Mase - The Miracle Worker Known as Ma$e

With Mase, or ma$e as he's sometimes called, it's hard to tell where to start with all of his accomplishments. Should we start with all that he's done in the world of hip hop? Or should we talk about his inspirational speaking and religious side of life? This is a site all about rap stars, so perhaps we should start there with Mase. Sound good? Good.All big names got a big break somewhere or another in their career, and Mase is not any different. His came in 1996 when he hit a music conference in Atlanta. He went down to Hotlanta in search of mega mogul Jermaine Dupri. That didn't work out. But Mase did meet up with Sean Combs. It was destiny, luck, whatever you want to call it. But it was big.

Being a Bad Boy

P Diddy contracted him to work with Bad Boy records and got him his first Mase song, "Only You," which was off of 112's album. The following year, in 1997, the first Mase record came out. Called "Harlem World," named after his hometown, the Mase album went big time. Not just in the hip hop world, Mase songs like "Feel So Good" and "What You Want" got play on pop stations and MTV.

Like any rapper worthy of his nickname, Mase also had his share of controversy during his comet-fast success in the industry. Perhaps the most famous incident is when he and Ghostface Killah got into a scuffle. Mase had talked trash about Wu-Tang at a show, and following that, Mase ended up on the bad end of Ghostface's vengeance. After the fight, Mase found himself with a broken jaw.

It was a crazy success that did not last long, though. Did fans turn on him? No, the opposite. Mase turned his back on the music world. In 1999, Mase announced on a New York radio show put on by master MC Funkmaster Flex that he was retiring. At the ripe old age of 21? Yes. Mind you, he had just released his second album "Double Up," but Mase didn't care.

Hymns in Hotlanta

Remember what I was saying earlier about his religious side? Well, this is where it started. He said he was born again and moving to Atlanta to study. Meanwhile, he got himself an honorary doctorate of theology from a bible school in new York. So now Mase is known as Dr. Mason Durrell Betha.

Word is, P Diddy did not quite see eye to eye with Mase on this conversion, and the two parted ways. In the mid-2000s, though, the magic combination of Mase and Diddy was reborn. Mase made a much heralded return to the music world where he had so much success earlier in his life.

Back in the Business

"Welcome Back" was the Mase album that resulted. Being a devout Christian, Mase did not allow any curse words or misogynistic language on the Mase songs. Is that really rap then? Well, the likes of Kanye West, Missy Elliot, and 50 Cent thought so, because afterward they worked with Mase on songs.

Who knows where Mase is now in the hip hop world? Word is, he's gone back to devoting himself entirely to religion and the Christian television show he does with his wife.

When he does choose to come back, we'll surely be waiting for more of those Mase songs.

 

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