Master P Says He Urged Meek Mill Not to Sign With Rick Ross

Master P wasn’t impressed with Meek Mill’s contract with Rick Ross.

During a recent appearance on The Gauds Show, the hip-hop mogul spoke about the period when he managed the Philly rapper and why he ultimately chose to give up that role. Master P said he saw great potential in Meek’s talent and had urged him not to sign with Maybach Music. Why? Because he believed the label had offered a weak deal.

“So I was Meek Mill’s manager. Me and James [Lindsey], when he first started,” Master P told hosts Ray Daniels and Tamira Smith. “So let me tell you why I stopped. So I knew that Meek was talented, at the beginning…I was like, ‘Meek, you don’t need to sign with nobody.’ Meek was like, ‘I’m gonna sign with Ross.’ But I had looked at the contract—and Ross, I’ll tell y’all from this day, Ross a good dude, but he ain’t have his business straight.”

Meek signed with MMG in 2011 and released multiple projects, including five albums, under the imprint. 

“Ross got his shit together now. He a boss,” Master P continued. “But I’m saying, at that time, you evolving, I seen it, I took out the crystal ball. But [Meek] ain’t want to listen. I told James, ‘Well, it’s cool, you gonna handle that.’ I ain’t never got mad at Meek, I just walked away from the deal ’cause if you don’t see what I see...I been there already.”

Daniels suggested Master P made the right move, as he would’ve been blamed for any MMG-Meek fallouts. Though Meek didn’t take P’s advice, the No New Limit boss acknowledged that it all worked out in the end.

“But look what God did, [Meek] had to go find out on his own, and now he’s in a better position,” he said. “But I’m tellin’ you, I knew he was a boss from jump.”

You can watch Master P’s full interview above.

Meek has been quite vocal about his disputes with record labels. In 2021, he accused unnamed imprints of mismanagement, and claimed he had not been paid for his music.

“I haven’t get paid from music and I don’t know how much money labels make off me!!!!! I need lawyers asap!!!” wrote Meek, who was signed to MMG and Atlantic Records. He went on to say that he plans on revealing his deal to the public to expose the alleged bad business being done…ask the record label? how much have you spent on me as a artist? then you ask how much have you made off me as a artist? i’m about to make my record deal public by monday just to let the world see what these people on!!!”

Meek took aim at Atlantic several months later, saying the label had “blackballed” his 2021 album Expensive Pain, and was taking advantage of other artists.