Image via Complex Original
Master P is Donald Trump, but with a better credit score. In the Chris Rock sense, Master P is not just rich, but wealthy; his No Limit Records sold more than 75 million records by the end of the '90s, and the label's heyday earning power was bolstered by a multimedia dominance, including a brief flirtation with television. As late as 2015, Percy Miller is a patriarch, a showman, and a disciplined capitalist who values independence and control. All the principles that post-R.O.C. Dame Dash has recently avowed—“hunt what I kill,” and whatnot—Master P has honored and executed for more than two decades now, to a point of perfection. If only he'd incorporated No Limit Sports before Jay Z beat him to the dotted line, Percy Miller might've attained hood billionaire status for real.
His legacy is an outlier of recent record biz history, and his enduring wealth reads rather like a glitch. A decade ago, the best-selling rap album of 2004 was Eminem’s Encore, which sold more in its first week out (more than 700,000 units) than 2014’s best-selling rap album, J. Cole's 2014 Forest Hills Drive, has sold to date. Master P's Money Mafia crew, the newest generation of No Limit, won't break sales records any time soon. With Master P's backing, however, there's little immediate pressure on Money Mafia to sustain by album sales alone. The group's debut mixtape, We All We Got, is a slow burn and—with a surprise guest appearance from Lil Wayne—a solid start.
We recently advanced a bold claim, that 2015 and beyond will yield ever-diminishing influence of record labels as rappers prioritize creative control and seamless distribution over the flashy attraction of a five-figure, recuperable advance from a major label. As a rapper who famously owns all of his masters, Master P is a patron saint of indie musicians. With Azealia Banks, Chief Keef, and Shy Glizzy now managing to flourish without major label support, Master P, at 44 years old, may indeed be the future of the music business. And yes, in case you were wondering: Romeo, a.k.a. Maserati Rome, is along for the ride.
You’ve been working hard for a long time. What's the most enjoyable side of your work now?
Managing a successful business. But making music is my passion and my love. I can’t stop doing it. That’s the way I express myself.
Are you surprised that you’ve been making music as long as you have?
I’m surprised. I mean, I have a loyal fan base. They’ve just been following me a long time. This year will be 24 years in November. We’re calling the tour “November 24K.” This is the all-gold year.
You have your ear out in Louisiana, you have your ear out in California, all over the place. Where do you find yourself connecting with other music that’s out right now the most. Down South or out West?
Everywhere. If you listen to the record, it’s something on there for everybody. We didn’t try to make a regional record. Our music, we’re so big that that’s all you hear in New Orleans now. All you hear is Money Mafia, that’s all you hear. On the radio, on the streets, and in the club that’s all you hear. So we know whatever we’ve done is working. I feel like if you can’t take over home, you can’t take over nowhere.
When you think about New Orleans and Baton Rouge now, how well regarded these cities are within hip-hop—back in '98, did you ever think that those two cities in particular would ever have the impact they have on music now?
Ever since I’ve seen what Louis Armstrong and the Neville Brothers did in the music industry, I've felt like we got a heritage of music. When you talk about the essence of music, you gotta look at New Orleans. We’re able to put our bounce thing, BlaqNmilD, add it to the 808 drums, give it that high energy to wake the crowd up, wake the clubs up, but still have a fun, party vibe to the music.
What’s your favorite record off the tape?
“Hell of a Life,” the first song, and I like “Guess Who’s Back?” because it kind of reintroduces us to this new generation, everything we’ve done.
Talk to me about "Power," the song with Lil Wayne. How did that happen? I don’t think people would’ve expected that from you two.
You know, that’s the whole thing about power: doing the unexpected. When you got the power you can do what you want. As a culture, as a hip-hop community, we’re starting to use our power to express ourselves, starting to use our power to take over. We’re also connecting our power. So I felt that "Power" was a big song.
We kinda swapped music from each other. I did a song on his album, he did a song on mine. That’s where the whole power thing came in. I feel like he’s one of the top rappers in the country, and he’s from the same neighborhood I’m from. Hollygrove and the Calliope Projects are a six-minute drive apart. Eventually, as we grow up, we’re able to do something together. I think it’s a great thing for New Orleans and also for hip-hop to see how we’re uniting and doing big things.
My sister is 10 years older than me. I was talking to her last night, and one thing her generation and my generation both associate you with is creative control, creative independence. Lately I talk to young artists—late teens, early 20s—who at one point would have been eager to get record deals, but I think there’s an increasing share of artists who instead think, “I wanna own my music, and I wanna have creative independence,” and they’re sort of wary.
You should wanna be your own boss, especially if you’re putting that kind of time in. Everybody on No Limit, we did partnership deals because we want to teach them. We want them to go on and take over the business, take over the community, and do that because they can control their destiny when they make their own money, their own resources. The game is changing, and people are gaining independence because you don’t need the major labels.
You've got a lot of records like [our] record, which is blowing up all across the country due to social media. We didn’t have to sit around like, “I need this major label’s imprint on my record to make me relevant.” All you’re doing is not wasting money, to be honest, because record sales ain’t what they used to be. I sold 75 million records, but that ain’t happening right now.
You should wanna be your own boss, especially if you’re putting that kind of time in.
Do you think that environment is making these artists have to realize that, in a way, they’re all they’ve got? Is that the new rapper mindset?
If artists don’t work now, they won’t eat. You gotta hunt your food. That’s why you’re gonna make money doing shows. You’re not gonna make money selling records. Not right now. Until this digital technology age comes through, that’s where it’s gonna go.
You can base this off artists you’re working with now, but if we were sitting here with Bobby Shmurda or somebody, if you could only give them one piece of advice about wanting to go on and drop a first album, have a hit record, have longevity, wanting to be able to live as an artist, what advice would you give them?
You have to really believe in what you are doing. Just because you can get with a record label, they can only help you so much. They already know you have a hit record when they sign you. It’s up to you to get out there and push that record. Nobody’s gonna do that for you.
What else are you up to in 2015? Music as well as business, I mean.
Doing a Master Cam. My camera. It’s a 24-karat-gold-plated HD camera. You’ll be able to [upload] your videos to YouTube. I’m taking the technology to Sprint. That gold is gonna make people want it because you can wear it with a strap around to hold the camera. It’s gonna be like a piece of your clothing at the same time, even though it’s gonna be a high-quality camera. Put some bling on it.
When are you rolling the headphones out?
Six months from now. We’ve been dealing with a company in China, waiting for everything to come back.
OK so now, in terms of musical projects, do you have other stuff coming out?
Ice Cream Man, Part II. Be on the lookout.
When are we getting that? You can tell me.
I’ll let you know, man. [Laughs.] I gotta get the cover. When I get the cover, you’ll be the first one to have it. It’s time for a O.G. cover. You got too many new faces on this [Money Mafia mixtape] cover.
To be honest with you, with this Ice Cream record, I think it’s gonna change the game because kids know me, but now by listening to my [new] music, not just going online and finding a classic record. Doesn’t matter how old you are or how young you are: If you still got it, you got it. I’m not letting nobody stop me. Really taking charge, and being the best I could be, not even comparing Ice Cream Man I and Ice Cream Man II, I’m not gonna let nobody do that. This is a whole different time period of my life I’m in, and I feel like Al Capone right now. I got these youngsters around me, but I’m not trying to compete with them. I’m doing what I love to do.
I’m 27. On the road, do you meet people who are younger than I am who seem like they’re discovering old No Limit Records?
They are. I’m also meeting 15- and 16-year-olds jamming to the music. That’s like building new territory, new fans. Maybe their parents told them about my music, but they’re into it. They’ve spent time with it and they like it. The last show I did three days ago, they were singing songs word-for-word that they only heard it a day or two ago. But they can feel the music. This generation can feel the music. I did “Guess Who’s Back?” and they were singing it because they could feel it. It’s real to them. It’s different from what they hear every day.
You still enjoy performing live?
I go crazy on the stage. We still get rowdy rowdy, bout it bout it. You know? [Laughs.]
Mystikal was on Saturday Night Live a couple months ago. Are you gonna work with him at some point?
Definitely. Mystikal is my partner. So I know he’s just getting his thing back together, but we’re definitely gonna make some music together. You might hear something soon. Give me that [Complex magazine] cover. [Laughs.] It’s time though, man, to be honest. We’re at the top of our game right now. We have this generation and an older generation. I’m able to sell records to both. Even the doubters turned into fans. That’s what I do.
