Photo Courtesy Wikimedia Commons
With his successful launch of No Limit Records in the early 90s, and the various businesses he’s founded since Master P is no stranger to the world of entrepreneurship. However, his latest venture, a New Orleans area grocery store, is stirring controversy due to its link with a Trump supporter who also attended January’s infamous rally-turned-riot, according to WWLTV in New Orleans.
Master P, also known as Percy Miller, has partnered with Louisiana-based grocery chain Rouses Markets to create Guste Grocery, which opened to the public Tuesday in Central City, a neighborhood in New Orleans.
Rouses Markets has been facing backlash for months now, ever since retired owner Donald Rouse, Sr. was spotted at January’s D.C. rally in a photo, along with a former director of the chain, according to Houma Today. Social media instantly dragged the company, forcing them to issue a statement and address the photo.
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“I attended the rally yesterday as a supporter of the president and to be in our nation’s capital at the close of his presidency,” the statement read. “I left before the violence began and was shocked and saddened to see it unfold on TV…Though I am no longer involved in the day-to-day operations of Rouses, that’s my family’s name on the building and my actions reflect on my family, Rouses and this community I love so dearly.”
During Tuesday’s opening and press event, Miller appeared to acknowledge the controversy surrounding his partnership, telling WWLTV “It’s nobody out here that I can point a finger at and say, ‘Is your life perfect? Have you ever did everything right?’
Miller himself got his humble start in New Orleans, specifically a Central City housing project. A businessman at heart, he
started cutting grass and carrying groceries for money when he was only six years old. He credits his background with helping him understand the needs of his community, which some consider a food desert.“I come from this community. I come from this type of situation in life,” Miller said.
Do you think Miller made the right business move for his community? Let us know in the comments.