Master P: Music Mogul Gives Back To Memphis
Percy Miller (Master P) has been credited with revolutionizing the music industry for the independent artist. He shocked the world with his business savvy when he signed a straight pressing and distribution deal with Priority Records, allowing him to keep the bulk of the money he made within his company No Limit Records. He then worked hard cranking out numerous hits for himself and several other artists (Silk the Shocker, C-Murder, Mia X, Lil Romeo, etc.), while building a major music empire. As founder and CEO of No Limit Entertainment, at one time P. presided over a conglomerate of businesses that included No Limit Records, Bout It Inc., No Limit Clothing, No Limit Films, No Limit Sports Management, PM Properties and Advantage Travel. He was also ranked 10th on Forbes Magazine's 1998 list of America's 40 highest paid entertainers with an estimated income of $56.5 million. P. Miller’s brand continues to evolve through his new Take A Stand Records label. The initiative is the only recording label committed to signing and promoting hip-hop artists with a responsible image and lyrics. He’s also dedicated his time to communities through P.Miller Youth Centers, his P.Miller Food Foundation for the Homeless and more. He recently launched a new family-friendly television network, BBT, Better Black Television.
The past two years, P. has chosen to make Memphis one of the recipients of his generosity. His Living the Dream Foundation and the Memphis-based Heal the Hood Foundation have joined forces to enact change within our youth by presenting positive events and concerts for them and their families to attend. In April, they held the first Living the Dream Telethon in which more than 15 acts converged on the Memphis Cook Convention Center to perform, raising over $50,000 for youth programs in Memphis. There is more to be done as he returns to The Bluff City for the P. Miller Basketball Camp and the 2nd Annual Let the Kids Grow Celebrity Basketball Game, June 13, 2009, 3 p.m. – 6 p.m. in the Wooddale High School gymnasium, 5151 Scottsdale.
Jae: What made you become involved with the Heal the Hood Foundation and this Celebrity Basketball Game?
P: It’s about the kids and the community and senseless crime. I feel it’s a lack of education. Nobody is influencing the kids to do right. When I think on my life I was once these kids and I had opportunities on both sides—being dirt poor and to be wealthy. I understand what it took for me to get to where I’m at. If I could give some of that back to these kids in the community and all across the country—in the urban and suburban communities. It’s more to life than sports and making music. Education is the most important thing you can have. Without education you are lost. Even if you make it as an athlete or entertainer, without education you can lose it quickly and you’ll be back where you were searching for a second chance.
The P. Miller Basketball Game is all about the kids and the Celebrity Basketball Camp is just to get the kids exposed to some of the positive things that are happening in the community with positive people. Instead of them having negative role models they come out and meet these guys and say they want to be like Penny Hardaway or Romeo, he’s going to college. This game is just the beginning. I’m going to do this all across the country for inner city kids so they can develop ideas and have vision and understand the possibilities that are out there. It’s not just about basketball. It’s about the game of life. Once you understand that and prepare, educate yourself and work hard you can win.
Jae: You mentioned your son is in college now. It’s easy for Romeo not to go to college because he’s already been working and making a wonderful income. Why, as a parent, was it important to you for him to continue his education?
P: We’re trying to break that cycle of illiteracy and non-education in the black communities. We want to break that cycle of coming from a family of poor sons and build wealth. Rich white people send their kids to school so they can learn how to make more money. So, from this generation on you’ll be able to look at the Millers and say Master P started it all and now look at his family and where they have gone to now. Somebody’s gotta make that change. Even in my music, I said for me to take it to the next level in my family I had to make a change. If I’m going to guide my son I have to show him that I’m going to be responsible. When you look at African American fathers in hip hop you hear people say we don’t take care of our kids and we’re selfish. We want to change that and have people saying that even though they come from the streets and they come from the hood they understand family values. They’re also setting goals and they’re going out and making it happen. We need to build generational wealth.
Jae: Being an artist, a producer and all the other musical accomplishments you have how important is it for artists to take better ownership of the lyrics they write? Some people say it’s just entertainment but many youth take it to heart.
P: It’s not just entertainment because if you’re not exposed to what’s right, you’ll think being in a gang, drugs, violence are cool. It’s not. I was in a gang ten years. When you’re in a gang you think it’s cool the first two or three years because you’re making money. But you don’t understand what’s going on. It’s a dangerous lifestyle. People get killed and if you survive and you have kids you begin to wake up and be more responsible, even with your music. Especially, if you have a daughter, mother, grandmother. They’re listening too—you don’t want anyone calling the women in your world names. So why would you want to talk to someone else’s like that? I’ve changed and I’m taking it like this, I’m not gone worry about what other people think. Somebody has got to take a stand and I’mma do it. If the kids was able to follow me with the negative music I did I know they can follow me saying pick up a book. I’m gone get the hood to read now. People will be able to say he started out on the wrong side but he cleaned his act up. People change their lives all the time. I want the kids to know there’s nothing wrong with making a change. Especially after you’ve been exposed to something better.
Jae: So, are you sorry for some of the music you put out?
P: I’m definitely sorry for it. I’m not ashamed of it, but I’m sorry. That’s all I knew at the time but I learned better and I was able to make sure my son don’t do it. I can’t take it back but what I can do is guide my kids to be better and guide others too. Show them the right way. Follow what I did the right way. I am a good business man. I was able to make money….follow that. But when I put out negative lyrics don’t follow that. You don’t follow everything people do. You have choices in life. We have to teach our young people right from wrong and encourage them to make smart choices.
To get more information about the Let the Kids Grow Celebrity Basketball Game visit http://www.livingthedream1.org.
I would like to give a personal shout out P’s partners in this event and all of the other wonderful events they have held--- Ladell Beaman, Executive Director of the Heal the Hood Foundation and Percy T., Founder of the Positive Influence Foundation.
The past two years, P. has chosen to make Memphis one of the recipients of his generosity. His Living the Dream Foundation and the Memphis-based Heal the Hood Foundation have joined forces to enact change within our youth by presenting positive events and concerts for them and their families to attend. In April, they held the first Living the Dream Telethon in which more than 15 acts converged on the Memphis Cook Convention Center to perform, raising over $50,000 for youth programs in Memphis. There is more to be done as he returns to The Bluff City for the P. Miller Basketball Camp and the 2nd Annual Let the Kids Grow Celebrity Basketball Game, June 13, 2009, 3 p.m. – 6 p.m. in the Wooddale High School gymnasium, 5151 Scottsdale.
Jae: What made you become involved with the Heal the Hood Foundation and this Celebrity Basketball Game?
P: It’s about the kids and the community and senseless crime. I feel it’s a lack of education. Nobody is influencing the kids to do right. When I think on my life I was once these kids and I had opportunities on both sides—being dirt poor and to be wealthy. I understand what it took for me to get to where I’m at. If I could give some of that back to these kids in the community and all across the country—in the urban and suburban communities. It’s more to life than sports and making music. Education is the most important thing you can have. Without education you are lost. Even if you make it as an athlete or entertainer, without education you can lose it quickly and you’ll be back where you were searching for a second chance.
The P. Miller Basketball Game is all about the kids and the Celebrity Basketball Camp is just to get the kids exposed to some of the positive things that are happening in the community with positive people. Instead of them having negative role models they come out and meet these guys and say they want to be like Penny Hardaway or Romeo, he’s going to college. This game is just the beginning. I’m going to do this all across the country for inner city kids so they can develop ideas and have vision and understand the possibilities that are out there. It’s not just about basketball. It’s about the game of life. Once you understand that and prepare, educate yourself and work hard you can win.
Jae: You mentioned your son is in college now. It’s easy for Romeo not to go to college because he’s already been working and making a wonderful income. Why, as a parent, was it important to you for him to continue his education?
P: We’re trying to break that cycle of illiteracy and non-education in the black communities. We want to break that cycle of coming from a family of poor sons and build wealth. Rich white people send their kids to school so they can learn how to make more money. So, from this generation on you’ll be able to look at the Millers and say Master P started it all and now look at his family and where they have gone to now. Somebody’s gotta make that change. Even in my music, I said for me to take it to the next level in my family I had to make a change. If I’m going to guide my son I have to show him that I’m going to be responsible. When you look at African American fathers in hip hop you hear people say we don’t take care of our kids and we’re selfish. We want to change that and have people saying that even though they come from the streets and they come from the hood they understand family values. They’re also setting goals and they’re going out and making it happen. We need to build generational wealth.
Jae: Being an artist, a producer and all the other musical accomplishments you have how important is it for artists to take better ownership of the lyrics they write? Some people say it’s just entertainment but many youth take it to heart.
P: It’s not just entertainment because if you’re not exposed to what’s right, you’ll think being in a gang, drugs, violence are cool. It’s not. I was in a gang ten years. When you’re in a gang you think it’s cool the first two or three years because you’re making money. But you don’t understand what’s going on. It’s a dangerous lifestyle. People get killed and if you survive and you have kids you begin to wake up and be more responsible, even with your music. Especially, if you have a daughter, mother, grandmother. They’re listening too—you don’t want anyone calling the women in your world names. So why would you want to talk to someone else’s like that? I’ve changed and I’m taking it like this, I’m not gone worry about what other people think. Somebody has got to take a stand and I’mma do it. If the kids was able to follow me with the negative music I did I know they can follow me saying pick up a book. I’m gone get the hood to read now. People will be able to say he started out on the wrong side but he cleaned his act up. People change their lives all the time. I want the kids to know there’s nothing wrong with making a change. Especially after you’ve been exposed to something better.
Jae: So, are you sorry for some of the music you put out?
P: I’m definitely sorry for it. I’m not ashamed of it, but I’m sorry. That’s all I knew at the time but I learned better and I was able to make sure my son don’t do it. I can’t take it back but what I can do is guide my kids to be better and guide others too. Show them the right way. Follow what I did the right way. I am a good business man. I was able to make money….follow that. But when I put out negative lyrics don’t follow that. You don’t follow everything people do. You have choices in life. We have to teach our young people right from wrong and encourage them to make smart choices.
To get more information about the Let the Kids Grow Celebrity Basketball Game visit http://www.livingthedream1.org.
I would like to give a personal shout out P’s partners in this event and all of the other wonderful events they have held--- Ladell Beaman, Executive Director of the Heal the Hood Foundation and Percy T., Founder of the Positive Influence Foundation.
