Master P: Hip-Hop Mogul Reveals

Margena A. Christian

* Why Other Women Can't Compete With His Wife

* How He Became A Millionaire

* Why He Won't Go Broke

* What Saved His Life

* His Sacrifices For Fame

At page five, Percy Miller, Jr. had a premonition while sitting in his kindergarten class that he would grow up to do great things. He was right. In spite of being raised in New Orlean's crime-ridden Calliope Projects, 3rd Ward (CP3), Miller would grow up to become known as rapper-actor Master P, the hip-hop mogul who turned a small record shop into a million-dollar record label, No Limit.

JET recently interviewed Master P and he discussed his 10-year marriage, how he became a millionaire, why he won't go broke, what saved his life and the sacrifices he's made for fame.

Standing 6-foot-4 inches tall, the 30-year-old rap star commands attention. He's seen his share of starry-eyed female fans, hoping to get lucky with him. They eventually learn that when it comes to matters of the heart, Master P's love has a limit. His solid marriage to Sonya Miller, 29, a shapely 5-foot-4 beauty he met in high school when he was a basketball star and she was a cheerleader, can't be shaken by groupies.

"A lot of people, when they make it big, the first thing they do is go Hollywood [land leave their wives]. But the next person that wants to kick it with you is just because you've got money," Master P tells JET. "We've stuck with each other so long it's about being there for each other. We have our ups and downs but we know how important family is. Our parents aren't together. We always look at that. We try to break that trend."

His wife dismisses the advances of overzealous female fans who gloat over her husband.

"We met before my husband was famous. The fame doesn't faze me. I just feel that he is a normal person like everyone else. I deal with fame like I know it's just a high-paying job. I just see fame as when we knew each other from back in the day. That was our fame, what God gave us, one another. He came and took me out of some rough living. What he did for me, I respect. There's no limit to our love," explains Sonya, who studied business for a year at Southern University at New Orleans.

Agreeing with his wife, Master P points out, "We're looking at values. We've stuck with each other so long it's about being there for each other. Ain't too many people going to look out for you like we're going to look out for each other. I think when you've got a lot of time and history, that's what keeps you going."

But Master P has a limit when it comes to discussing his family. He's immensely guarded when it comes to his personal life, but the versatile performer will reveal that the couple's son, Percy Romeo Miller, 11, will take rap music to another level when the youngster's album comes out this year on his No Limit record label.

His No Limit conglomerate includes music, film and TV, clothes, toys, sports, real estate and communications. The empire exceeds an estimated $400 million. And, to date, Master P is one of only a few musicians-White or Black-who possesses sole ownership of his master recordings, studio and films!

"You can only go so far in the music business. You have to do more things because you don't know what's going to go up and what's going to go down. You have to have something else going on to survive. I'm a survivor," says Master P.

Platinum-selling albums for Master P have included Ghetto D, MP Da Last Don and Only God Can Judge Me. The catch phrases in his smash tunes like Make' em Say Uhhh, Bout It and Hoody Hoo took on a life of their own. His current album is Ghetto Postage and features the songs Souljas and Bout Dat.

Master P's life changed in 1993 when he opened a small record shop with a $10,000 malpractice settlement his grandmother gave to him following the death of his grandfather. He hired his younger brothers, rap stars Corey "C-Murder" Miller and Vyshonn "Silkk the Shocker" Miller, to work for him. Eventually Master P began recording songs and selling them to people in the hood. The first three records sold a combined 1.5 million copies before any mainstream music publication knew who he was.

The buzz on Master P's success had record labels clamoring to strike a boutique label deal with him where they would own his master recordings. Master P declined. He wanted sole ownership. He wanted to be the "master of his own destiny." After all, he was doing well on his own without a label.

What Master P did finally agree upon made rap music history and made him a millionaire. A true rap pioneer, Master P agreed to a deal where Priority Records would be given 15 percent of the profits for distribution, while 85 percent of the money would go to No Limit. He also has complete ownership of the master recordings that will allow No Limit to profit from future sales such as catalogs and reissues. He negotiated No Limit movies the same way. He worked out a distribution deal with Miramax Films. He pays them a percentage to distribute, but he owns his movies, which include I Got The Hook-Up, Foolish and Hot Boyz.

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."

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