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Master P: Hip-Hop Mogul Reveals
Jet, Feb 26, 2001 by Margena A. Christian
He believes that his many business ventures will cement his fortune so that he won't go broke. "My goal is not to be famous but rich. You've got to keep the overhead down low and make money off the record sales. Some artists only get paid off shows and not off records because with big record companies, the overhead is too much.
"When you have a hit record out, you become halfway famous. Then you want money to buy a nice car and house. You'll get an advance and end up selling your soul because you can't afford to hold on to what you have ... Coming from the CP3, that motivates me to work hard. If you don't want to live like that again, you've got to work hard or you'll go back that way."
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A graduate of Merritt Junior College, Master P received an associate's degree in business. He says his "street hustling" coupled with his education couldn't help but make him a fierce entrepreneur. "I was in the streets so I was a tough guy and nobody could mess over me. Then, I was well educate& I think it's hard to beat somebody that knows both sides. People come in and try to bull you, but if you've been there before, can't nobody really play you like that."
In addition to Master P's many business ventures, he does find time for play-only it's on the basketball court. His million-dollar mansion in Baton Rouge even consists of a backyard tennis court that he transformed into a basketball court. The sport, says Master P, saved him from the mean streets of New Orleans.
"Basketball saved my life. When people were out doing bad things, they would see me and say, 'P, get to practice. Get from around here.' That's where my passion for basketball came from. That's where people respected me because I was so good. I was an all American in high school and was always in the newspaper," says Master P, who played point guard.
His skills on the court earned him an athletic scholarship, when he walked on, at the University of Houston, where he studied business communications and took acting classes. He attended the university for two years before a knee injury forced him to leave.
But even now, nothing can stand in the way of his love for basketball. He's played for the semi-professional basketball leagues such as the Continental Basketball Association, the American Basketball Association and the International Basketball League. More notably, he even competed in several preseason games for the NBA's Charlotte Hornets and Toronto Raptors before getting cut.
"I was a step away from playing in the NBA. I've been an athlete all my life. I don't drink or smoke. That's not me. There are only 400 NBA players in the world. Ten million are trying to get there and I was 401. Do you know how that makes you feel?" he sighs, still in disbelief.
Fame has been good to Master P, but it has also had its down side. The versatile entertainer acknowledges that being well known has brought about sacrifices.
"I try to keep my family out the spotlight. All of us don't need to be famous. Somebody got to be able to go shopping. That's why I'm working so hard so all of us can enjoy life and do stuff that we couldn't imagine. I love hanging out, but you miss doing that stuff when you become famous, but with fame you have to sacrifice some things."
COPYRIGHT 2001 Johnson Publishing Co.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning
