Master P is a living legend. You cannot tell the story of hip-hop without mentioning No Limit Records. During a time where many artists were heavily dependent on major labels, Master P took control of his own destiny. Almost 25 years after Master P signed his historic contract with Priority Records, we celebrate him as a historical icon.
No Limit Marketing
Master P really embodied the name of his record label and took a “No Limit” approach to marketing. The self-made millionaire avoided the traditional route of marketing Hip-Hop music and treated his brand like a Fortune 500 company. Mastering the art of cross-promotion, No Limit Records became bigger than the artists as he cross-promoted them inside the album covers, which had a uniform look.
In an interview with Yahoo Finance Master P stated that cross promotion was the key to his success. I would also say he mastered the art of consistency and frequency. No Limit records released an astounding 61 albums from 1995-2000 and did this all while receiving very little radio air play. Not only did Master P make sure they constantly dropped music but he also made sure it was sold wherever there may be a demand for it.
No Limit was notorious for dropping music every month, and in 1998 they produced one of the greatest years in hip-hop a label has ever had. In that year alone, they released two dozen albums, including an album by Snoop Dogg that went double platinum. Master P also released a very successful album himself titled MP Da Last Don. The album sold 496,000 records in its first week and debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200. MP Da Last Don went on to be 4x platinum.
No Limits Outside Of Music
Master P didn’t only cross-promote his music. He also cross-promoted all of his businesses. As his company continued to grow he began to expand. True to his entrepreneurial ways, he also had a real estate company, gas station, Footlocker Outlet, and an adult entertainment hotline. Did he stop there? No, he went on to produce a few successful movies with his own money using one film to cross-promote his restaurant.
Historical Significance
Today we praise many hip-hop entrepreneurs like Jay Z, Nipsey Hussle, Birdman, and even Rick Ross, but all of these greats have one thing in common: they all did it after Master P. Jay Z has a very successful sports agency with many high profile clients, but do you know who did it before him? Master P. Da last Don created the blueprint for success as an independent music artist, showing them they can be just as successful in other industries as they are in music. Today we see a lot of artists and producers selling us their products independently, and this type of mindset exists because of Master P.
For more news check here.
