No Limit Records is an American record company founded by Master P. The label's albums were distributed by Priority Records,

Universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal ** Universal TV, a t ...

and

Koch Records MNRK Music Group (pronounced "monarch", formerly known as Koch Records and eOne Music) is a New York City-based independent record label and music management company. It was formed in 2009 from the music assets of Koch Entertainment, which had ...

. The label included artists such as

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...

, Mercedes, Silkk the Shocker,

Mystikal Michael Lawrence Tyler (born September 22, 1970), better known by his stage name Mystikal, is an American rapper. Early life and education Tyler grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana's 12th Ward. His father, who ran a small neighborhood store, d ...

, Mia X, Mac, C-Murder, Magic, Romeo Miller, Fiend, Kane & Abel, and Soulja Slim. Anthony Boswell, head of Bout It Bout It Management, served as the vice president of operations as well as head of management for the label. In the late nineties, No Limit Records enjoyed mainstream success with releases such as Master P's " Ghetto D", T.R.U.'s " Tru 2 da Game", and Snoop Dogg's " Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told". No Limit was known for quickly producing lengthy albums consisting of up to twenty tracks, numerous cameo appearances by the label's other artists, cheap packaging of its CDs in cardboard cases, and garish Pen & Pixel-designed album covers.

History

1991–1995: Beginnings

Percy "Master P" Miller began his career distributing his records through a small California Bay Area record label, "No Limit Record Shop", which started out in

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, Californi ...

. After signing Oakland rapper Dangerous Dame, who released the EP ''Escape from the Mental Ward'' through No Limit, he began working with New Orleans-based talent, starting with Kane & Abel (then known as Double Vision).

1995–1999: Successful years, Priority deal, and roster exodus

In 1995, Master P officially relocated No Limit to his birthplace of New Orleans, Louisiana, while retaining his brothers and several California rappers like TRU member Big Ed, King George and Calli G on board. He then added local talent to his roster such as

, Mia X, Kane & Abel and Mr. Serv-On. No Limit then signed a distribution deal with Priority Records, while Master P maintained ownership of his master recordings and recording studio. He became the label's main artist, releasing '' Ice Cream Man'' in 1996 and Ghetto D a year later. By 1997, No Limit had gained momentum with bestselling, if not critically acclaimed, releases from multiple artists. In May 1997, No Limit released the soundtrack to the film ''I'm Bout It''. The album featured appearances from much of the label's roster at the time of its release. In addition to featuring the label's original artists, the album introduced new artists now signed to No Limit, like

Young Bleed Young may refer to: * Offspring, the product of reproduction of a new organism produced by one or more parents * Youth, the time of life when one is young, often meaning the time between childhood and adulthood Music * The Young, an American ro ...

, Oakland-based pair Steady Mobb'n, R&B quartet and production group Sons of Funk, Mac, Prime Suspects, The Gambino Family, Mercedes and former

Big Boy Records Big Boy Records also known as the Boot Camp Clicc, was an independent record label established in late 1992 by Charles "Big Boy" Temple; Robert "Big Rob" Shaw";and his producer Leroy "Precise" Edwards. For several years in the 1990s, Big Boy Reco ...

artists

and Fiend. The album was a commercial success, being certified Platinum by the RIAA. No Limit also had success with albums like TRU (Tru 2 Da Game), Mia X's Unlady Like, which went gold despite producing no hit singles, and Mystikal's platinum-selling '' Unpredictable''. That same year, No Limit moved from New Orleans to a corporate headquarters in

Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, it is the county seat, parish seat of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, E ...

. The label also acquired their first marquee name in

, on the heels of his acrimonious split from

Death Row Records Death Row Records is an American record label that was founded in 1991 by The D.O.C., Dr. Dre, Suge Knight, and Dick Griffey. The label became a sensation by releasing multi-platinum hip-hop albums by West Coast-based artists such as Dr. Dre ...

. His debut album for No Limit, '' Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told'', was the most successful release in the label's history at the time, selling over half a million copies in its first week and certified double platinum in less than three months. As No Limit's popularity and mainstream coverage increased, so did its roster. The label signed producers DJ Daryl, Randy Jefferson, K-Lou & Dez as well as Master P's main production team,

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 ...

(

KLC Craig Stephen Lawson (born July 15, 1969), known professionally as KLC, is an American record producer, DJ, and drummer. He found fame as a member of No Limit Records' in-house production team Beats by the Pound. Since leaving the label, he has ...

, Mo B. Dick, Craig B, Odell, and

Carlos Stephens Carlos Stephens aka Clos, is a record producer from New Orleans, Louisiana. He found fame as a member of No Limit Records' in-house production team, Beats by the Pound. He also was the only producer of No Limit to have outside distribution for an ...

), in addition to solo artists Soulja Slim, Full Blooded, Magic, Skull Duggery, Short Circuit, Ghetto Commission. Together they put out 23 albums in 1998, 10 of which went platinum and 11 gold, in some instances their only releases on the label. Master P's own LP that year, '' MP da Last Don'', reached number one on the ''Billboard'' 200 after moving 495,000 copies in its first week, and sold 4.5 million units overall, making it the best-selling album of his career. No Limit started 1999 with Silkk the Shocker's January 1999 release, '' Made Man'', which debuted and peaked at #1 on the US

Billboard 200 The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of ar ...

. The album was certified Platinum by the RIAA. Made Man featured guest appearances from No Limit artists Mystikal, Fiend, Master P (who executive produced the album), O'Dell, Sons of Funk, C-Murder, The Ghetto Commission, Mia X, and Snoop Dogg. No Limit producers KLC, O'Dell, Carlos Stephens, Craig B., and Sons of Funk all provided production for the album. TRU also released their fifth studio album, ''

Da Crime Family ''Da Crime Family'' is the fifth studio album by New Orleans hip-hop group, TRU, released June 1, 1999, via Priority Records and Master P's No Limit Records. It was produced by Beats By the Pound, Ke'Noe, Meech Wells and Battlecat. ''Da Crim ...

'' in June 1999. 1999 also saw the departure of many No Limit producers and artists. In 1999, Beats By The Pound members Odell, Craig B, Mo B. Dick, and KLC left No Limit due to a dispute with Master P. As a result, KLC's project, ''Hits By The Pound'', scheduled for a September 14, 1999 release through No Limit, was consequently shelved. Mr. Serv-On and Fiend left No Limit to go independent, and Mia X left No Limit and went on a musical hiatus to take care of her family. Kane & Abel were dropped from No Limit in 1999 due to their investigation involving drug activity. Sons of Funk, Steady Mobb'n, Prime Suspects, and The Gambino Family all parted ways with the label.

2000–2003: Continued success, decline, The New No Limit, and final years

In 2000 504 Boyz album '' Goodfellas'' made it big on the Billboard peaking at #2 on the ''Billboard'' 200 making No Limit a small factor in the 2000s, but in 2000 only Master P, Snoop Dogg, C-Murder, Silkk, Magic, and Mac remained from their most celebrated artists. By 2000, Ghetto Commission, Mystikal and Big Ed had left the label. The following year, the label lost Mac to prison after he was convicted of manslaughter in connection to a nightclub shooting; he was ultimately sentenced to thirty years in prison on September 21, 2001. Snoop Dogg had left No Limit after his three-year contract with No Limit expired, and C-Murder distanced himself from No Limit to focus on his own label, TRU Records. In 2001, No Limit's deal with Priority expired, and No Limit subsequently signed with Universal Records for a $10 million distribution deal. After the signing, Master P renamed No Limit to The New No Limit. The New No Limit's roster included Master P, Lil Romeo, Silkk The Shocker, 504 Boyz, Magic, and Choppa. Releases on The New No Limit under Universal failed to achieve the same success as the previous incarnation of No Limit. On December 17, 2003, the company filed for bankruptcy due to various lawsuits, and Master P then sold the catalog.

Reorganization

In 2001, No Limit left Priority Records and signed a distribution deal with

. The label's name was changed to The New No Limit. The first release under the New No Limit banner was Master P's tenth album, '' Game Face''. With Universal, the label also released new albums by the 504 Boyz, Lil' Romeo, Magic and Choppa. In 2004, the reorganized label had moved to

for distribution. From 2004 to 2005, The New No Limit Records issued new albums by Master P, Silkk the Shocker, C-Murder, Lil' Romeo and the reformed TRU. In 2005, Master P established a new label called Guttar Music Entertainment.

References

External links

No Limit Records RIAA Certified Records
{{Authority control American hip hop record labels Record labels established in 1990 Record labels disestablished in 2003 Gangsta rap record labels