Published: Thursday - August 14, 2008
Words by Ronnie Gamble
The new Master P, or should we say P. Miller (Photo: Take A Stand Records)
Veteran rapper Master P announced recently that he has officially changed his moniker to P. Miller, and will no longer respond to his, now, old name.
According to P. Miller, it's time to grow up, and this name change reflects his growth over the years, mentally and spiritually.
"I am changing my name because Master P is who I used to be, I call it my childhood and P. Miller marks my manhood," he said. "I wouldn't change my past because it has groomed me to be the man I am today. Growing up has nothing to do with age. People grow up mentally and spiritually through life experiences, but when you come from hip-hop it is almost impossible to get past the stereo-type it associates you with. I will always love hip-hop; it plays a major role in who I am today. I have branched out into so many different arenas that range from being the first African-American to have a clothing line at Wal-Mart, to writing books, and speaking on Capitol Hill, but all of that gets overshadowed because I come from the hip-hop industry."
Also in changing his name, he hopes to teach young hip-hop artists that they aren't limited to staying strictly in the realm of just music, and that they should prepare themselves for life after their rap career is over.
"It's important for young hip-hop artists to know that they are not limited to one career, they can educate themselves, and prepare for life after hip-hop, the same way pro-athletes prepare themselves for life after sports," P explained. "Also, know that you can branch out into other avenues if you are multi-talented or have other dreams. My dream was to enter corporate America, my son's dream is to go to college and play basketball, and Will Smith's was to be a famous actor. Many of us can begin new careers, take advantage of different opportunities and still remain true to hip-hop."
Over the course of Master P's career, he's won five Grammys, sold more than 75 million records, and produced and starred in several films. He calls name change a transition into Percy Miller, the businessman and entrepreneur.
"There are a lot of people out there, who are afraid to grow up and change, but I'm not and P. Miller is the evolution of me, Percy Miller the entrepreneur, the businessman," said P. "My goal is to educate the hip-hop culture now and if they don't get it, then hopefully their kids will get it and understand. My fellow hip-hop artists should know that we can't rap forever. I'm glad I'm in a position in my life where I don't have to put out music because I've prepared myself for the future. To build the generational wealth we have to educate our families. That's why my son is going to college. Fifteen years later, I'm still successful because I've realized the importance of education, growing up, and responsibility."
Since cutting down the production of albums he releases (at one point his label No Limit Records released several albums per month), he's been focused more on positive business ventures. Most recently, he landed a deal with Wal-Mart to bring his P. Miller clothing line exclusively to the chain of stores, offering teens and young adults hip-hop styled clothing at an affordable price.
At one point in his career, P's business empire -- which included No Limit Records and No Limit Films -- and was ranked 10th on Forbes magazine's 1998 list of America's 40 highest paid entertainers with an estimated income of $56.5 million, and an estimated worth of his business dealings reached $661 million.
The days of Master P releasing gangster rap albums are over though. He and his son Romeo pledged to clean up their lyrics in 2007, and did so with an album called Hip-Hop History.
We doubt you'll see any new records from the rapper either way though. After dropping the clean Hip-Hop History, he told us he was done. "I'm done," he responded when asked how much longer he was gonna rap. "I only did this for the kids -- to show them... somebody had to do this. Everybody else is afraid."
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