Master P Announces Retirement from Music to Lead Basketball Operations at University of New Orleans

Master P has officially confirmed that he is retiring from music after accepting a new role as President of Basketball Operations at the University of New Orleans. Speaking to People magazine ahead of his final performance at the Essence Festival, he revealed that the Sunday night set would mark the end of his legendary music career.

“My last show has to be with Essence. It has to be big. A celebration,” Master P told the outlet. “It’s a blessing now to be able to transition into doing something that’s bigger than me. Being a servant is my most important job. I feel like hard work got me here, even though I didn’t know I was going to get this far in life. God spared my life and put me on this journey. That chapter closed itself with maturing and growing up and not being afraid to grow.”

The decision to step away from music was not an easy one, he admitted, but Master P explained, “I feel like this is the next phase of my life. There is a lot of negative stuff going on in hip-hop and people don’t want to talk about the positive things. They say when you know better, you do better. That’s the phase I’m on. I’m fine with growing up.”

Master P took on the President of Basketball Operations role at the University of New Orleans earlier this year in February. At his introductory press conference, he shared his deep connection to the program and his vision for its future. “We’ve come a long way. Growing up in New Orleans, when I was a kid, I looked at the University of New Orleans basketball program as probably one of the best in the country. Every kid wanted to come to the Lakefront Arena and be a part of this,” he said.

He continued, “I’m just so appreciative and blessed that God has given me this opportunity … to rebuild this program. We gonna change this. This is our culture, this is our team and this is our family. We want to give that family love out here to the city to bring the people back where it should be at.”

Before his successful music and business career, Master P attended the University of Houston on a sports scholarship. He also had brief stints in the NBA preseason with the Charlotte Hornets and Toronto Raptors during 1998 and 1999.

As Master P closes the chapter on his music career, his fans and supporters look forward to watching him bring the same dedication and leadership to the basketball program at the University of New Orleans — a new legacy in the making.