Wal-Mart finds rappers Master P, Romeo a fashion fit

Tag : Fashion Fleece

By Kamau High
NEW YORK (Billboard) - Master P and his son, fellow hip-hophit-maker Romeo, have agreed to relaunch their P. Miller Designsapparel line exclusively through Wal-Mart, Billboard has learned.
The father-son duo's brand of men's apparel will be available atabout 350 Wal-Mart stores starting in July and will include graphicT-shirts, fleece hoodies and fashion denims. The P. Miller line waslast available at such retailers as Kohl's and Mervyns "a few yearsago," Master P (aka Percy Miller) said.
The veteran rapper said that Wal-Mart was a logical vendor for P.Miller Designs, which he described as "high fashion at anaffordable cost." Master P said he has shifted mostresponsibilities for the clothing line to 18-year-old Romeo.
"Wal-Mart stands for everything P. Miller does," he said. "It'sAmerica and diversity. Our whole thing is price point. I want toput out affordable clothes where the masses can buy them."
Wal-Mart's partnership with a former gangsta rapper like Master Pmight seem surprising. But the hip-hop artist and entrepreneur hascleaned up his image in recent years, thanks in part to the successof Romeo (formerly Lil Romeo), who has charted with kid-friendlyrap hits and starred in his own show on Nickelodeon.
Indeed, Wal-Mart's sale of P. Miller Designs will be its secondpartnership with Master P. The big-box chain is the exclusivephysical retailer of Master P and Romeo's 2007 CD, "Miller Boyz:Hip-Hop History," the first release on the elder rapper'sprofanity-free Take a Stand Records imprint. (The album is alsoavailable for download at online music stores.)
Master P has launched other urban clothing lines through the years,including P. Miller Signature and P. Miller Shorties, a collectionfor children. Master P and Romeo won't be the first celebrities tosell a branded apparel line exclusively through Wal-Mart, though.The retailer sells girls fashions named after tween sensationsMary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.
Reuters/Billboard