Master P responds to 50 Cent's diss

By: Janine Coveney

As has become his practice prior to the release of his solo albums, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson recently dissed one of his fellow rappers. At the press conference for this year's BET Award nominees last week, 50 Cent was asked his thoughts on Master P's decision to clean up his lyrics. 50 Cent said: "Well Master P doesn't sell CDs anymore. You can tell him I said it. Cameras is rolling right? Curtis June 26th."

Master P recently responded to 50 Cent's comments in an open letter that read in part, "Curtis Jackson's comment motivated me. There are a lot of immature people in the world. Oprah Winfrey is absolutely right, we need to grow up and be responsible for our own actions. I paid for Curtis'first rap tour through the South. He was such a humble guy at the time. Most artists'mission is to sell records. My mission is to help save and change lives."

The No Limit founder added, "There are four things that differentiate me from artists like Curtis Jackson. One, I can honestly admit that I was once part of the problem. Two, I don't want my son to grow up and be like me. I want him to be better and do better, and that is why he is taking the time to pursue a college degree. Three, money don't make me, I make money. My goal is to educate our people in building generational wealth and knowing how important it is to own real estate. Four, I'm a true entrepreneur; my boss is God not Jimmy Iovine. From one brother to another, if you misunderstand my purpose you could always pick up the phone or talk to me in person. I'm trying to be part of the solution not the problem."

Master P also took a shot at BET before sharing that he was hoping to full his friends together in effort to make rap more positive. He said, "I'm reaching out to my friends Shaquille O'Neal, Will Smith, Russell Simmons, Queen Latifah, Derek Anderson, Charles Barkley, Emmitt Smith, Beyonce, and Reverend Run to help contribute to this positive movement. I am not asking any other hip hop or gangsta rap artist change what they do; that's how they make their money. Furthermore, I am not a preacher; I'm just telling the world what I'm doing and the changes that I am making because it's something I want to do. If that's sending mixed signals to people then they need to deal with their own conscience first."