Master P Talks Business Ventures He Regrets Not Getting Into and More
I had the pleasure of speaking with Master P at The Bank Sale in what was only supposed to be a 30-minute interview, but ended up turning into 2 hours - I cut this down as much as I could, and trust me, it’s all gems and worth the watch.
The interview starts with the importance of following your dreams and what motivated him to keep going, his Grandmother, which is also a sneak peak of what to expect from “King of The South.”
“My Grandmother put a black dress over the nightstand that you’ll see in my movie, “King of The South” and she said ‘I’m going to wear that to your funeral… And I’m like, ‘no you’re not. I’m about to do something with my life.’”’
He later talks about overnight success and how you can’t compare your lives to what you see on social media because you don’t know the struggle and sacrifice, and also to take hater comments as a way to better yourself.
“I needed to work out. They were hitting me up. At the NBA All-Star Game I had got big and didn’t see myself. It wasn’t until they started the comments that I was like okay, let me get my ass in the gym.”
Of course, I had to pick his brain about business. I wanted to know what business venture he wishes he got into (food and product), what his business process is, his thoughts on mixing family and friends in your business and more. One story he touched on with this topic is a friend (unnamed) who went to the NBA and bailed on him after he promised to give him $10,000 to start his record label, and having to fire his Uncle because he did not fit with the business.
My favorite story that he shared was when he bought his first house (the Governor’s house) in a gated community in Louisiana. They turned him down because they “weren’t going to let one of them in here” so him, Snoop (and other artists) bought 6 houses at a time in the community just because they were trying to keep them out. They couldn’t keep him from buying the house and when it came down to it, just banned him from playing on the golf course.
We closed out the interview talking about what he can’t stand about today’s generation of artists - loyalty and how we get caught up in being Hollywood and pampered, rather than focusing on making money.
Watch the interview and see below for some of my favorite quotes.
0:00 // Following your dreams
2:10 // Tough love from his Grandmother
3:03 // Overnight success and opening for Tupac
5:04 // God
6:00 // Living on the streets
7:38 // Working on his anger
8:50 // Social media hater comments
11:15 // Business venture he wish he went into - Food
14:00 // Health is wealth, Q from Worldstar
15:10 // Our culture
15:40 // Sacrifice and living in the back of his store with Romeo
18:40 // Celebrate other people’s success
19:53 // Networking
20:44 // Friends and family may not help you - NBA friend story
23:00 // Keep your word in business
24:00 // Sitting down with Michael Jackson’s attorney
24:50 // Jimmy Iovine offer
27:00 // Opening up opportunities for other people
28:00 // You need a team
29:00 // His first house in Louisiana
30:00 // Snoop and him bought 6 houses at 1 time when the gated community wouldn’t let him
31:10 // Friends and family in business
32:00 // Respect people
34:15 // Corporate America
37:00 // Do you believe?
38:00 // Lil Wayne is the best rapper from New Orleans
38:15 // What he can’t stand from today’s generation of artists
40:50 // The people who came before you
41:19 // Basketball contracts and financial advisors
44:37 // Hollywood stuff and being pampered
46:37 // Stop wasting time
48:00 // I’m not going back to the projects
49:51 // Keep it 100
50:14 // His schedule and how he thinks
51:45 // Counting money on Instagram
52:48 // How he keeps track of his ideas
55:01 // You know when something don’t work for you