Master P has launched a line of packaged foods with a purpose called Uncle P’s Louisiana Seasoned as an alternative to brands like Uncle Ben’s and Aunt Jemima, who recently came under fire for their racist brand identities.
In March, the rapper and his partner, James Lindsey, created PJ Foods Company to encourage other black-owned companies to change the narrative and launch their own products.
Uncle P’s Louisiana Seasoned products include flavored rices, beans, syrup, oatmeal, grits and pancake mix.
A portion of profits from the Uncle P’s brand will go toward educating inner-city kids, helping elderly people in black communities and developing real estate in black neighborhoods, he told CNN. In addition, the brand has plans to create more job opportunities with upward mobility for black employees.
“When you look at Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben, a lot of those products are mockeries of African-American people and couldn’t even feed our communities. With Uncle P, the more we make, the more we give. And the only way to give is by owning these products,” said Master P.
Black Lives Matter protests induced corporate America’s racial reckoning, which led brands like Uncle Ben’s, Aunt Jemima, Cream of Wheat and Mrs. Butterworth’s to update their brand packaging after many pointed out that their mascots and imagery have racist origins.
Major retailers and social media platforms alike have launched initiatives to promote black-owned brands as searches for black-owned companies have surged. For example, Sephora announced it will dedicate 15 percent of shelf space for black-owned brands. Pinterest debuted a Pinterest Shop collection featuring over 600 products from 20 black-owned beauty and fashion brands, while Facebook is making it easier to discover black-owned businesses by enabling page admins to self-identify and appear in the “Black-owned Businesses” subsection in the “Business Nearby” tab.
