Make Me Say Uhh

The death of the New Orleans bounce artist 5th Ward Weebie revived a dormant memory from one of my prior lives.  When I was a travelling salesman peddling the wares of independent record labels, a Houston-based wholesaler was among my most lucrative accounts for Southern rap.  The account treated sales reps like clients at a doctor’s office, a humbling system that forced me and my fellow weasels to cool our heels in a dingy waiting room.  Among the regulars was a mild-mannered guy who demurred from the loudmouthed banter common among my colleagues.

One morning I was allotted a few minutes to pitch an upcoming release from a New Orleans based artist, something akin to Weebie’s “Shake It Like a Dog”.  I compared the song’s prospects to whatever was currently hot on No Limit Records.  My buyer countered by threatening to “call Percy in here.”  Spotting my confusion, the buyer stunned me by revealing that the quiet sales rep was Percy Miller, a.k.a. Master P, the genius behind No Limit Records.  Miller continued to make sales calls to key accounts even after he made the world say uhh.  You can keep Superman and Clark Kent.  I’m sticking with Master P and Percy Miller.


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I contribute weekly music previews to The Kansas City Star.

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Recently at Plastic Sax: an appreciation of the Kansas City journeyman Todd Wilkinson and my annual survey of the top stories and trends on Kansas City’s jazz scene.

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I feel obligated to note the passing of Neil Peart.  I harbor unironic affection for 2112.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)