Master P Reveals Why He's Quitting Music After His“ Essence” Festival Farewell This Weekend (Exclusive)
- - - Master P Reveals Why He's Quitting Music After His" Essence" Festival Farewell This Weekend (Exclusive)
Janine RubensteinJuly 3, 2025 at 11:25 PM
Cindy Ord/Getty Master P in New York City in September 2019
Master P is playing the Essence Festival of Culture this weekend
The rapper tells PEOPLE about his new calling and why he's making the festival his final show
Master P was recently announced as the new head coach and president of basketball operations for the University of New Orleans basketball team
Master P is gearing up to make 'em say uhh, one last time.
The rapper and music mogul, born Percy Robert Miller, is as well known for his late '90s hits like "Make Em Say Uhh" and "I'm Bout It, Bout It" as he is for being the mastermind behind No Limit Records, which helped usher in a new southern sound of hip hop that dominated the early to mid-2000s.
But those days are long gone. Opening up to PEOPLE this week, Master P, 55, reflects on his new calling and why he's throwing in the music towel after taking the stage at this year's Essence Festival of Culture on July 6.
"My last show has to be with Essence," he says of preparing for the grand finale of his decades-long music career at the upcoming festival in Louisiana. "It has to be big. A celebration."
As for why he's ending things now: "I'm growing to another level and I'm embracing it," says the star, who was recently announced as the new head coach and president of basketball operations for the University of New Orleans basketball team. Trading in his stage name for new moniker 'Coach P' was a decision that came naturally for the New Orleans native and former professional basketball player.
"It's a blessing now to be able to transition into doing something that's bigger than me. Being a servant is my most important job. I feel like hard work got me here, even though I didn't know I was going to get this far in life. God spared my life and put me on this journey."
Growing up in public housing in New Orleans in the '80s, "I was just a kid trying to make it out the ghetto. I just had so many big dreams and goals." One of them was to play in the NBA, and the other was to make hit music. He first left home to find his way in the San Francisco Bay Area. "That's where I got my hustle. I remember being with E-40, E-A-Ski, JT The Bigga Figga and all them. I actually created No Limit Records in Richmond, CA."
After kicking off his career selling mixtapes out of his trunk, Master P moved back to New Orleans. The rap scene, then steeped in gangster culture, was perilous. "I had a lot of close calls," he says. "I went from one bad place to another, but I feel like God saved my life for a reason. He knew my heart."
Theo Wargo/Getty
Master P in New York City in January 2025
Master P managed to build a lasting career and avoid some of the pitfalls that befell his peers in the industry. "I thank my grandparents and parents for old school values they instilled in me. When I got into these different neighborhoods, Richmond is no joke, I came with respect, and if you come with respect you're gonna get respect."
The star went on to find major success and make millions while bringing many in his neighborhood along for the ride. "We sold a hundred million records, put out platinum records," he says. Around the same time he successfully pursued his other goal, landing a spot on the NBA's Toronto Raptors preseason roster in the summer of 1999. Later the father of eight, who lost daughter Tytyana to an accidental fentanyl overdose in 2022, launched a successful film career with his hit "I Got the Hookup" franchise and more.
But when it comes to music now, "That chapter closed itself with maturing and growing up and not being afraid to grow." Still, his decision to officially retire this year, "was hard," Master P admits, "but I feel like this is the next phase of my life. There is a lot of negative stuff going on in hip-hop and people don't want to talk about the positive things. They say when you know better, you do better. That's the phase I'm on. I'm fine with growing up."
He's also excited about his new gig in sports. "This is fun for me, like what I was made to do. I love these kids. And I've got a chip on my shoulder because people don't understand the level of basketball and experience and education I have in coaching. I want to bring the whole city up."
on People
Source: AOL Entertainment
