In light of 50 Cent's recent comments directed toward Master P at a press conference for the upcoming BET Awards, P took time out to respond to the G-Unit boss' choice words.
As previously reported by SOHH, when a reporter in attendance at the press conference used Master P as an example of a hip-hop artist who is attempting to clean up his lyrics, 50 responded by saying, "Well Master P doesn't sell CDs anymore. You can tell him I said it."
Now, the New Orleans- bred mogul (born Percy Miller) has a few words in return for 50.
"Curtis Jackson's comment motivated me. There are a lot of immature people in the world. Oprah Winfrey is absolutely right, we need to grow up and be responsible for our own actions," Miller said via a statement. "I paid for Curtis' first rap tour through the South. He was such a humble guy at the time. Most artists' mission is to sell records. My mission is to help save and change lives."
"There are four things that differentiate me from artists like Curtis Jackson. One, I can honestly admit that I was once part of the problem. Two, I don't want my son to grow up and be like me. I want him to be better and do better, and that is why he is taking the time to pursue a college degree. Three, money don't make me, I make money. My goal is to educate our people in building generational wealth and knowing how important it is to own real estate. Four, I'm a true entrepreneur; my boss is God not Jimmy Iovine. From one brother to another, if you misunderstand my purpose you could always pick up the phone or talk to me in person. I'm trying to be part of the solution not the problem."
In addition to directing his words at 50 Cent, P also took jabs at the media in general and BET specifically, for what he feels is their role in perpetuating the problem instead of taking steps to find positive images to portray.
"It's sad to see Stephen Hill [BET Senior Vice President of music programming and talent] set all of these programming standards at BET, just to contradict himself for the sake of marketing dollars or artist performances in order to create the appearance of a successful award show," P stated. "I guess by taking a stand, my son and I will probably not be invited back to the BET awards. But it's O.K. I got love for BET; there are a lot of good people there. Hopefully, this will help people to see the real changes that need to be made. My son and I will sacrifice our airtime because this is bigger than us, this issue desperately needed to be addressed a long time ago."
Undaunted by the criticism, P says that he will continue with his goal of cleaning up not just his own lyrical content and image but that of the entire hip hop community as a whole.
"I'm reaching out to my friends Shaquille O'Neal, Will Smith, Russell Simmons, Queen Latifah, Derek Anderson, Charles Barkley, Emmitt Smith, Beyonce, and Reverend Run to help contribute to this positive movement," he stated. "I am not asking any other hip-hop or gangsta rap artist change what they do; that's how they make their money. Furthermore, I am not a preacher; I'm just telling the world what I'm doing and the changes that I am making because it's something I want to do. If that's sending mixed signals to people then they need to deal with their own conscience first."
Source: sohh.com
As previously reported by SOHH, when a reporter in attendance at the press conference used Master P as an example of a hip-hop artist who is attempting to clean up his lyrics, 50 responded by saying, "Well Master P doesn't sell CDs anymore. You can tell him I said it."
Now, the New Orleans- bred mogul (born Percy Miller) has a few words in return for 50.
"Curtis Jackson's comment motivated me. There are a lot of immature people in the world. Oprah Winfrey is absolutely right, we need to grow up and be responsible for our own actions," Miller said via a statement. "I paid for Curtis' first rap tour through the South. He was such a humble guy at the time. Most artists' mission is to sell records. My mission is to help save and change lives."
"There are four things that differentiate me from artists like Curtis Jackson. One, I can honestly admit that I was once part of the problem. Two, I don't want my son to grow up and be like me. I want him to be better and do better, and that is why he is taking the time to pursue a college degree. Three, money don't make me, I make money. My goal is to educate our people in building generational wealth and knowing how important it is to own real estate. Four, I'm a true entrepreneur; my boss is God not Jimmy Iovine. From one brother to another, if you misunderstand my purpose you could always pick up the phone or talk to me in person. I'm trying to be part of the solution not the problem."
In addition to directing his words at 50 Cent, P also took jabs at the media in general and BET specifically, for what he feels is their role in perpetuating the problem instead of taking steps to find positive images to portray.
"It's sad to see Stephen Hill [BET Senior Vice President of music programming and talent] set all of these programming standards at BET, just to contradict himself for the sake of marketing dollars or artist performances in order to create the appearance of a successful award show," P stated. "I guess by taking a stand, my son and I will probably not be invited back to the BET awards. But it's O.K. I got love for BET; there are a lot of good people there. Hopefully, this will help people to see the real changes that need to be made. My son and I will sacrifice our airtime because this is bigger than us, this issue desperately needed to be addressed a long time ago."
Undaunted by the criticism, P says that he will continue with his goal of cleaning up not just his own lyrical content and image but that of the entire hip hop community as a whole.
"I'm reaching out to my friends Shaquille O'Neal, Will Smith, Russell Simmons, Queen Latifah, Derek Anderson, Charles Barkley, Emmitt Smith, Beyonce, and Reverend Run to help contribute to this positive movement," he stated. "I am not asking any other hip-hop or gangsta rap artist change what they do; that's how they make their money. Furthermore, I am not a preacher; I'm just telling the world what I'm doing and the changes that I am making because it's something I want to do. If that's sending mixed signals to people then they need to deal with their own conscience first."
Source: sohh.com