In 1988, a rapper from the Calliope Projects of New Orleans made his way to the bay area of California in search of a better life.
His record shop “No Limit Records” had moderate success on the east coast, and he wanted to expand as a rapper while in Cali.
This rapper knew that the record industry was full of pitfalls and wanted to get the best deal possible, and in hopes of doing so, he found the lawyer that represented Michael Jackson & asked him for counsel.
The lawyer challenged him to get the money together for a consult – a task that P was easily able to do. After sitting with the lawyer, he was told that the best deal to bargain for would be a distribution deal with a major label.
What followed after that meeting was an 80/20 JV deal with Priority Records, millions of albums sold, and the birth of an entire movement.
The rapper in question is none other than Master P, and the movement itself is the legendary No Limit.
He’s not only a master of his craft, he’s a master at brand strategy. Let’s get into it.
Lesson #1: Brand Identifiers Should Weave Into the Larger Story of Your Brand
For any brand to remain relevant over time, no matter what industry it is, it has to have strong identifiers: logos, wordmarks, colors, etc. – all of which should tie the brand to consumers minds in a memorable way.
Marketing scientists refer to these as helping to form memory structures and though Master P wasn’t at Ehrenberg-Bass he definitely had it down to a science.
Don’t believe me? C
heck out this video below where P breaks down how he built No Limit up to a $400 million company selling over 75 million records. It all started with the brand identifiers — they helped tell a larger story of what No Limit was thus allowing the movement to spread.
These are a few of the brand identifiers that made No Limit a household name:
THE ‘NO LIMIT’ TANK
“I’m the colonel of the muthaf*ckin tank, you after big thangs I’m after big banks”
Like the album art, and the work below, we see how seriously P took the idea of being identifiable in the market. Not only was he a rapper – he was a soldier. A No Limit soldier.
And, like a war time general, P ensured that the tank followed him everywhere – so much so that you didn’t have to see him. If you saw the tank, you knew what was up.
THE ‘NO LIMIT’ ALBUM ART
Distinctive design assets are necessary for any brand – it could be minimalist or grandiose, but it has to be distinctive. That rings especially true for album art.
When Master P created his label, he helped usher in some of the most recognizable visuals of the 1990s era of hip-hop.
The in-house team behind his designs?
Pen & Pixel?
Pen & Pixel consisted of two brothers Aaron and Shawn Brauch who did album art for artists all throughout the south but their work for No Limit remains a staple to this very day.
Their art direction for No Limit artists often included blinged out type-fonts that sometimes included gold or diamonds in the letters, bulleted letters, skeletons and more. Their designs made No Limit stand out instantly.
Look at this Silk The Shocker album below and notice everything from the size of his name to the gold lettering. No Limit albums no matter what artist all shared these similar qualities and it was a reason why they commanded such a presence on crowded shelf spaces.
People who grew up in the era of record shops and mom and pop stores instantly knew they getting a No Limit Album when they saw Pen & Pixel cover art. The style is so iconic that it’s slowly been making its way into the new generation. For reference:
Lesson #2: Don’t Just Occupy a Populist World, Create One
One tenet of cultural strategy is centered on entering a populist world and using that as a point of entry for your brand to launch. However in Master P’s case – he created a populist world – one that spoke to his people, the soldiers.
Remember, this was the 1990s
Gangsta rap was at its height, Death Row Records was the top label on the west coast and many people like Master P were dealing with the effects of living in harsh neighborhoods like the Calio Projects. P used all of this to create the No Limit Brand – but he took it a step further when he dubbed his artists
NO LIMIT SOLDIERS
The populist world Master P created, fit with soldiers and tanks, cemented itself as an insider subculture by the late 90s. At that time, fans started adopting the philosophy of a No Limit Soldier by wearing camouflage in their outfits.
And by introducing the world to artists like Soulja Slim (RIH), brands like Reebok even enjoyed an extra lift in sales/relevance due to him highlighting Reebok culture in New Orleans. People even started calling low-top Reeboks “Soulja Rees” and Soulja Slim made a song about the shoes entitled “Souja On My Feet” on his last album.
Taking on the image of the Colonel and calling his artist soldiers, P even came out with an anthem – one that was so prolific that fans started calling themselves “No Limit Soldiers” or saying that they were “Bout it Bout It.”
The spillover effect of Master P’s success in brand building led him to being on TV appearing on shoes like Moesha and further spreading the No Limit ethos into the world.
Lesson #3: You’ve gotta have Product
At its height, No Limit was releasing an album damn near every week. You could visit a record store and find a new Mia X album one week, or A Silk The Shocker Album the next.
The cultural momentum behind No Limit was so strong that P was a household name. and because of the revenue the label was generating, he was able to expand into different industries like film.
All of which brings us to… I Got The Hook Up
Between the in-house production team (Beats by the Pound), the design team (Pen & Pixels), and his personal wealth P owned enough factors of production to go into the world of film.
He made the movie in which he starred.
He made the soundtrack that came with the movie.
He even distributed the movie (trailer below)
I got the hook up is culmination of P’s strategy: A unique populist world with specific brand identifiers paired a cultish leader combined to make classic Black films and music. His approach was not only a stroke of creative genius, but a show of what willpower can do. Truly No limits indeed.
He’s a business owner, land owner, entertainment mogul and even an NBA Player at one point (yes, you read that correctly).
Master P was the ice cream man, now he’s the part owner of Rap Snacks!
Epilogue: Master P’s Legacy
The foundation that Master P created with No Limit is still evident today. Artists are opting for better deals, more product, and strong designs to back their art.
The lessons above remain a key part of building a fanbase in hip-hop and Master P is still going strong with a new roster of No Limit artists and affiliated products.
The bottom line is, just like the label name one should realize that it’s all out here for us to grab – whatever “it” is for you.
Do right by others, believe in yourself, and stay sucka free because there truly are No Limits.
Peace.