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‘Baby’ Got Back

At the tender age of 11, rapper Lil’ Romeo has already achieved something many more-seasoned artists are still hoping for: a No. 1 record. His debut single “My Baby” — produced by Mike Diesel and flavored by a loop of the Jackson 5’s own 1969 No. 1 “I Want You Back” — is in its sixth week atop Billboard’s Hot Rap Singles chart.

Lil’ Romeo’s eponymous album on SME/Priority Records, due this week, is a gumbo of sounds. There’s the bounce flavor of the South on such cuts as “Where They At,” featuring his dad; “CP3”; and “That’s Kool,” a remix featuring Romeo’s uncle, Silkk the Shocker. Other songs, such as “The Girlies,” “Little Star,” and “Make You Dance,” are hip-hop/ R&B/pop-oriented.

“I write for the kids,” says Romeo, who is the son of rap mogul Master P. “If nobody bounces to the music, it’s not a beat for me.” The artist will do some spot dates on ‘N Sync’s summer tour as well as some shows with fellow teen star Aaron Carter.

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Additional titles hitting stories this week include a new album from Algerian vocalist Cheb Mami (who was featured on Sting’s hit “Desert Rose”), “Dellali” (Ark 21); the various artists collection “MTV’s 20 Years of Pop Music” (Maverick); U.K. mood rock veterans Tindersticks’ “Can Our Love…” (Beggars Banquet); and a collection of tracks by members and associates of the Wu-Tang Clan under the name Wu-Chronicles, “Chapter II” (Wu/Priority).

Also new this week is DJ Richard “Humpty” Vission’s “Damn, That DJ Made My Day” (Tommy Boy); hard rock act Cradle of Filth’s “Biter Suites to Succubi” (Spitfire); and John Williams’ soundtrack to the Steven Spielberg film “A.I.” (Warner Bros.).