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| No Limit Records | |
|---|---|
 Company logo from 1998–2000 | |
| Parent company | EMI |
| Founded | 1991; 35 years ago (1991) |
| Founder | Master P |
| Status | Active |
| Distributors | Priority (1995–2001) Universal (2001–2004) Koch Records (2004–2005) |
| Genre | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Location | Richmond, California (1991–1996) New Orleans, Louisiana (1995–1997) Baton Rouge, Louisiana (1997–2003) |
| Official website | NoLimitRecords.com |
No Limit Records is an Americanrecord company founded byMaster P. The label's albums were distributed byPriority Records,Universal andKoch Records. The label included artists such asSnoop Dogg,Mercedes,Silkk the Shocker,Mystikal,Mia X,Mac,C-Murder,Magic,Romeo Miller,Fiend,Kane & Abel, andSoulja Slim. Anthony Boswell, head of Bout It Bout It Management, served as the vice president of operations as well as head of management for the label.[1]
In the late nineties, No Limit Records enjoyed mainstream success with releases such as Master P'sGhetto D, T.R.U.'sTru 2 da Game, and Snoop Dogg'sDa Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told.
No Limit was known for quickly 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 garishPen & Pixel-designed album covers.
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 inRichmond.[2]
After signing Oakland rapper Dangerous Dame, who released the EPEscape from the Mental Ward through No Limit, he began working with New Orleans–based talent, starting withKane & Abel (then known as Double Vision).[citation needed]
In 1995, Master P officially relocated No Limit to his birthplace of New Orleans, Louisiana, while retaining his brothers and several California rappers like TRU memberBig Ed, King George and Calli G on board. He then added local talent to his roster such asMystikal,Mia X,Kane & Abel andMr. Serv-On. No Limit then signed a distribution deal withPriority Records, while Master P maintained ownership of his master recordings and recording studio. He became the label's main artist, releasingIce Cream Man[3] in 1996 andGhetto D a year later.[4]
By 1997, No Limit had gained momentum with bestselling, if not critically acclaimed, releases from multiple artists. In May 1997, No Limit released thesoundtrack to the filmI'm Bout It. The album featured appearances from much of the label's roster at the time of its release. In addition to featuring the label's original artists, the album introduced new artists now signed to No Limit. These artists includeBaton Rouge, Louisiana artistYoung Bleed, Oakland-based pairSteady Mobb'n, R&B quartet and production groupSons of Funk,Mac,Prime Suspects,The Gambino Family,Mercedes and formerBig Boy Records artistsMystikal andFiend. The album was a commercial success, being certified Platinum by the RIAA. No Limit also had success with albums like TRU (Tru 2 Da Game), Mia X'sUnlady Like, which went gold despite producing no hit singles, and Mystikal's platinum-sellingUnpredictable. That same year, No Limit moved from New Orleans to a corporate headquarters inBaton Rouge, Louisiana. The label also acquired their first marquee name inSnoop Dogg, on the heels of his acrimonious split fromDeath 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, Odell, andCarlos Stephens), in addition to solo artistsSoulja Slim,Full Blooded,Magic,Skull Duggery, Short Circuit,Ghetto Commission. 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 theBillboard 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.
In January 1999, No Limit Records released Silkk the Shocker’s third studio album, Made Man, which debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 and was later certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album features guest appearances from No Limit artists Mystikal, Fiend, Master P (who also served as executive producer), O'Dell, Sons of Funk, C-Murder, The Ghetto Commission, Mia X, and Snoop Dogg. Production was handled by No Limit producers KLC, O'Dell, Carlos Stephens, Craig B., and Sons of Funk. That June, No Limit TRU released their fifth studio album, Da Crime Family, which debuted within the top five of the Billboard 200 and was certified gold by the RIAA.
1999 also saw the departure of many No Limit producers and artists. In 1999, Beats By The Pound members Odell, Craig B, Mo B. Dick, and KLC left No Limit due to a dispute with Master P.[5] As a result, KLC's project,Hits By The Pound, scheduled for a September 14, 1999 release through No Limit, was consequently shelved. Mia X left No Limit and went on a musical hiatus to take care of her family. Kane & Abel were dropped from No Limit in 1999 due to their investigation involving drug activity.[6] Sons of Funk, Steady Mobb'n, Prime Suspects, and The Gambino Family all parted ways with the label.
In 2000,504 Boyz albumGoodfellas made it big on the Billboard peaking at #2 on theBillboard 200 making No Limit a small factor in the 2000s, but in 2000 only Master P, Snoop Dogg, C-Murder, Silkk, Magic, and Mac remained from their most celebrated artists. By 2000, Mr. Serv-On and Big Ed had left the label.
In 2001, the label lost Mac to prison after he was convicted of manslaughter in connection to a nightclub shooting;[7] he was ultimately sentenced to thirty years in prison on September 21, 2001.[8] Snoop Dogg had left No Limit after his three-year contract with No Limit expired, and C-Murder distanced himself from No Limit to focus on his own label, TRU Records. In 2001, No Limit's deal with Priority expired, and No Limit subsequently signed withUniversal Records for a $10 million distribution deal.[9] After the signing, Master P renamed No Limit toThe New No Limit. The New No Limit's roster included Master P, Lil Romeo, Silkk The Shocker, 504 Boyz, Magic, and Choppa. Releases on The New No Limit under Universal failed to achieve the same success as the previous incarnation of No Limit.
On December 17, 2003, the company filed for bankruptcy due to various lawsuits, and Master P then sold the catalog.[10]
In 2001, No Limit left Priority Records and signed a distribution deal withUniversal. The label's name was changed to The New No Limit.[11] 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 toKoch 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.
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