It’s been more than a month since rapper Master P lost his beloved daughter Tytyana at 29 to her battle with addiction. The record executive broke the devastating news via a statement on social media.
“Our family is dealing with an overwhelming grief for the loss of my daughter Tytyana,” Master P wrote, adding, “We respectfully request some privacy so that our family can grieve.”
Now, the “Grab da Wall” rapper is opening up about his grief, how his daughter struggled with addiction, and his plan to honor her legacy.
Master P Discusses Daughter Tytyana’s Passing
Master P joined journalist Gayle King for his first interview since late Tytyana’s death. A somber Master P got candid about the tragic experience of having to bury his daughter.
“It’s hard,” he declared. “Coming from poverty, you would think that you would outlive your kids and that was the mission. And I feel like, going to my daughter’s funeral, I went to my own funeral. I don’t even wanna go to no more funerals.”
The founder and CEO of P. Miller Enterprises recalled how he found out Tytyana had lost her life, saying his other daughter called him with the devastating news. “It was the worst call that a parent could get.”
Master P expressed sympathy to parents around the world who have suffered a loss similar to his. Nevertheless, he is focused on turning his “pain into passion.”
Opening up about his new mission, the 52-year-old said, “I’m gonna turn my pain into passion and I’m gonna turn it into a purpose because I can’t get my daughter back. I love her and think about her every day, and it took me and my family to go through something that I just can’t stop thinking about but I realize that I have to get out here and help and save other kids.”
The Rapper’s Late Daughter Was Working On Being Clean
Tytyana’s death is particularly painful as she was well on her way to doing better. As you may know, she was candid about her struggle with substance addiction on “Growing Up Hip Hop” and was often encouraged by her father and brother Romeo Miller to get better.
Master P shared, “she was getting better…just got out of rehab and she was on the right track. And the sad thing about it you know she was getting herself, like I want to do something to help people.”
The “Make Em’ Say Uhh!’ rapper recalled that Tytyana often told him of her dreams of becoming president and described her as “his parachute.”
Tytyana was even working on writing a book, hoping to replace the negative things with positive things. When asked by King if he thinks of things he should have or have not done when he looks back on his relationship with his daughter, Master P answered:
“I feel like I could have done more. But you never know. My daughter had a lot of life left in her. She was a happy woman that knew that tomorrow she could do something better.”
Master P Encourages Families To Talk About Substance Abuse
Master P wants families to learn from his situation and do better now when their loved ones are still alive.
“My thing is anybody that’s watching this, love your loved ones while they are here because once you walk out that door you never know who is coming back,” he said.
The “Rock It” artist continued, “We look at mental illness and substance abuse — it’s serious and affects everyone. Just a little dose of fentanyl can take your life, destroy a family. A mother on the news today talked about her son being a good kid and he went left one time and bought a pill and he killed himself.”
While Master P knows he can’t get his daughter back he wants to prevent other families from experiencing the immeasurable loss he suffered.
“When I got that phone call I realized my daughter is never coming back, and that is the heartbreaking thing about this,” he explained. “I said, ‘Let me team up with these organizations and doctors.’ I want to help people that look like us. We want to bring awareness to [mental illness and substance abuse]. My whole purpose is to get out here and help and save millions.”
Master P concluded his interview with one strong message for anyone listening, “Talk about it. Don’t hold this a secret. When you talk about mental illness and substance abuse, people don’t want to say, ‘This happened to my kids.’ But this is happening to all of us.”