlandish as this all sounds, the leak of "Ready to Go" makes the deal look legit, and uniting the houses built by Fred Durst and Baby actually makes sense, believe it or not.

Remember that Limp Bizkit ruled the musical world just as Cash Money was making the leap to national prominence. Bizkit's breakthrough cover of George Michael's "Faith" climbed the charts as Cash Money's flagship artist Juvenile got huge with "Ha," and the group's sophomore album Significant Other dominated the same year that Wayne debuted with Tha Block is Hot. Both Wayne and Baby know how to make a late-'90s artist relevant, and this kinship can only help them.

Besides, weren't the same folks who are scoffing now raising their eyebrows when Wayne opted to sign the guy in the wheelchair from that Canadian teen show? You know, the one that's released two of the most commercially successful rap albums of the past five years? This is the same label that took Tyga from being the "lime in the coconut" guy to the popular artist who made "Rack City." Given Limp Bizkit's previous success and (still existing) fanbase, they wouldn't be the imprint's biggest challenge.

Besides, it's not as if Limp Bizkit are complete foreigners to the hip-hop landscape. In 1999, they were the first rock band to advertise their album (which was slated to feature Eminem) in The Source. They also collaborated with Method Man for the Rap City staple "N 2 Getha Now"