Master P

Master P used a $10,000 inheritance to open a record store in 1989, which he later transformed into a record label, No Limits Records. Through No Limits, he marketed his debut album, the gangsta rap release The Ghetto is Trying to Kill Me (1991). With little advertising or radio airplay, The Ghetto became an underground hit, earning Master P a devoted following. Critics claimed that Master P glorified street life, especially after a teenager claimed that P's “211” was the catalyst for his armed robbery attempt. Nevertheless, No Limits Records continued to thrive, by eventually securing worldwide distribution and—something of a coup—by luring Snoop Dogg away from Death Row Records. Fortune magazine reported that by 1999, his empire was worth $400 million, but in 2004, No Limit filed for bankruptcy. In addition, Master P has taken part in various aspects of films, most notably writing, producing, and directing 1998's I Got the Hook Up.