Southern Rap Mogul Master P is the New Owner of a Professional Basketball Team

Hip-hop music has been the conduit for a number of renaissance men who utilize their platform as rappers in order to successfully propel themselves into various other business endeavors.

Rap impresarios, such as Shawn "Jay Z" Carter, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, and Sean "Diddy" Combs, are hip-hop connoisseurs from New York City that used their fame and fortune earned from music to move into fashion, the adult beverage business, film making, and television production. However, in the South, there is one man who is in the same space as the aforementioned stars on the strength of his own keen business savvy.

Percy "Master P" Miller revolutionized Southern-made rap music when he founded No Limit Records in 1990. Miller relocated to Richmond, California around that time in order to start a small retail record store called the "No Limit Record Shop" where he distributed the work of popular San Francisco Bay Area artists, as well as his own music. It took a while for Miller to gain his own footing as a popular artist.

However, No Limit Records began to flourish as an independent music label when Miller began releasing compilation albums, which featured notable Bay Area acts who were popular outside California on the underground rap scene. California rap artists such as J.T. the Bigga Figga, Rappin' 4Tay, and the RBL Posse rap group were just a few of the acts who made appearances on the early No Limit compilation albums.

A fast-forward to the late 1990s and early 2000s reveals Miller as a total business genius who has successfully changed the way his competitors do business. No Limit Records became the benefactor for a number of other successful ventures, including No Limit Films, a fashion line called No Limit Gear, and a firm called No Limit Sports, which managed some highly notable athletes in multiple professional leagues.

Besides being a clothing, music, film, and investment mogul, Miller also found time during his illustrious career to be a professional athlete as well. During some stints in the late 1990s, Miller played for two different NBA franchises, including the Charlotte Hornets and the Toronto Raptors in back-to-back preseasons. He also played in the Continental Basketball Association for an Indiana-based team called the Fort Wayne Fury.

Basketball has always been a goal of Miller's. After he graduated high school, Miller was accepted into the University of Houston on a basketball scholarship. His height of over 6' 4" made him a good candidate to be a player on the hardwood. On the court, he made his money as a scrappy guard who could handle the ball, pass the ball with patience, and shoot over any defender in a set offense.

Nowadays, Miller has set his sights on another aspect of basketball and the business that catalyzes it: Team ownership. According to NewOrleansGators.com, Miller has become the new owner of the Crescent City's very own professional basketball franchise, which is part of the Global Mixed Gender Basketball organization. The New Orleans Gators franchise has received its new owner with open arms.

"Mr. Miller was born and raised in New Orleans and basketball has been a passion of his since childhood. Owning the New Orleans Gators is a great fit for him and the City, bringing family entertainment and basketball together in one arena is exciting for the community," reads a press release published recently via NewOrleansGators.com.

"Putting professional men and women athletes on the basketball court at one time is unique. And giving women equal pay as the men will even the playing field in the Global Mixed Gender Basketball League," the press release also reads.

Miller definitely has the level of personal fortune, which can help drive the financial goals of his new hometown team forward. The "Make 'Em Say Uhh!" hit maker has been reported to have a current net worth of at least $350 million dollars.

This latest acquisition is a major indicator of the charitable spirit inside Miller, which consists of giving back to his native municipality.