George Dwight
Rapper Master P, who is best known for Hip-Hop hits like “Make ’Em Say Uhh!" “Mr. Ice Cream Man,” and "I'm Bout' It, Bout It," appearances in films likes Lockdown, I Got the Hookup, and Foolish, and as father to actor/musician Lil’ Romeo is using the Derby City for a very personal documentary. The actor-rapper-entrepreneur plans for his documentary to highlight the effects of chronic incarceration, poverty, and violence on the African American community.
In a recent WLKY interview, Master P expressed his desire to be remembered as a youth who rose out of New Orleans’ low income housing. With a resume packed with business and entertainment endeavors, the rapper, whose real name is Percy Miller, hopes to assist other kids caught in the cycle of violence plaguing so many lower income families. Louisville, Kentucky does not exactly head the list of Most Dangerous U.S. Cities—thankfully. Why has Miller chosen the city to be one of the filming locations for the documentary?
The New Orleans native has referenced Louisville in numerous interviews as his second home. The city opened its arms to the victims of 2005’s devastating Hurricane Katrina that changed the Big Easy. Miller’s family was amongst the masses of victims, and they came to Louisville. A graduate of the University of Louisville, Lavel D. White, 26, is filming the documentary. White lived in the Beecher Terrace Housing Complex just east of downtown on Tenth Street between Jefferson and Muhammad Ali Streets. In an interview, White said, “This project can help out and save many different lives for kids who want to get involved in violence and tell them this is not the way to go.”
Also a producer for this documentary is Community Activist Christopher 2X. The activist introduced Miller to White. Miller is also a part of Christopher 2X’s movement Compassion & Game of Life. This movement focuses on compassion to help children affected by shootings or homicides in the Louisville area.
African Americans make up 20 percent of Louisville’s nearly 700,000 residents, but 56 percent of the prison population according to Louisville Metro Department of Corrections. Miller visited inmates as the Department of Corrections during one of his three Louisville visits within the last year. The rapper said to the inmates, “My goal when I was in the projects was to live to be 18. Once I made 18, my goal was to make it to 21, so I was riding through projects with two pistols any one year-old son on my side.”
Miller held a news conference about the documentary project June 25 at 10:15 A.M. at Beecher Terrace. “I have a brother dead,” he said to a crowd of young Beecher Terrace residents. “I have a brother incarcerated, so I know on a firsthand basis what is going on. We’re killing each other basically, that’s why I decided to change my life.”
Master P will be working with the Louisville Department of Corrections for the filming while White has been filming since November. White plans for the documentary to be finished within the next year. To preview the documentary trailer, visit vimeo.com/67681051.
