Master P leads New Orleans ‘Walk of Fame’ project to honor city’s finest along Canal Street

Percy “Master P” Miller, who was named by Mayor LaToya Cantrell as New Orleans’ official Entertainment Ambassador in August, is leading a project that aims to lay a Hollywood-style trail of plaques along lower Canal Street to pay homage to the city’s finest artists, entrepreneurs and philanthropists.

The first 50 plaques, honoring famous New Orleans natives ranging from Fats Domino and Ellen Degeneres to Tom Benson and Leah Chase, are expected to be put down by Feb. 6, 2025, in time for Super Bowl LIX which is set to kick off at the Caesars Superdome three days later.

“It’s time to celebrate our culture and the people from New Orleans that have made a difference and given so much to the world,” Miller said via text message.

Read more: Here are the 50 New Orleans natives who will be honored on Canal Street ‘Walk of Fame’

A City Hall news release said Friday that the city would partner with the 54-year-old rapper and music executive on the project.

“As we continue preparations to host Super Bowl LIX, it is of huge importance that we honor and recognize the diverse group of notable individuals who make up the beautiful fabric of our city,” Cantrell said in a prepared statement.

An inaugural plaque designed by local artist Brandan “BMIKE” Odums will be laid sometime before Christmas on the sidewalk outside the Saks Fifth Avenue department store at Canal Place, near the Mississippi River end of Canal Street.

The logistics of the project, including fund raising, is being handled by Operation Restoration, a nonprofit organization run by Syrita Steib, in collaboration with Miller. 

The aim is to raise about $6.5 million initially, of which a quarter has already been raised from donors and grants, said Steib.

The first wave of plaques will include Cantrell and Miller, as well as past mayors such as Moon Landrieu and Ernest “Dutch” Morial and contemporary rapper Mia X. There will be markers for Archie, Eli and Peyton Manning, as well as Drew Brees (not New Orleans-born but given a pass).

Steib said the initial approval from the city allows them to lay plaques on the Canal Street pavement along a three-quarter-mile stretch, from Saks to South Rampart Street. An informational kiosk near the first plaque is planned as well as QR codes at the individualized plaques to explain background on the individuals.

“Where Percy decided to take it a step further is that he wants to teach future generations about individuals who will be enshrined on the Walk of Fame by adding it to curriculums in the city’s schools,” Steib said. They have begun talking to public school officials about how that would work, she said.

The longer-term aim is to build a related museum nearby that will allow visitors to go deeper into the history of New Orleans most famous citizens. That would include interactive displays and multimedia presentations on individuals and themes like the development of jazz in the city, Steib said.

Hollywood style

Irma Thomas, Jon Batiste and Trombone Shorty are among the first wave of musicians to be honored. Entrepreneurs and philanthropists getting a plaque include Al Copeland, Sidney D. Torres and John Georges, who together with his wife Dathel, owns The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate.

The New Orleans Chamber of Commerce is also a partner in the project and Steib said they plan to follow the Hollywood model to pay for future installations and maintenance.

In Los Angeles, the Hollywood Chamber collects fees from celebrities or someone sponsoring them to pay for the installation and maintenance of a Walk of Fame star. It currently costs $75,000 for the initial installation of a Hollywood Walk of Fame star, according to the Hollywood Chamber.