KNOW YOUR HISTORY - Master P

Percy Miller (born April 29, 1967), formerly known as Master P, is an American entertainer and entrepreneur. He is the founder and CEO of P. Miller Enterprises, an entertainment and financial conglomerate and Better Black TV. Miller has sold more than 75 million albums worldwide.

Biography
Miller was born in New Orleans, the oldest of five children. After attending the University of Houston, Miller moved to Richmond, California and opened a small record store, No Limit Records, financing the store with money that he received as part of a medical malpractice settlement related to the death of his grandfather.[1][2]

Entertainer
P. Miller started out with the rap group TRU with his two brothers Silkk The Shocker and C-Murder. P. Miller left In-A-Minute records shortly after releasing his debut album and formed his own label No Limit Records. With P. Miller as its premier artist, No Limit Records went on to release many albums from artists such as Snoop Dogg, Mystikal, Mia X, Mercedes, Soulja Slim, and Miller's siblings Silkk Tha Shocker and C-Miller and sons Romeo and Young V. He started a new label The New No Limit Records and then in 2006, P. Miller and son Romeo started a new label called Take A Stand Records.

After working in music industry as a retailer, P. Miller became an entertainer, as well as owning his own record company. No Limit Records, the retail store, became No Limit, the record company. In 1994, he self-produced his first album, The Ghetto's Tryin' to Kill Me.

After selling millions of records, he decided to sign his company, No Limit Records, to a straight pressing and distribution deal with Priority Records. The deal was solidified with Priority in 1995, No Limit Records released TRU (made up of P. Miller and his brothers, Silkk the Shocker and C-Miller).

His first feature film, 'I'm Bout It', a straight to video project debuted number one on Billboard's Top Music Video chart.[3] The film is allegedly based loosely on his life growing up in New Orleans. The soundtrack debuted number one on Billboard's R&B album chart and number five on Billboard's Top 250.

Although most of his singles were released from albums, a stand-alone single released in 1998, "I Got the Hook-Up!", featuring The Sons of Funk, reached #16.

Businessman and entrepreneur
As founder and CEO of No Limit Entertainment, Miller at one time presided over a business empire that included No Limit Records, Bout It Inc., No Limit Clothing, No Limit Films, No Limit Sports Management, PM. Properties and Advantage Travel. P. Miller ranked 10th on Forbes magazine's 1998 list of America's 40 highest paid entertainers with an estimated income of $56.5 million.[2] At one time, the estimated worth of his business dealings reached $662 million. He subsequently sold PM Properties for $360 million dollars.[4]

P. Miller’s brand continues to evolve through his new Take A Stand Records label. The initiative is the only recording label committed to signing and promoting hip-hop artists with responsible image and lyrics. He’s also dedicated his time to communities through P.Miller Youth Centers[5] and his P.Miller Food Foundation for the Homeless[6] and his new speaking program on financial literacy[7].

Additionally, P. Miller was recently appointed the new Youth Ambassador for the NAACP, a position previously held by former president Bill Clinton. [8]
P. Miller is also a published author with his book Guaranteed Success When You Never Give Up (2007 Kensington Publishing Corporation.) The book was promoted via a nationwide signing and speaking tour on financial literacy with The Learning Annex and alongside the likes of Donald Trump, Robert Kiyosaki, Earvin "Magic" Johnson, and Bo Derek.

Community involvement
P. Miller's community outreach extends from the bayous of Louisiana to the streets of Los Angeles and abroad. Along with Romeo, P. Miller and the animated character Gee Gee The Giraffe are appearing at community functions such as The Children's Earth Day festival at STAR ECO Station, an animal rescue and wildlife facility dedicated to the preservation of the earth.
The Black College Hoops Classic named P. Miller their commissioner of basketball for their 2008 tournament. The organization aims to educate and bring together young Afro-American players and give them the exposure they deserve on a national level.

In 2008 P. Miller was asked to serve on the executive board of the Joel John Scholastic Academy, an inner-city high school, after donating his time and resources to ensure the school remained open for its students. He refused, citing touring pressures.

On July 28th 2007, the mayor of Memphis, Tennessee presented P. Miller with the key to the city.[10]

Film and television
P. Miller has produced eight films, written and directed six, and starred in over a dozen including major studio releases such as Gone in 60 Seconds (alongside Nicholas Cage and Angelina Jolie), Dark Blue with Kurt Russell and starred opposite Harrison Ford in the cop comedy Hollywood Homicide (2003). P. Miller's filmography also includes Uncle P (New Line), Uncle Willy's Family, Soccer Mom, Repos, Black Supaman, Down and Distance, Toxic, and The Pig People (currently in production.)[11] P. Miller also manages the music, film and television career of his son, teen rap star Romeo and pop star Forrest Lipton.

On July 6th 2006 P. Miller appeared on ABC's primetime series Dancing With The Stars.[12]
P. Miller recently teamed up with his son Romeo to develop a children's cartoon, titled Gee Gee The Giraffe. The show is true to the duo's mission to produce positive, educational and entertaining content for Afro-American children. Animation has been employed by the Millers on prior occasions such as their February 2008 cartoon version of their music video for the song "Black History."

P. Miller has also made history as the first hip-hop entrepreneur to own a cable television network, Better Black Television, (BBTV) whose aim is to promote positive messages and content to the African American culture which is set to launch in 2009. Executives include Denzel Washington, Derek Anderson of the Charlotte Bobcats, DJ Kool Herc and Bo Derek.

Basketball career
He had a contract with NBA teams twice - with the Charlotte Hornets during the 1998/99 season and the Toronto Raptors in 1999 pre-season.[14][15] He also played in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) for Fort Wayne Fury. He joined the 2008 McDonald's NBA All-Star Celebrity Game and scored 17 points in total, hitting two crucial free throws at the end to win the game.

No Limit Sports
P. Miller established a sports talent agency organization called No Limit Sports.
The most lauded No Limit Sports client was Ricky Williams, who was represented by Leland Hardy during his negotiations with the New Orleans Saints. Hardy negotiated the contract for Williams, which was largely incentive-laden in exchange for an $8M-plus signing bonus with salary incentives worth a range of $11 million to $68 million should he hit all of his incentives.
No Limit Sports also represented NBA players Ron Mercer and Ricky Davis in their dealing with the Denver Nuggets and the Charlotte Hornets.

Video games
According to Allhiphop.com, P. Miller and Seth Green are producing a video game entitled Play The Industry. The game has an anticipated 2010 release date