There’s a certain level of candidness one acquires after having risen to the top ranks of the music industry.  Master P, the iconic hip-hop mogul, is no exception to this rule as he speaks very openly about his views on the state of hip-hop and his disappointment in 50 Cent’s comments at this past summer’s BET news conference.

However, the mogul takes it a step further, potentially forsaking popularity on BET, by accusing the network’s Executive Vice President, of Entertainment Programming, Music and Talent, Stephen Hill, of running scams similar to payola.  Master P claims that these alleged scams limit the presence of positive hip-hop on the popular television network. 

Through it all, Master P doesn’t forget to point the finger at himself when criticizing today’s hip-hop scene.  He acknowledges that his success was largely built upon a music and image that he now deems as negative and destructive to the urban community. 

To redeem himself Master P is hard at work with his new label; Take a Stand Records, philanthropic projects aimed at disadvantaged youth, and his recent conscious and profanity-free rap album with his son Romeo, Your browser does not support inline frames or is currently configured not to display inline frames. RONG>Hip-Hop History, which is available now. 

With his outspokenness and various upcoming projects, it seems that the union of time and experience have given birth to a new man.  The new man found during the course of this interview is one with the confidence and courage to take a positive stand, on what many would call the shaky ground of hip-hop’s current condition. 

You state that you were once part of hip-hop’s current issues by promoting explicit lyrics and “negative” images.  However, now you say that you want to be part of the solution with the formation of Take a Stand Records and the promotion of more “positive” images and lyrics.  What inspired this change and new direction for you?

I understand that I’ve been a part of the problem and you grow up and you mature. If you believe in the man up above you gotta do your part.  I want other kids to not have to go through the things that I had to go through, and to be able to experience more positive stuff.  Everybody wanna get their songs on the radio so it ain’t like you selling out.  It’s like you’re able to get more money.  You can sell your records to Wal-Mart or Target.  I think it’s a great thing.  Clean the music up and not necessarily change what you’re doing; you can keep it street and keep it gangsta, just clean it up.

Speaking of cleaning it up you and your son Romeo recently released your first father and son hip-hop album, Hip-Hop History.  The album has clean lyrics depicting life on the streets and within the urban community.  However, you do have some critics that would say your goal of cleaning up the lyrics and images is great for you because you already have your money, and you’re already an icon in the community and in the music industry.  Yet, for those coming up it’s much harder for them to break from the norm and to initiate any sort of change in the industry.  What’s your response to those critics?

I’m not trying to change the kids.  If that’s what you wanna do, do you, but I’m saying what I’m doing.  I’m trying to build a generational wealth for my kids.  You know what I’m saying?  Corporate America is not gon’ buy into the negativity so I’m saying if you want a part in it you gotta make that change.  If somebody’s not ready to make that change then that’s on them.  It’s like somebody going to church every Sunday; the man that’s not going to church can’t say man why you going to church?  It’s your choice if you want to go to heaven or hell; you know what I’m saying?  That’s all I’m doing.   I’m not saying for all hip-hop in the industry to follow me.  But I’m going to show another way out for the kids that want something positive.  That’s what I’m doing.  It can be done.

What has been the response from some of the artists that you are close with in the industry such as Beyonce, Rev. Run, and Queen Latifah?  Do they support the changes that you are trying to make? 

Well you know what, everybody is about something positive.  Those people are about positivity.   People are thinking about their future.  So, you know bringing those people together man, and saying, “You know what we gon’ be at the forefront,” and saying, “Let’s handle our business,” is all we’re doing.  If you wanna do something good then good people gon’ network with you; if you wanna do something bad then bad people gon’ network with you.  You gotta decide what you wanna do in life.  I wasn’t always thinking the way that I’m thinking.  But it took somebody to think the way that I’m thinking to help me get to where I’m at, and that’s the only thing I’m trying to do.

One person that you seem to think isn’t on the same page as you is 50 Cent.  In a statement you released you criticized 50 Cent for some of his comments at the BET Awards press conference earlier this year, and you also stated that BET’s Executive Vice President of Entertainment Programming, Music and Talent, Stephen Hill, had contradicted himself.   

I didn’t really criticize [50 Cent]; I just exposed what’s real.  50 Cent and me, or I should say Curtis Jackson and me have two different missions.  His mission is to sell records; my mission is to save lives and change people’s lives.  So I mean everybody got their own thing.  I’m not mad, do it, but this what I’m doing, you know what I’m saying? And the reason I say that Stephen Hill contradicted himself is because everybody watched that episode at the press conference.

I mean he wanted Curtis Jackson so bad at that awards show to where when he [50 Cent] made a negative comment he [Stephen Hill] laughed about it.  You’re the programming director of the whole network; man you shouldn’t be laughing at negative comments when you have sponsors watching you that are spending their money.  So it’s like he contracted himself.  So now you gon’ have Curtis be at the awards show, so what that mean now you not gon’ invite Game or you not gon’ invite Cam’ron?  You know what I’m saying?  We’re supposed to be moving ten steps up now they moving us ten steps back.

From someone with your inside knowledge into how the music business really works, what do you think it’s going to take before we see the changes that you are advocating for within hip-hop music and culture?

The thing about it is we gon’ have to not only target the artists as individuals, but think about it, whoever record be checked they gon’ control what come on the video network.  It’s marketing dollars, it ain’t payola no more it’s marketing dollars.  You can get whatever you want on there if you spending the right marketing dollars, you know what I’m saying?  Think about it okay so this month Stephen Hill is Curtis Jackson’s best friend and next month it’s gon’ be somebody else; whoever got a big record and they company spending the money.

It sounds like you’re accusing Stephen Hill of running something like a payola scam at BET.  Are you suggesting that he needs to leave the network in order for a positive change to take place?

You can’t take a face, a brand new face and put it on an old body and expect to have change and that’s what’s happening right now with the network.  Stephen Hill been controlling that network for about 15 years.  We get new people every year on TV but it’s like when you take a new face and put it on an old body; it’s like the same order.  If you not gon’ change what’s going on, what are you doing? 

Have you gotten a response from either 50 Cent or Stephen Hill regarding your statements?

 I don’t wanna stay on this subject but the way I look at Stephen Hill now; he looks like a male groupie to me.  Whatever rapper is hot that’s who he’s hanging out with.  So you know now that he’s being exposed now he has to walk around with security because these kids don’t know who he is.  They’re sending their CD’s in everyday and they don’t know who he is.  They’re sending their videos and guess what if your record company ain’t sending in no check to market your product it ain’t gon’ get played anyway just thrown in a pile. 

So now these kids gon’ know who they’re sending their video to. They say, “I got a good song, it’s blowing up in my marketplace, how come you ain’t giving it no love?”  Now they know who to deal with.  Now he [Stephen Hill] can be a real rapper and walk around with security because he’s being exposed.

I know you want to get off this subject so let’s talk about some of the positive things that you’re doing and how you’re attempting to practice what you preach.  You have a whole new project based around the idea of generational wealth where you’re telling communities that they need to own real estate.  What advice and tips can you give about financial prosperity?

We can’t invest in buying $200,000 belts, gold chains, rings, and watches because it depreciates the value as soon as you walk out the door with it.  We have to now put our money in some type of business, buy a building, buy a house, because property gon’ be there forever.  That’s how they control the community; the person who owns the most property.  So that’s where my expertise is really going to and I’m constantly getting that knowledge myself and I’m just gon’ constantly keep giving it back to my people. 

 I got my first book coming out: Guaranteed Success: When You Never Give Up and Romeo got Guaranteed Success for Teens and so this is a way that we can give that knowledge back to our people.  That’s what my thing is: anybody that’s seeking the knowledge pick up the phone and call the man.  If you’re seeking negativity don’t even entertain me with it.

You’re also branching out into films with your positive message with the movie project “Black Superman.”  Based on these moves it seems like you’re saying that the problem of “negativity” isn’t just in the hip-hop music industry, but may also be in other general forms of media like film and television. 

 I’m like, you know what now, we done lost so many kids to this violence, and I done lost a lot of relatives, and got relatives in the penitentiary.  My thing is now we have cried for so many years and I’m about to do some hilarious stuff.  Let’s keep that going.  Let’s put some more movies out like Friday.  Let’s have a little laughter.  Let’s have some fun now.  Let’s not worry about all the negativity and beating each other up, let’s have some fun and enjoy what we have. 

Who wants to walk around with a thousand people, put vests on, and peep out the window like you in the drug game?  Man we’re in the hip-hop business where people are making money, and want to live, grow up, and see their kids and raise their kids.  I’m happy to see my son getting ready to go to college; that’s the stuff.  I want to be able to laugh and sit around with the TV and the kids and have fun.

 If you have your way Romeo won’t be going to college alone since your company, Take a Stand Records, now has a scholarship fund. 

Anybody that’s in high school you can write about why we should clean up the lyrics.  Log onto www.takeastandrecords.com. 

We also can’t forget to mention the TV show you have in the works, “America’s Next Hip-Hop Star,” which is a talent search looking for the next great conscious rapper.  When is that finally going to premiere? 

Yeah, well what we’re doing now is the filming.  The kids that wanna be America’s Next Hip-Hop Star, you have to let them know about the positive stuff before they get millions of dollars.  Once they get millions of dollars then the arrogance and all that kick in.  So we’re gonna have a two day business school with me and Curtis Oakes, he’s a financial expert and he’s been on the road with Donald Trump. 

We said let’s open the Miller-Oakes financial institute for the kids.  My next thing is saying, okay if you look at TV their showing these negative shows.  They put on people going to jail, they put on The Source cover all the rappers that’s going to jail, they had Lil’Kim going to jail, and then they came out with a beef show on BET.  You know what, let’s see who’s gon’ be the first one to pick up our new show that’s gon’ be a financial hip-hop show.  Let’s see them put that on TV.  You know let’s put some of the positive stuff out and glorify that. 

Let’s glorify Will Smith being a #1 actor in America, let’s glorify Queen Latifah coming from hip-hop to being a Hollywood star, let’s glorify Reverend Run changing his life and getting the message out there trying to save hip-hop kid’s lives and help us get to heaven.  Let’s glorify Romeo going to USC on a basketball scholarship, or me taking hip-hop to Wall Street and turning it into a billion dollar business showing kids how to raise money. 

You ain’t got to spend all your money.  You can go to Wall Street and raise money for business.  You can buy a building and you can’t read that type of stuff.  So that’s where I’m at right now.  I wanna see the media put on the front cover some of the positive things that we are talking about.

With all of your various projects it appears like you are making a real effort to embrace the new role of a mature, conscious, and responsible man.  Where are you currently at along that journey of change?     

It’s a great day, it’s a positive day, and that’s what I’m gon keep pushing out there man, ‘cause I’m ready to change my life.  And like I say I don’t have no boss, God is my boss.  We just want to show kids how to do something positive with their lives.  And you know, think about Oprah Winfrey.  Those people are absolutely right man, we got to wake up and handle our own.  We gotta take responsibility for our own actions.

This interview was conducted and written by Souleo for Sixshot.com