WASHINGTON — Editor's Note: The video above is from June 18, 2020.
New Orleans rapper, actor and record producer known as Master P has launched a line of food products to give consumers a Black-owned alternative brand.
He is creating a line of food products including rice, beans, grits, pancake mix, seasonings, ramen noodles and syrup to diversify the food industry, according to his Instagram page.
"We have been buying products from them for over 100 years with images of people that look like us," said Percy Miller, whose stage name is Master P, in an Instagram post in June. "We thought that the people pictured on their product labels owned these brands but they have nothing to do with them. But through education and research, we realize that these people were only models."
In an interview with CNN, Master P said brands like Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben's "are mockeries of African-American people and couldn't even feed our communities."
On Instagram, Master P announced that he partnered with James Lindsay, the creator of "Rap Snacks," to create the company PJ Foods Company. He said he hopes this initiative opens the doors for other Black-owned companies to produce their own products and brands to change the narrative.
Following the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died after a police officer in Minneapolis put a knee on his neck, protests erupted across the nation demanding social justice and racial equality.
During that time, brands like Mrs. Butterworth, Aunt Jemima, Cream of Wheat and Uncle Ben's announced that they would rethink their names and images used to sell their products.
“We recognize Aunt Jemima’s origins are based on a racial stereotype," Kristin Kroepfl, vice president and chief marketing officer of Quaker Foods North America, said in a press release back in June. “As we work to make progress toward racial equality through several initiatives, we also must take a hard look at our portfolio of brands and ensure they reflect our values and meet our consumers’ expectations."
Master P told CNN that he plans to use a portion of his profits to develop real estate in Black neighborhoods.
"I'm grateful that I'm in a position to add some diversity in packaged foods," P said in an interview with CNN. "It's not just about having the Uncle P products, but also having a good cause behind it. I'm happy that I can make a difference in my communities."
Uncle P's products are currently available at grocery stores across the country.