Percy Robert Miller Sr. (born April 29, 1967), known by his stage name Master P, is an American rapper, record executive, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. He is the founder of the

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the prod ...

No Limit Records, which was relaunched as New No Limit Records through

Universal Records Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

and Koch Records, and again as Guttar Music Entertainment, and currently, No Limit Forever Records. He is also the founder and CEO of P. Miller Enterprises and Better Black Television, which was a short-lived online television network. Miller gained fame in the mid-1990s with the success of his hip hop group TRU as well as his fifth solo rap album '' Ice Cream Man'', which contained his first single " Mr. Ice Cream Man". Miller's popularity grew in 1997 after the success of his

Platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Pla ...

single " Make 'Em Say Uhh!". In total, Miller has released 15 studio albums.

Early life

Percy Robert Miller was born and raised in Central City in the Third Ward of

Uptown New Orleans Uptown is a section of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, on the east bank of the Mississippi River, encompassing a number of neighborhoods (including the similarly-named and smaller Uptown area) between the French Quarter and the Jeffers ...

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a U.S. state, state in the Deep South and South Central United States, South Central regions of the United States. It is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 20th-smal ...

in the Calliope Projects. He is the oldest of five children. He has one sister, Germaine, and three brothers: Kevin, and platinum-selling rap artists Corey "

C-Murder Corey Miller (born March 9, 1971), better known by his stage name C-Murder, is an American rapper and songwriter. He initially gained fame in the mid-1990s as a part of his brother Master P's label No Limit Records, primarily as a member of th ...

" and Vyshonne " Silkk the Shocker" Miller. He attended Booker T. Washington High School and Warren Easton High School. Having played on the

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

team, Miller attended the

University of Houston The University of Houston (UH) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1927, UH is a member of the University of Houston System and the List of universities in Texas by enrollment, university in Texas ...

on an athletic scholarship, but dropped out months into his freshman year and transferred to Merritt College in

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

to major in business administration. After the death of his grandfather, Miller inherited $10,000 as part of a malpractice settlement. Miller opened a record store in

Richmond, California Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was incorporated on August 7, 1905, and has a city council.

called No Limit Records And Tapes, which later became the foundation for No Limit Records. On February 15, 1990, Master P released the cassette tape ''Mind Of A Psychopath''. His brother Kevin Miller was killed that same year in New Orleans. This increased his motivation to become a successful entrepreneur to change his life and save his family.

Music career

1989–1995: Early works

Master P released his debut studio album ''

Get Away Clean ''Get Away Clean'' is the debut studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Alb ...

'' on February 12, 1991. This was followed by his second album ''

Mama's Bad Boy ''Mama's Bad Boy'' is the second studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albu ...

'', which was released in April 1992. Both albums were released through In-A-Minute Records. In 1993, Master P released his first collaboration album with his group TRU titled '' Who's da Killer?'' Master P released his third studio album ''

The Ghettos Tryin to Kill Me! ''The Ghettos Tryin' to Kill Me!'' is the third studio album by Master P released on May 24, 1994, by No Limit Records and then later re-released in 1997 as a limited edition under Priority Records Priority Records is an American distributio ...

'' on March 18, 1994; it was later re-released in 1997 as a limited edition under Priority. That same year Master P collaborated on the No Limit compilation albums '' West Coast Bad Boyz, Vol. 1: Anotha Level of the Game'' and '' West Coast Bad Boyz: High fo Xmas''. On June 6, 1995, Master P released his fourth studio album '' 99 Ways to Die''. Master P and TRU released their third album ''

True True most commonly refers to truth, the state of being in congruence with fact or reality. True may also refer to: Places * True, West Virginia, an unincorporated community in the United States * True, Wisconsin, a town in the United States * ...

'' in 1995, which was the group's first major release after two independent albums. The album reached number 25 on the

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine that ranks contemporary R&B, R&B and hip hop music, hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. Th ...

and number 14 on the

Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers are "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The Heatseekers Albums and the Heatseekers Songs charts were introduced by ''Billboard'' in 1991 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new an ...

. The album was known for its first single and one of Master P's best known songs "I'm Bout' It, Bout It". He also worked on the compilation album, '' Down South Hustlers: Bouncin' and Swingin''', during that year. Master P said that when he used to open for

Tupac Shakur Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the b ...

in the early 1990s, the people responsible for introducing him would frequently call him "Mr. P the country singer".

1995–2000: Return to New Orleans and mainstream success

In 1995, Master P moved from California back to

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

Beats By the Pound The Medicine Men (or Beats by the Pound) are a New Orleans, Louisiana-based American music production team made up of KLC, Mo B. Dick, Craig B, Carlos Stephens, DJ Daryl, and O'Dell. The collective helped sell 30 million records for Master P' ...

. On April 16, 1996, Master P released his fifth album '' Ice Cream Man''. It contained the hit single " Mr. Ice Cream Man". Later in 1996, Master P returned with TRU to work on '' Tru 2 da Game'', which would not be released until February 18, 1997. At that time, TRU was reduced to a trio with just Master P alongside his brothers

and Silkk the Shocker. On September 2, 1997, Master P released his breakthrough album '' Ghetto D''. The first week sales of the album were the highest of any of Master P's albums, selling over 760,000 copies, and it went on to go certified triple platinum. It contained the hit single " Make 'Em Say Uhh!", Master P's highest-charting single to date. The song earned him an MTV Video Music Award nomination the following year for "Best Rap Video", but lost to

Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968), also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor and rapper. He began his acting career starring as a fictionalized version of himself on the NBC sitcom '' The Fresh ...

's " Gettin' Jiggy Wit It". On June 2, 1998, Master P released his seventh and best-selling album to date '' MP Da Last Don''. Master P released a film of the same name earlier that year. The album debuted at number 1 on the Billboard Top 200 charts selling over 400,000 copies in its first week, and went on to sell over four million copies. On October 26, 1999, Master P released his eighth studio album '' Only God Can Judge Me'', which contained his single "Step To Dis". The album went certified gold, selling over 500,000 copies. In 1999, Master P and TRU released their fifth studio album '' Da Crime Family''. On November 28, 2000, he released his ninth studio album ''

Ghetto Postage ''Ghetto Postage'' is the ninth studio album by American rapper Master P. It was released in November 28, 2000 on No Limit Records and Priority Records in the United States. This is Master P's last album to be distributed by Priority. The alb ...

'' which contained his hit singles "Bout Dat" and "Souljas". Also in 2000, Master P and his new group 504 Boyz released their debut album ''

Goodfellas ''Goodfellas'' (stylized ''GoodFellas'') is a 1990 American biographical crime film directed by Martin Scorsese, written by Nicholas Pileggi and Scorsese, and produced by Irwin Winkler. It is a film adaptation of the 1985 nonfiction book ' ...

'', which peaked at number 1 on the

and contained their hit single " Wobble Wobble".

2001–2005: The New No Limit

On December 18, 2001, Master P released his tenth studio album '' Game Face'', the first Master P album released on The New No Limit, which had a partnership with

. In 2002, The 504 Boyz released their second album Ballers. Both albums charted high on the Hip-Hop charts, but shortly after, No Limit began to decline in popularity. Record sales as well as roster changes and lawsuits caused No Limit Records to file for bankruptcy on December 17, 2003. Master P's eleventh album, titled '' Good Side, Bad Side'', was released on March 23, 2004, through Koch Records, debuting at number 1 on the ''Billboard'' Independent Albums chart. Master P and TRU released their last album '' The Truth'' in 2005 followed by Master P's twelfth studio album '' Ghetto Bill'' Vol. 1.

2005–2007: Guttar Music

In 2005, Master P and his son Romeo Miller formed the independent label

Guttar Music No Limit Records is an American record company founded by Master P. The label's albums were distributed by Priority Records, Universal and Koch Records. The label included artists such as Snoop Dogg, Mercedes, Silkk the Shocker, Mystikal, Mia X ...

. On November 29, 2005, Master P released his first independent album and thirteenth overall, '' Living Legend: Certified D-Boy'', on Guttar Music. Master P and 504 Boyz released their last album titled '' Hurricane Katrina: We Gon Bounce Back'' that year, and it was dedicated to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. In April 2006, Master P released a compilation album ''

America's Most Luved Bad Guy ''America's Most Luved Bad Guy'' is a compilation of Master P tracks released exclusively for digital purchase through online, digital retailers such as iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mo ...

''. In 2007, Master P released a collaboration album with Romeo titled '' Hip Hop History'' that sold 32,000 copies worldwide.

2010–present: No Limit Forever and recent works

On December 6, 2010, it was announced that Master P was going on a new tour with his brother Silkk The Shocker and his son

Romeo Romeo Montague () is the male protagonist of William Shakespeare's tragedy ''Romeo and Juliet''. The son of Lord Montague and his wife, Lady Montague, he secretly loves and marries Juliet, a member of the rival House of Capulet, through a pries ...

titled No Limit Forever International. On February 8, 2011, Master P was featured on rapper

Gucci Mane Radric Delantic Davis (born February 12, 1980), known professionally as Gucci Mane, is an American rapper and record executive. He helped pioneer the hip hop subgenre of trap music alongside fellow Atlanta-based rappers T.I. and Young Jeezy, ...

's track titled "Brinks". It was his first recorded song in over four years. In early 2012, Master P started to re brand his label. On August 10, 2012, he performed at Insane Clown Posse's 12th Annual "Gathering of the Juggalos" concert. On November 16, 2011, Master P released his first mixtape and first solo project in over 6 years, titled ''TMZ (Too Many Zeros)''. On August 2, 2012, it was announced that Master P was working on his thirteenth studio album ''Boss of All Bosses''. On September 17, 2012, Master P released snippet of an upcoming single titled "Friends With Benefits" featuring rapper/singer

Kirko Bangz Kirk Jerel Randle (born August 20, 1989), better known by his stage name Kirko Bangz, is an American rapper from Houston, Texas. He is best known for his single, " Drank in My Cup" which was released in 2011 and peaked at number 28 on the US ...

. On January 16, 2013, Master P released his second official mixtape titled ''Al Capone'' as a promotion for his ''Boss of All Bosses'' album. On February 12, 2013, Master P released his first collaboration mixtape titled ''New World Order'' with his new group, Louie V. Mob, which includes himself and rappers

Alley Boy Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most imp ...

and

Fat Trel Martrel Reeves (born June 26, 1990), better known by his stage name Fat Trel, is an American rapper. He is currently signed to MGE The Label with distribution of Asylum Records. He was signed to DTLA Records with the distribution with Beryl Me ...

. On August 6, 2013, Master P released his third official mixtape titled ''Famous Again'' as a promotion for his ''Boss of All Bosses'' album; it featured appearances from

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, Silkk The Shocker, Dee-1, Young Louie, Play Beezy, Gangsta, Howie T, Clyde Carson,

Game A game is a structured form of play, usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or games) or art (su ...

Chief Keef Keith Farrelle Cozart (born August 15, 1995), better known by his stage name Chief Keef, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. His music first became popular during his teen years in the early 2010s among high school s ...

Problem Problem solving is the process of achieving a goal by overcoming obstacles, a frequent part of most activities. Problems in need of solutions range from simple personal tasks (e.g. how to turn on an appliance) to complex issues in business an ...

Wiz Khalifa Cameron Jibril Thomaz (born September 8, 1987), better known by his stage name Wiz Khalifa, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. He released his debut album, ''Show and Prove'', in 2006 and signed to Warner Records, Warner Bros ...

Tyga Michael Ray Nguyen-StevensonMicheal Ray Stevenson ...

, and

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. According to ''Billboard'', Brown is one of the most successful R&B singers of his generation, having often been referred to by many contempor ...

, as well as production from 1500 & Nothin, Young Bugatti, Stiv Schneider, The Composer, and JB. On December 6, 2013, Master P released his fifth album titled '' The Gift''. On January 23, 2014, it was announced that ''The Gift'' would be re-released on February 21, 2014, as a video album with a

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devi ...

for every song, and that it would be titled ''The Platinum Gift''. On February 6, 2014, it was announced that Master P was working on two new albums, ''Ice Cream Man 2'', which is a sequel to '' Ice Cream Man'', and ''Boss of All Bosses''. On February 28, 2014, Miller released his fourth mixtape ''The Gift Vol. 1: Return of The Ice Cream Man''. On January 5, 2015, Master P released his second collaboration mixtape titled ''We All We Got'' with his new group Money Mafia, which includes himself, his son Maserati Rome, Ace B, Young Junne, Eastwood, Gangsta, Play Beezy, Calliope Popeye, Flight Boy, and No Limit Forever in-house producer Blaq N Mild. The mixtape would also include a surprise feature from rapper Lil Wayne on the track "Power". On February 9, 2015, Master P released his third collaboration mixtape titled ''#CP3'' with his No Limit Forever artist and rapper Ace B. On April 20, 2015, Master P released his fourth collaboration mixtape titled ''Hustlin'' with his group Money Mafia. On June 4, 2015, it was announced that Master P's newest group Money Mafia would be releasing their debut album in 2015 titled ''Rarri Boys''. On June 8, 2015, Master P along with Money Mafia would release their first single from ''Rarri Boys'' titled "Bonita". On July 16, 2015, Master P released his fifth collaboration mixtape titled ''The Luciano Family'' with his group Money Mafia. On October 7, 2015, Master P would reveal the cover art's and announced that there would be three sequel album installments to his critically acclaimed debut major label album '' Ice Cream Man'' titled ''Ice Cream Man 2: The Streets'', ''Ice Cream Man 3: The Hustle'', ''Ice Cream Man 4: The Lifestyle'' that will be released all on the same day. On October 13, 2015, Master P would reveal and announced the cover art, release date and track list to his upcoming new album titled ''

Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

'' that will be released on November 28, 2015. On November 27, 2015, Master P would release his fourteenth album titled ''

Empire, from the Hood to Hollywood ''Empire, from the Hood to Hollywood'' is the fourteenth studio album by American rapper Master P. The album was released on November 27, 2015, by No Limit Forever and Globy House Records. The album features guest appearances from Krazy, Lil Wayne ...

''; it would feature guest appearances from Krazy, Lil Wayne, Maserati Rome, Money Mafia, Ace B, BlaqNmilD, Fame-O and Luccianos, and would be released via his label No Limit Forever Records and Globy House Records. On February 23, 2016, Master P would release a new single titled "Funeral"; it would feature his new group No Limit Boys members Ace B and Angelo Nano. On March 2, 2016, Master P would release a new single titled "Middle Finga". On March 18, 2016, during an interview Master P would announce he was working on a new album titled ''The Grind Don't Stop'' with his new group No Limit Boys & he would also announce his new tour titled the Pop-Up Tour. On March 28, 2016, it was announced that Master P's newest group No Limit Boys formerly Money Mafia would be releasing their debut album in 2016 titled ''No Limit Boys''. On August 21, 2016, Master P released his sixth official mixtape titled ''The G Mixtape''; it featured appearances from 2 Chainz, A$AP Ferg,

E-40 Earl Tywone Stevens Sr. (born November 15, 1967), better known by his stage name E-40, is an American rapper. He is a founding member of the rap group The Click, and the founder of Sick Wid It Records. He has released 26 studio albums to date, ...

The Game The Game or The Games may refer to: Sports and games * The Game (dice game) (German: ''Das Spiel''), a dice game designed by Reinhold Wittig * The Game (mind game), a mind game, the objective of which is to avoid thinking about The Game itself * ...

, Jeremih, Lil Wayne,

Nipsey Hussle Airmiess Joseph Asghedom (August 15, 1985 – March 31, 2019), known professionally as Nipsey Hussle (often stylized as Nipsey Hu$$le), was an American rapper, entrepreneur, and activist. Emerging from the West Coast hip hop scene in the mid- ...

, No Limit Boys,

Rick Ross William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper. Prior to releasing his debut single, "Hustlin'", in 2006, Ross was the subject of a bidding war, receiving offers from Diddy's Bad ...

Usher Usher may refer to: Several jobs which originally involved directing people and ensuring people are in the correct place: * Usher (occupation) ** Church usher ** Wedding usher, one of the male attendants to the groom in a wedding ceremony ** Fiel ...

, Travis Scott and

Yo Gotti Mario Sentell Giden Mims (born May 19, 1981), known professionally as Yo Gotti, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record executive. In 1996, Gotti released his debut album ''Youngsta's On a Come Up'' under the alias Lil Yo. He went on to re ...

. On October 27, 2016, Master P released his seventh official mixtape titled ''Louisiana Hot Sauce''; it featured appearances from fellow No Limit Forever artist Ace B, Angelo Nano,

Cymphonique Cymphonique Miller (born August 1, 1996), known professionally as Cymphonique, is an American singer and actress. She is the daughter of Percy Robert Miller (also known as Master P) and is the younger sister of Romeo Miller (a.k.a. Romeo). She ...

, Gangsta, J Slugg, Lambo, Moe Roy, Play Beezy,

and Young Vee. On January 6, 2017, Master P released his sixth collaboration mixtape titled ''We All We Got'' with his group No Limit Boys.

''No Limit Chronicles''

On July 29, 2020, Master P released ''No Limit Chronicles'', a five-part BET docuseries on his New Orleans-based hip-hop label. The series shares stories of Master P's career as a record executive and businessman, underscoring the unprecedented distribution deal with Priority Records that made No Limit Records a powerhouse record label in the 1990s. Awareness of the circumstances of Master P's incarcerated brother,

, resurged after the series aired, prompting Percy to rally for his brother's release. On August 17, 2020, Master P posted a video to his Instagram account of him and C-Murder's lawyer speaking to a group of protesters, inciting momentum to work in favor of his brother's liberation.

Business career

Aside from being a rapper, Master P has enjoyed a successful career as an entrepreneur and investor. Miller opened a record store in

Richmond, California Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was incorporated on August 7, 1905, and has a city council.

called No Limit Records, which later became the foundation for his own record label of the same name. Miller was one of the first rappers to notice and take advantage of the retail potential of the music industry. As an investor, Master P was one of the first rappers to build a business and financial empire by investing in a wide range of business and investment ventures from a variety of industries. He has since invested the millions of dollars he made from his No Limit record company into a travel agency, a Foot Locker retail outlet,

real estate Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more genera ...

, stocks, film, music, and television production, toy making, clothing, telecommunications, a jewellery line, auto accessories, book and magazine publishing, car rims, fast food franchises, and gas stations. His sports management agency No Limit Communications, a joint venture with marketing guru Djuan Edgerton, was a success. His conglomerate company, No Limit Enterprises became a financial powerhouse. His real estate investment and property management company, the New Orleans-based PM Properties controls over 100 properties across the United States. According to Black Enterprise magazine, No Limit Enterprises grossed $110 million in revenue in 1998 alone. This level of success inspired other rappers to branch out into other business ventures and investments. Miller also has his own line of beverages called "Make 'Em Say Ughh!" energy drinks. Miller has also made a foray into mass media, where he founded Better Black Television, a cable television network in November 2010 based in New Orleans, making him the first rapper to establish a cable television network. Rappers had historically focused more on the artistic and glamorous side of hip hop music while paying very little attention to the business, investment, and financial aspects. All that changed in 1996 when Master P signed a music distribution deal with Priority Records, one where No Limit Records would retain 100% ownership of their master recordings and keep 85% of their record's sales while giving Priority 15% in return for pressing and distribution which allows No Limit to profit from future sales such as catalogs and reissues. Master P went on to make hundreds of millions of dollars from this deal. Additionally, Master P invented many innovative marketing techniques. According to Wendy Day, CEO of the Rap Coalition, "Master P had a whole marketing movement. He was the first person to market the way a corporate entity like IBM would market to their clientele." Whereas the traditional model for marketing records was to spend millions of dollars on expensive videos and air play, Miller did not have such a luxury. As an independent artist, Miller had to find a way to sell, market and build platinum record selling demand on a limited recording budget. He was known for keeping upfront business expenses down and profit margins high. He began selling tapes out the trunk of his car in every city and town in America where there was potential demand for his music. He gave out free samples to people with expensive cars and had them playing his music throughout their neighborhoods. This street level guerrilla marketing technique set the foundation to build a larger fanbase for the future. After signing his deal with Priority, Miller began a high volume business model of cranking out as many records as possible, as frequently as possible. He branded all his albums, so that the No Limit brand became more important than the actual artist's name. Miller cross-promoted all his artists and albums inside the album covers. He also used pen and pixel graphics and

Mafia "Mafia" is an informal term that is used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the original “Mafia”, the Sicilian Mafia and Italian Mafia. The central activity of such an organization would be the arbitration of ...

-inspired themes to make his albums stand out using Photoshop. He offered 20 songs per album, whereas most albums offered 15 or less, as Miller learned that customers wanted more for their money. He turned his artists into Marvel

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. ...

-like characters rather than just rappers. He made sure his artists were number one on SoundScan every time they released an album, to build the perception of popularity. He used inexpensive videos to promote his artists and he cross-promoted albums using films and vice versa and tied them altogether as a package. Brand image and identity became more important than just music quality. Miller's record labels have sold 75 million records as a result of his innovative marketing and branding strategies. As founder and CEO of No Limit Entertainment, Miller at one time presided over a business empire that included his conglomerate No Limit Enterprises, No Limit Records, Bout It Inc., No Limit Clothing, No Limit Communications, No Limit Films, No Limit Sports Management, P. M. Properties, and Advantage Travel. Miller represented former NFL running back Ricky Williams when he was drafted by the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

; however, the deal was rated the worst contract for a player in NFL History by

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

. Miller manages the music, film, and television career of his son, Romeo Miller, as well as pop star Forrest Lipton and Atlanta rapper

. Miller was the executive television producer for his teenage daughter Cymphonique's Nickelodeon Show, How To Rock, and the co-creator of Romeo!, the hit Nickelodeon television show that stars his son.

Income

In 1998, Miller ranked 10th on

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...

magazine's list of America's 40 highest paid entertainers, with an estimated income of $56.5 million. In 2013, Miller's wealth is estimated to be $200 million, making him one of the wealthiest figures in the American hip hop scene.

Professional basketball career

In 1998, Miller joined the Fort Wayne Fury of the CBA as a backup guard after a No Limit employee asked the Fury head coach to give his boss a tryout. According to the coach Miller was "coachable ndan eager learner", but not NBA material. Miller was on the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division, and pla ...

training camp roster for 10 days in January 1999. He was invited to participate at the request of Hornet Ricky Davis's father. He scored 7 points in intrasquad play and played eight minutes in two exhibition games before being released on February 1. Miller claimed he played well but was cut because his rap lyrics were too offensive. That fall he was on the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Atlantic Division (NBA) ...

training camp roster. He scored eight points in one preseason game, but was dropped before the season began. He complained that the Raptors hadn't given him a fair chance. In November, he signed with the San Diego Stingrays of the short-lived IBL, a "home for players without NBA skills and those who are developing them." His performance was disappointing and he played for less than a season. In 2004, Miller played for the ABA's Las Vegas Rattlers and Long Beach Jam. He took part in the 2008 McDonald's NBA All-Star Celebrity Game and scored 17 points.

Other ventures

Film and television career

Since 1997, Master P has been in numerous feature and straight-to-DVD films, as well as television shows. His filmography includes ''Uncle P'', ''Uncle Willy's Family'', ''

Soccer Mom The term soccer mom broadly refers to an American, middle-class, suburban woman who spends a significant amount of her time transporting her school-age children to youth sporting events or other activities, whether or not they are soccer rel ...

'', '' Gone in 60 Seconds'', '' Hollywood Homicide'', ''

Toxic Toxicity is the degree to which a chemical substance or a particular mixture of substances can damage an organism. Toxicity can refer to the effect on a whole organism, such as an animal, bacterium, or plant, as well as the effect on a subs ...

'', '' Foolish'', and '. In 1999, he had a small run in

World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Natio ...

(WCW), where he led a professional wrestling stable called

The No Limit Soldiers The No Limit Soldiers were a stable in World Championship Wrestling that was formed after rapper Master P signed with the company. The Soldiers notably feuded with The West Texas Rednecks from June to July 1999. History The relationship between ...

in a feud with Curt Hennig's

The West Texas Rednecks The West Texas Rednecks were a short-lived professional wrestling stable and country music band in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1999 and All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) in the early 2000s. They are famous for the recording of two songs, " ...

. Master P also starred in '' Romeo!'' alongside his son Romeo Miller on the children's network

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...

from 2003 to 2006. He was also a contestant on ''

Dancing with the Stars ''Dancing with the Stars'' is the name of various international television series based on the format of the British TV series ''Strictly Come Dancing'', which is distributed by BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the form ...

'', replacing Romeo who dropped out due to an injury. He partnered with Ashly DelGrosso and received a total score of 8 out of 30 for his pasodoble, the lowest score in the show's history. He was eliminated in Week 4. In 1999, Miller starred alongside Eddie Griffin in the hit film '' Foolish''. As reported in March 2011, Miller planned to star in a new film with his protégé

, titled ''Get Money''. The film, set for release through No Limit, would be based on Miller's book of the same name. On June 10, 2015, it was announced that Master P and his family would be starring in their own reality show titled ''Master P's Family Empire''. It is scheduled to be aired on Reelz sometime in November.

Writing

On September 1, 2007, Miller released his first book, titled ''Guaranteed Success''.

Pro wrestling

In 1999,

appeared on '' WCW Monday Nitro'' feuding with The Filthy Animals and

. On October 8, 2019, it was reported and confirmed that Master P purchased ownership in Brooklyn, New York-based independent wrestling promotion House of Glory.

Controversy

The lyrics of Miller's "Brick to a Million" have been interpreted as intentionally disrespectful to rappers

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

and Lil Wayne. Miller denied that it was a diss track directed at them, and claimed it was in response to a

radio station Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radi ...

employee's remark that his career was over, and that it "ain't a diss. I never made a diss record."

Legacy

Miller is known for his music and his business acumen, due to creating and branding his highly successful independent record label No Limit Records, as well as his other business ventures. Miller is held in high esteem by other rappers as well. During an interview after meeting Miller, Atlanta rapper 2 Chainz stated, "This is my first time meeting im I just want to let him know how he influenced the whole South in Hip-Hop." 2 Chainz went on, "We used to argue people like they ain't understand why we appreciated Master P and his music. It was more than that. I felt like it was his grind, his hustle. He actually put music out like every week. I even heard stories about some of the songs never even being mixed before. It was just about giving the fans what they needed. And he the reason why a lot of us are here, including myself."

Accolades and honors

In 2001, Master P won the award for "Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist" at the

American Music Awards The American Music Awards (AMAs) is an annual American music awards show, generally held in the fall, created by Dick Clark in 1973 for ABC when the network's contract to air the Grammy Awards expired, and currently produced by Dick Clark Produ ...

. In 2005, Miller was ranked at number 36 by

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Commun ...

in their list of ''50 Greatest Hip Hop Artists''. On September 29, 2008, Miller's single " Make 'Em Say Uhh!" would be ranked at number 94 by

in their list of ''100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs''. BET named Miller number 28 in 'The Most Influential Rappers of All Time'. BET also listed Miller as one of 'The 25 Influential Black Music Execs'. In November 2011, Miller's son Romeo Miller performed at the 2010 Hip Hop Honors, along with his brother

Valentino Miller Percy Robert Miller Sr. (born April 29, 1967), known by his stage name Master P, is an American rapper, record executive, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. He is the founder of the record label No Limit Records, which was relaunched as ...

, his cousins Lil' D and Black Don, and his uncle Silkk The Shocker, as well as Trina,

, and Mystikal to honor Master P and No Limit Records. On December 11, 2012, DJ 5150 and DJ Hektik released a tribute mixtape to Master P titled ''Uptown Veteran''. On July 10, 2013, Miller was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame, making him the first hip hop artist to be inducted. On January 20, 2015, Montreal R&B/Hip Hop artist Xav released a song with Master P called "Bout It Bout It", from his upcoming ''Zeeky EP'', paying homage to Master P's 1995 international hit. The music video, which also features Master P, premiered on Vibe.com the same day. On May 23, 2021, Master P received his honorary doctorate from Lincoln University in Pennsylvania.

Philanthropy

Miller has dedicated his time to communities through P. Miller Youth Centers and his P. Miller Food Foundation for the Homeless. On July 12, 2005, Willie W. Herenton Jr, the mayor of

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the County seat, seat of Shelby County, Tennessee, Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 Uni ...

, presented Miller with the key to the city. On April 27, 2010, Miller and his son

were awarded the Certificate of Special Recognition from Congress member

Maxine Waters Maxine Moore Waters (née Carr; born August 15, 1938) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 1991. The district, numbered as the 29th district from 1991 to 1993 and as the 35th district from 1993 to 2013, inc ...

Personal life

Miller is Catholic. In 1999, he donated $500,000 to the Catholic elementary school he attended and to two nearby churches. In 2014, after 24 years of marriage, Miller's wife sued for divorce, asking for almost 40% of their assets. In 2007, he swore off of profanity and endorsed

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...

for President of the United States of America, contributing frequently to his campaign. On May 29, 2022, Miller announced that his daughter Tytyana Miller had died at 25 years old.

Discography

;Studio albums * ''

'' (1991) * ''

'' (1992) * ''

'' (1994) * '' 99 Ways to Die'' (1995) * '' Ice Cream Man'' (1996) * '' Ghetto D'' (1997) * '' MP da Last Don'' (1998) * '' Only God Can Judge Me'' (1999) * ''

'' (2000) * '' Game Face'' (2001) * '' Good Side, Bad Side'' (2004) * '' Ghetto Bill'' (2005) * '' The Gift'' (2013) * ''

'' (2015) * ''Louisiana Hot Sauce'' (2016)

Filmography

Film

Television

Documentaries

Biographical portrayals in film

References

External links

Tank Soldiers
* * {{Authority control 1970 births Living people 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American rappers 21st-century American businesspeople 21st-century American male actors 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American rappers African-American businesspeople African-American Catholics African-American film producers African-American investors African-American male actors African-American male rappers African-American non-fiction writers African-American record producers African-American screenwriters African-American songwriters African-American television producers American book publishers (people) American business writers American chief executives in the media industry American chief executives of food industry companies American drink industry businesspeople American fashion businesspeople American film producers American finance and investment writers American hip hop record producers American investors American magazine publishers (people) American male film actors American male non-fiction writers American male rappers American male screenwriters American male songwriters American male television actors American male voice actors American marketing businesspeople American mass media company founders American mass media owners American motivational speakers American motivational writers American music industry executives American music managers American music publishers (people) American music video directors American nonprofit chief executives American philanthropists American real estate businesspeople American reality television producers American retail chief executives American self-help writers American sex industry businesspeople American sports agents American stock traders American talent agents American telecommunications industry businesspeople American television executives Businesspeople from New Orleans Businesspeople from the San Francisco Bay Area Film producers from California Film producers from Louisiana Fort Wayne Fury players Gangsta rappers Long Beach Jam players Male actors from California Male actors from New Orleans Male actors from the San Francisco Bay Area Merritt College alumni MNRK Music Group artists Musicians from Richmond, California Nightclub owners No Limit Records artists Priority Records artists Rappers from California Rappers from New Orleans Record producers from California Record producers from Louisiana San Diego Stingrays players Screenwriters from California Screenwriters from Louisiana Songwriters from California Songwriters from Louisiana Southern hip hop musicians Television producers from California University of Houston alumni Warren Easton High School alumni Writers from New Orleans Writers from the San Francisco Bay Area