Two veteran New Orleans music powerhouses are teaming up for a benefit concert. On Wednesday, July 3, Mystikal and Master P, two icons of No Limit Records, reunite for a live show they’re hoping will draw adults and teens alike.
Master P, called one of the wealthiest rappers in the world, is performing with fellow New Orleans native Mystikal to raise money for youth-empowerment and anti-crime charities in the city. A quarter of the proceeds will be donated.
The concert starts 7 p.m., July 3 at Behrman Stadium in Algiers, 2925 General Meyer Avenue. Ticket prices start at $15.
Concert organizer and music producer Mike Willis works with the nonprofit HOPE (Helping Other People Endure). His son was charged with murder in 2006. Willis says the location was chosen because it’s accessible to East Bank and West Bank residents. “It’s important to have a neutral zone,” he says, “and the stadium provides that.” Willis says it’s important to show that New Orleans youth and older residents can have a fun, safe time in the same space together. The concert is part of a larger “Day Out Against Crime.”
Mystikal says his home base for summers growing up was the Lyons Community Center, on Louisiana Avenue. “That’s where I learned to hit a baseball, and learned how to swim,” he said. The artist says there has been a long-standing need for more youth recreation funding in New Orleans.
Willis says a secure future for recreation funding has to come from New Orleans residents willing to support it.
Asked what he hopes to achieve with the concert, Mystikal said, “I want people thinking only about having a good time, not looking around and thinking ‘Who owes me money’ or anything like that — just have fun.”