UB Black Music Month Spotlight: Celebrating the Pioneering Master P + No Limit Records

Today UB kicks off our official 2026 Black Music Month features!

This year, we start with a man who has ties to our very own Twin Cities, but also a pioneering mogul, who changed the game of independent music and ownership, Master P.

This year marks the 30th Anniversary of break-out album release “Ice Cream Man.”

Master P changed the music game in the 90’s with an eighty-twenty distribution deal with Priority records, the first of its kind.

Selling over one hundred million records independently, making No Limit Records one of the most successful Hip Hop labels ever.

The story is very compelling and encouraging.

From his very humble beginnings in one of the toughest neighborhoods in the country, The Calliope Projects, to making it on the Forbes top one hundred list.

Master P first rose to fame with the success of his hip-hop group TRU as well as his fifth solo rap album “Ice Cream Man,” which contained his single “Mr. Ice Cream Man.”

P gained further popularity in 1997 after the success of his platinum single “Make ‘Em Say Uhh!”

Throughout the 90s, No Limit Records released an astonishing 66 albums and amassed a collection of platinum plaques, generating nearly half a billion dollars in one decade, making millions and millionaires during that time.

Master P later embarked on a successful career in acting, starring in films, including “I Got the Hook Up,” “Soccer Mom,”” Gone in 60 Seconds,” “Toxic,” and “Foolish” and starring alongside his son Romeo Miller in the sitcom “Romeo!”

In addition to music, television and film, Master P’s mogul touch has transcended into the worlds of fashion, sports, management and more that has left him consistently ranked as one of the wealthiest figures on the American Hip Hop scene.

Presently, promoting his RAPSNACKS, Uncle P’s Food Products, and Snoop Cereal.

In addition to his food product lines, he is promoting his Moneyatti clothing and shoe products.

Master P also, stepped into the role of President of Basketball Operations for the UNO Privateers, where he is also known as “Coach P.”

Master P in the heart of uptown New Orleans, Louisiana, he grew up in the third ward Calliope projects.

After his mother and father separated, his mother moved to Richmond, California.

Master P decided to stay in New Orleans and travel frequently to California to spend time with his mom.

His mother agreed it was important for him to stay in school in New Orleans and grow up with his father and his family.

Remaining in New Orleans, P and his brothers were raised by their paternal grandmother.

When P‘s grandfather came into an inheritance, P was given ten thousand dollars.

Striving to be an entrepreneur, Master P took this money and opened an independent record store in Richmond, California called No Limit Records.

After gaining first hand knowledge of the music industry as a retailer, P felt he had the business savvy to embark on his dream to become an entertainer as well as owning his own record company.

No Limit Records, the retail store became No Limit, the record company.

“Most people that come into this business start by working for someone else,” stated Master P of his indie roots. “That’s what made me different. I’ve set a standard for independents. A lot of people took deals where they couldn’t make a financial change, and that’s where I broke the code of silence. You can be independent and successful if you have the right team of people working for you. Everyone else thought they needed this big old chain behind them to sell records, and I just felt as though all you needed was good people, and that’s what I went out and found. No Limit is a team effort; I’m not the only person that made this happen. I just made sure I had a good family around me, and that’s what made it work.”

Master P continued; “Back in the day, people used to just be famous,” he added “They’d put out a lot of records, and they were just considered rock stars. We changed the game. We wanted to make money off of record sales and not concerts. That’s where I was able to take this: showing people that you can make money off of product.”

According to Master P, a huge part of the success as an independent came as a result of proper promotion and branding. “I went out there and created a name for No Limit.” He once stated to Billboard. “That was my main concern—creating a brand. I wanted to hit every marketplace, every community that accepted rap music. I didn’t care whether it was white, black, Asian or Latino—any community that was buying rap music, that’s where I needed to be. If I could get my CD into the right kids’ hands, then they could go out there and spread the word in the community that this is the best record out there.

Whether it was an NBA or an NFL player, whatever they’re riding and listening to, everyone else wants to listen to.”

Knowing that he couldn’t compete dollar-for-dollar with the majors, Master P found ways to succeed as an indie. “I had to give people more for their money,” he explained. “I put more songs [on our albums] than the majors were putting on theirs, and it was quality music. It was also party music. Some of their records then were either too hard or they were just riding music. I wanted to give them party music, so they could see that this could catch on in the clubs and then get out in the communities once the DJs started loving it. That’s another thing I did; I hit all the DJs across the country. That’s the way I broke in through this independent thing—city by city.”

The first release, Master P‘s “The Ghetto’s Tryin’ to Kill Me” which sold over 100,000 units independently.

No Limit reissued it in 1997.

Master P‘s first commercial recording, reached #1 on the Billboard Top Pop Catalog Albumschart with sales of 52,500 units.

Because the album was originally released in 1992, the set fell within Billboard‘s catalog criteria.

The second release from Master P was the EP “99 Ways To Die“, which went on to sell over 200,000 units, also without major distribution.

After selling over a quarter of a million records, several of the major labels came to Master P offering him a deal.

Weighing all his options, he decided to sign his company to a straight pressing and distribution deal with Priority Records.

“In order for me to stay true to myself and my company, I had to maintain complete creative control,” stated Master P in his bio.

When the deal was solidified with Priority in 1995, No Limit Records released TRU (made up of Master P and his brothers, Silkk the Shocker and C-Murder).

Their album entitled “True” went on to sell over 400,000 units, while patenting the phrase and hit song “Bout it Bout it.”

With a national distribution deal and over a million records under the No Limit belt, Master P went on to make musical history by executive producing the first rap compilations‘, “Down South Hustlers” and “West Coast Bad Boyz.”

Both records held fast on the Billboard charts for several months.

As No Limit Records continued to gain notoriety, Master P’s 1996 solo release of “Ice Cream Man” made a smash debut at #3 on the Billboard R&B chart, selling over 800,000 units.

Also released from No Limit in 1996 were Kane & Abel‘s “The 7 Sins” and Silkk the Shocker‘s self-titled album, which entered the Billboard R&B chart at #6.

In early 1997 Master P released the unprecedented success, “Master P Presents.. West Coast Bad Boyz II“, the follow-up compilation dedicated to the late great Tupac Shakur.

With the debut of the project at #2 on the Billboard R&B chart and #8 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart, it was time to recognize No Limit Records.

In the following weeks, P released TRU‘s, “TRU 2 DA Game“, which debuted at #2 on the chart, #1 on the Rap chart and #8 on the Top 200.

Within one week of its release, “TRU 2 DA Game‘ was certified gold and later double platinum.

In 1998 Master P made Forbes magazines Top 10 list of entertainers.

He ranked #10 among the likes of such household names as Jerry Seinfeld and Oprah Winfrey.

Six of his artists; including C-Murder. Young Bleed, Sillk The Shocker and Fiend, secured spots on The Billboard 200.

But the No Limit pull seemed to be the gift of simplicity.

Where East Coast artists prided themselves on their ability to effectively use metaphors.

The New Orleans-bred Master P and his crew, just stated the obvious with a Southern drawl.

No Limit was also respected because it didn’t go for the glitz out the gate.

The artists just expected consumers to accept them as they were… no matter how ghetto, country or vulgar they may be.

In 1998 rap superstar Snoop Dogg signed to No Limit and released his third album “Da Game Is To Be Sold. Not To Be Told.”

He changed his name from “Snoop Doggy Dog” to “Snoop Dogg.”

Snoop went on to release “No Limit Top Dogg,” and “Tha Last Meal” would be Snoop‘s last album on No Limit Records.

Master P‘s first feature film, ‘I’m Bout It’, a straight to video project that he financed, wrote, directed and produced, debuted #1 on Billboard’s Top Music Video chart and has attained a multi-platinum selling status.

The film is based loosely on his life growing up in New Orleans and expresses the harsh reality of survival in one of the toughest neighborhoods in America.

‘I’m Bout It‘ stars Master P and co-stars Helen Martin, Mack 10, Moon Jones and a host of others.

The soundtrack to ‘I’m Bout It‘, also a platinum seller, made history.

According to Billboard,’never before had a soundtrack charted unless it was accompanied by a theatrical film release.‘

The soundtrack debuted #1 on Billboard’s R&B album chart and #4 on Billboard’s Top 200.

In 1999, No Limit Entertainment entered a marketing partnership with sneaker manufacturer Converse. With a purchase of Convers/No Limit footwear, consumers got an exclusive Master P CD single.

“Ghetto D” was the sixth studio album by Master P.

The album became the biggest-selling of Master P‘s career, peaking at #1 on the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts.

The album produced the singles “I Miss My Homies”, “Make ‘Em Say Uhh!,” and “Burbons and Lacs“, all became hit singles in the years 1997 and 1998.

After debuting a week early on Top R&B Albums and The Billboard 200, Master P’s “Ghetto D” headlined both charts, earning dual Greatest Gainer awards for 68,000 units at core stores and 259,500 units at the all-stores panel.

The album was also the biggest street-date violation in the SoundScan era, having sold 8,000 units before its official release.

By 2020, as is common in many rags-to-riches stories, with their success and money came problems.

Between infighting over contract disputes, an artists exodus and business deals gone awry, No Limit suffered tough times.

Years later, following in his father’s footsteps, Master P’s son Romeo resurrected the company as New No Limit Forever Records, giving new life to the label and preserving the family business.

What started out as No Limit Records—a small record store that Miller financed with inheritance money—mushroomed into a mammoth empire that produced and sold everything from music and films to clothing and shoes, to toys and wireless communication services and devices.

When Master P launched his attack on rap music with his No Limit army, few could have predicted that the New Orleans native would become a household name within the first decade.

Master P took the music world by storm and there was “no limit” to his success!

Thanks to Master P‘s never ending vision for his empire, No Limit Records will continue not only to impress, but to have a major impact on the industry and fans for many years to come …. Cause there’s ‘No Limit’ for No Limit Records.

Day One No Limit Artists and Bios + Excerpt of UB’s Interview with Mia X!

C-Murder
The most anticipated solo album from the No Limit family is finally here…. C-Murder. C-Murder was born in New Orleans, Louisiana and began rapping at an early age. It wasn’t until his brother and mentor, Master P opened No Limit Records that C-Murder began taking his hobby more serious.

A member of the superstar trio, TRU, along with his two brothers, Master P and Silkk The Shocker, C-Murder gained a national profile in 1997 with “TRU 2 DA GAME” the sophomore album from TRU that topped the Billboard charts and went on to sell over two million copies.

Silkk the Shocker
Silkk’s has 3 brothers and 1 sister. Master P, C-Murder and Kevin who died. His sister is Germany. Silkk grew up in 3rd Ward Calliope Projects in New Orleans. He is a part of 2 groups within No Limit, TRU and Da 504 Boyz, as well as a solo artist. His first album was called The Shocker.

When he first began his career, his name was Silk but he added another K and The Shocker to his name after a R&B; group claimed they had the name Silk before he did so he had to change it. His second solo album was called Charge It 2 Da Game.

Mia X
Mia X grew up in New Orleans 7th Ward. She hooked up with P through word of mouth. She was working in a small record store down south when one of her co-workers told P about her. At the time Mia never heard of P and she had plans of trying to hook up with Scarface and Rap-A-Lot.

P got a copy of her demo and called her back a few days later and asked her to be on his “Down South Hustlers” compilation. P then told her about his plans to have her do her own solo album on No Limit and flew her to Richmond, CA where P was living at the time. This was 1994. When her and P recorded “Bout It Bout It” it was not even a week since her best friend Jill was killed. She said that it was mostly a freestyle and the beat just took her away.

UrbanBridgez.com: Take us back to the early No Limit days, what are some of your fondest memories from back then?
Mia X: Like every memory is really like a fond memory but the days when we were struggling. When I met P, he hadn’t lived in New Orleans for quit sometime. I dropped a record in 92′ and got alot of regional success from that record independently. It sold almost 80,000 units. This was a record on cassette tape, that I really worked and grinded. I mean I really had to put some leg work in. So when P was putting together the label to take it to the next level, he wanted a female artist. So he started calling home and everybody was telling him about me. So he came at me and was like I’m putting together this label, it’s going to be like the first independent/major label ever and I really want you on my team. I could see the sincerity in his eyes, about what he was going to do with the label. So I jumped on board and from there I was like if we’re going to make this pop, you have to let me put together this squad. We need a squad from home, you know. So I started to ensemble the squad and from there we became a family. We really grinded together, all of us. Sometimes only having enough money to get a hotel suite and piling up in it. Making meals for like 27 men with hardly no food, red beans go a long way (laughs). Also something people don’t realize about the guys from No Limit is they are real comedians. So they kept me laughing and I kept them fed, we were a strong family unit. That’s why after I left and a couple of other artists left, it was hard for us to like rejoin the ranks of another unit. What we had was a real, real family situation. No disrespect to anyone, but I couldn’t see myself riding around with another labels chain logo around my neck. What we had at No Limit was real and said if I ever was to do it again, I’m going to have to do it myself. Because those were my brothers and they are my brothers forever! We had some really, really, really good memories. The thing is some of them are so funny and off the chain, it’s kind of hard to get into them (laughs). But every time I think about all of the brothers and every time I talk to them, we laugh about different things. I just want everybody to know, everybody at No Limit had a sense of humor. We are a real family and still love each other to this day. We’re each others God parents to the children, you know. It really was a strong unit, it was a small unit. You could call No Limit and I would answer “No Limit Records” (laughs).

UrbanBridgez.com: Well it definitely came across as you guys were family, so I’m happy to know that was all genuine.
Mia X: Oh yeah it was definitely genuine. The breakdown actually came when Master P decided to pursue his dream to play Basketball. At that point he had to rely on the staff, that was something we wasn’t use to. We were use to that one on one, you know. I think that kind of contributed to the breakdown, because we were so use to being with each other. Like aside from touring, we actually hung with each other but fortunately I can say that we have no axes to grind. There are no debt appeals with us, the family at No Limit. We love Percy, and we support him in whatever it is that he has to do. We wish him the best, everybody is grown we have families. And we just gotta get it how we live.

Mystikal
Originally from New Orleans also, his history is a little similar to Young Bleed. Mystikal was the one of the first rappers from New Orleans to get nationwide exposure. He released his first album “Mind Of Mystikal” in 1994 on Big Boy Records. Once he started gettin some recogintion he then signed a contract with the well known Jive Records where “Mind Of Mystikal” was re-released with a few extra cuts. Mystikal aka Michael Tyler is 26 yrs old.

Mystikal was in the Desert Storm war, this where he got his idea to form his original crew, the Boot Camp Clicc. Mystikal made his 1st appearance on No Limit on Steady Mobb’n’s album on a song called “Its On”. He then reappeared on the “Bout It” soundtrack on “What ‘Cha Think”. After hearing the song, P was quoted as saying, “this is the type of lyrics that should be said on my label”. In a Rolling Stone article, P said him and Mystikal share a bond and can relate to one another well because they both had siblings who were murdered.

Fiend
New Orleans native Fiend began rapping at an early age. After a couple of local hit singles and years of struggling to get his business situation straight in the music game, Fiend hooked up with Master P and finally found his home at No Limit Records. Fiend immediately gained a national profile in 1997 for his guest appearances on many of No Limit’s platinum and multi-platinum releases. His style of rapping, very distinct and unique from any other, instantly had people buzzing about him.

Fiend’s song “Don’t Mess Around” which was featured on 1997’s platinum soundtrack “I’m Bout It” was the first of many hits that year for Fiend. Aside from flowing on Mia X’s gold album “Unlady Like” and Mystikal’s platinum album “Unpredictable”, Fiend’s most notable guest spots in ’97 are heard on Master P’s triple platinum album “Ghetto D”, where Fiend plays a major role on the hit single and video “Make’em Say Uhhh.”

MAC
Hailing from the Third Ward of New Orleans is the latest No Limit Soldier, Mac. Though he has been in the trenches of the music industry since he was twelve years old, he moves to the front lines with his gritty, funckdafied No Limit debut, Shell Shocked.

“I’ve been into war movies and stuff since I was a little Kid”, says Mac, “My pops was in Vietnam, so he used to tell me stories. Growing up where I grew up I saw a lot of things–Some which made me strong, but also a little paranoid. I call my style soldier rap. That’s what Shell Shocked is all about.”

Mac wrote his first rap in grade school, after being encouraged bay a friend. From then he went on to perform in talent shows. “I was like eight or nine years old,” he explains, ” just doing my thing. Everybody was doing other people’s songs, and I was winning first place doing my own!” He had a a record deal by twelve, but the early success was fleeting. “I had a tennis shoe endorsement, and the cover of magazines, but I didn’t have any money. I was so young, I didn’t know anything.”

But Mac didn’t give up, even though at times he wanted to. As luck would have it, he met No Limit Commander-in-Chief Master P during one of his low moments. “It was funny,” he says, “I hooked up with P right when I was about to say forget this rap stuff. And I get into the elevator, and there was Master P and the No Limit crew getting off.” P, who had heard of Mac through a mutual friend and fellow rapper, Fiend, told Mac to be at the studio that week.

UB knows from first hand experience, from AriesUBG managing a Sam Goody where No Limit Records sold majorly! Their store would celebrate with every new No Limit release, because they knew, they would make goal for weeks and then some.

Example of No Limit’s Rapid Releases in 1999!
Foolish (Soundtrack) – March 23, 1999
Foolish (Movie) – April 6, 1999
Mo B Dick – Gangsta Harmony – April 13, 1999
Lil’ Soldiers – Boot Camp – April 27, 1999
Snoop Dogg – Topp Dogg – May 13, 1999
TRU – June 1, 1999
Mercedes – Rear End – June 29, 1999
Fiend – July 6, 1999
Porsha – July 20, 1999
Da 504 Boyz – August 31, 1999
D.J. KLC – Hits By The Pound – Sept. 14, 1999
Master P’s Greatest Hits – Oct. 26, 1999

Awards/Nominations/Honors
1998 MTV Video Music Award Nomination ” Make ‘ Em Say Uhh!”
1998 Moet & Chandon “Humanitarian Award”
1998 Forbes magazine “Top List of Highest Paid Entertainers”
1998 The Source magazine “No. 1 Most Powerful Player in Hip-Hop”
1999 American Music Award “Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist/Male”
1999 Acapulco Black Film Festival, ” Independent Filmmaker of the Year”
1999 Fortune magazine “40 Richest Under 40”
1999 The Source magazine “No. 1 Most Powerful Player in Hip-Hop”
1999 Forbes magazine “Top List of Highest Paid Entertainers”
1999 Guinness Book of World Records “Highest Paid Entertainer in Hip-Hop”
2000 Sister 2 Sister Intergenerational Celebration Named “Honorable Brother”
2001 The Source magazine “Source Hip-Hop Image Award” for Community Commitment

UB spoke to the mogul for BET’s Hip Hop Awards and asked him then, where did the idea come from for the different color CD cases?

UB Celebrates No Limit’s Mia X | ReVisit UB Interview