No Limit Records

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No Limit Records
Nolimit.jpg
Company logo from 1998-2000
Parent company
Founded1990; 32 years ago (1990)
FounderMaster P
StatusInactive
Distributor(s)Priority (1996-2001)
Universal (2001-2004)
Koch Records (2004-2005)
Genre
Country of originUnited States
LocationRichmond, California (1991-1995)
Baton Rouge, Louisiana (1995-2003)
Established as No Limit Forever Records in Los Angeles, California (2010-Present)
Official websiteNoLimitRecords.com

No Limit Records was an American record label founded by Master P. The label's albums were distributed by Priority, Universal and Koch Records. The label included artists such as Snoop Dogg, Mercedes, Silkk the Shocker, Mystikal, Mia X, Mac, C-Murder, Magic, Romeo Miller, Fiend, Kane & Abel, and Soulja Slim.

In the late nineties, No Limit Records enjoyed mainstream success with releases such as Master P's "Ghetto D", T.R.U.'s "Tru 2 da Game", and Snoop Dogg's "Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told".

History[]

1991–1995: Beginnings[]

Percy "Master P" Miller began his career distributing his records through a small California Bay Area record label, "No Limit Record Shop", which started out in Richmond.[1]

After signing Oakland rapper Dangerous Dame, who released the EP Escape from the Mental Ward through No Limit, he began working with New Orleans-based talent, starting with Kane & Abel (then known as Double Vision) and Mystikal.[citation needed]

1995–1999: Successful years and deal with Priority Records[]

In 1995, Master P officially relocated No Limit to New Orleans, while keeping his brothers and several California rappers like TRU member Big Ed, King George and Calli G on board. He then added local talent to his roster such as Mystikal, Mia X, Kane & Abel, Fiend, and Mr. Serv-On. No Limit then signed a distribution deal with Priority Records, while Master P maintained ownership of his master recordings and recording studio. He became the label's main artist, releasing Ice Cream Man in 1996 and Ghetto D a year later.

By 1997, No Limit had gained momentum with bestselling, if not critically acclaimed, releases from TRU (Tru 2 Da Game), Mia X's Unlady Like, which went gold despite producing no hit singles, and Mystikal's platinum-selling Unpredictable. The label also acquired their first marquee name in Snoop Dogg, on the heels of his acrimonious split from Death Row Records. His debut album for No Limit, Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told, was the most successful release in the label's history at the time, selling over half a million copies in its first week and certified double platinum in less than three months.

As No Limit's popularity and mainstream coverage increased, so did its roster. The label signed producers DJ Daryl, Randy Jefferson, K-Lou & Dez as well as Master P's main production team, Beats by the Pound (KLC, Mo B. Dick, Craig B, and Odell; they would ultimately depart the label in 1999 due to financial disputes) and Carlos Stephens, in addition to solo artists Mac, Mercedes, Soulja Slim, Full Blooded, Fiend, Magic, Skull Duggery, plus groups such as R&B quartet Sons of Funk, Short Circuit, Oakland-based pair Steady Mobb'n, Ghetto Commission, Prime Suspects, and Gambino Family. Together they put out 23 albums in 1998, 10 of which went platinum and 11 gold, in some instances their only releases on the label. Master P's own LP that year, MP da Last Don, reached number one on the Billboard 200 after moving 495,000 copies in its first week, and sold 4.5 million units overall, making it the best-selling album of his career.

No Limit was known for producing lengthy albums consisting of up to twenty tracks, numerous cameo appearances by the label's other artists, cheap packaging of its CDs in cardboard cases, and garish Pen & Pixel-designed album covers.

2000–2003: Continued success and decline[]

Silkk the Shocker's 1999 release, Made Man, debuted at #1 on the US Billboard 200, but as artists left the label fewer and fewer releases featured cameos of label artists. 1999 also saw the arrivals of Lil Italy and kid duo Lil Soldiers. In 2000 504 Boyz album Goodfellas made it big on the Billboard peaking at #2 on the Billboard 200 making No Limit a small factor in the 2000s, but in 2000 only Master P, Snoop Dogg, C-Murder, Silkk, Magic, Mac and Mia X remained from their most celebrated artists. Of the artists added from 1999 to 2000, only Currensy, Lil Romeo, C-Murder and Krazy were successful in the decade after Master P left the label. Popular artists such as Mystikal and Magic had mixed success after leaving the label. Mystikal's first post-No Limit record, Let's Get Ready, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 in 2000, but Magic's first release, On My Own, failed to chart.

On December 17, 2003, the company filed for bankruptcy due to various lawsuits, and Master P then sold the catalog.[2]

Reorganization[]

In 2001, No Limit left Priority Records and signed a distribution deal with Universal. The label's name was changed to The New No Limit.[3] The first release under the New No Limit banner was Master P's tenth album, Game Face. With Universal, the label also released new albums by the 504 Boyz, Lil' Romeo, Magic and Choppa. In 2004, the reorganized label had moved to Koch Records for distribution. From 2004 to 2005, The New No Limit Records issued new albums by Master P, Silkk the Shocker, C-Murder, Lil' Romeo and the reformed TRU. In 2005, Master P established a new label called Guttar Music Entertainment.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Master P plan retrieved 21 April 2021
  2. ^ Yvonne Bynoe (2006). Encyclopedia of rap and hip-hop culture. Greenwood Press. p. 249. ISBN 0-313-33058-1. Retrieved 2009-09-20.
  3. ^ Mitchell, Gail (December 15, 2001). "Rhythm, Rap, and The Blues". Billboard.

External links[]

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