Master P has always been known as a prolific business leader. A story he shared during a recent interview solidifies that.
His “UNCENSORED” episode on TV One that aired on March 20, captured Master P (Percy Miller) recalling him walking away from a seemingly life changing music contract offered to him by Jimmy Iovine, a power player in the industry.
“He wrote me a check for a million dollars and said, ‘you’re the next thing to go,’” Master P said. “By me going to college, I’m reading through the contract and I’m thinking about the Michael Jordan deal. It was a million dollars, I couldn’t use my name for seven years and all that stuff and they would take all my rights. I said, ‘Sir, I’m going to get something to eat and Imma come back.’ He said, ‘If you don’t come back, you’ll never get a deal in this town because I know everybody.’”
The street-smart mogul knew from an early age how to look out for himself. Hailing from Calliope Housing Projects, one of the most blighted neighborhoods in New Orleans, Miller quickly learned to recognize opportunities, capitalize on them or walk away if they didn’t make sense for him.
After the meeting with Iovine, the co-founder of Interscope Records, Master P said he received the million dollar check, a surprise since he hadn’t proven himself as a top-selling artist just yet. The chance of a lifetime, Iovine was fully expecting Miller to sign the contract and adhere to its stringent terms, presumably because of Miller’s humble beginnings.
Everyone in Miller’s camp didn’t see his vision. He shared that he and his brother, Corey ‘C Murder’ Miller had an argument following the pivotal decision.
“Me and C were on the plane about to fight,” Master P shared. “He was like ‘bruh why didn’t you take the million dollars?’ I’m like ‘Bro, that white man offered me a million dollars, how much [do] you think I’m worth?’ That shut him up right there on the plane. He just put his head down and I said ‘Man, I gotta be worth 30 or 40.’ I don’t know if I’m worth 5 or 10 or whatever, but in my mind, I’m just thinking, ‘You gotta know your self-worth.’”