Mase facts for kids

Mason Durell Betha (born August 27, 1975), known by his stage name Mase (and sometimes Ma$e), is an American rapper. He became famous after signing with Bad Boy Records, a music company owned by Sean Combs (also known as "Puff Daddy"), in 1996.

Mase quickly became well-known. In 1997, he was featured on Sean Combs' song "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down", which became a number one hit. His own songs, "Feel So Good" (with Kelly Price) and "What You Want" (with Total), also reached the top ten on the music charts.

His first album, Harlem World, came out in October 1997. It went straight to number one on the Billboard charts and sold millions of copies. This album also had another top ten song, "Lookin' at Me" (featuring Puff Daddy). That same year, he was featured on two other big hits: "Mo Money Mo Problems" by the Notorious B.I.G. and "Been Around the World" by Puff Daddy.

Before becoming a solo artist, Mase was part of a hip hop group called Children of the Corn, which he started in 1993 with friends like Cam'ron. Later, he also helped form another group called Harlem World.

In 1999, Mase released his second album, Double Up. After this, he took a break from music for five years to focus on his Christian faith and become a pastor. He returned to music in 2004 with his third album, Welcome Back. This album did well, reaching number four on the charts, and included popular songs like "Welcome Back" and "Breathe, Stretch, Shake" (featuring Puff Daddy).

Mase has also started his own record label called RichFish Records. In 2019, he signed rapper Fivio Foreign to his label.

Early life

Mason Durell Betha was born in Jacksonville, Florida, on August 27, 1975. He was a fraternal twin, born almost two months early, along with his sister Stason. Their father left the family when Mase was three years old.

In 1980, his mother moved the family to Harlem, New York, where Mase spent most of his childhood. When he was 13, his mother sent him back to Jacksonville to live with relatives, and it was there that he first started going to church.

At age 15, Mase returned to Harlem. He was a talented basketball player and became the main point guard for his high school team at Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics. He played alongside Cameron Giles, who later became known as the rapper Cam'ron. Mase hoped to join the National Basketball Association (NBA), but he couldn't get into a top college for basketball.

He attended State University of New York at Purchase. There, he realized that a career in the NBA was unlikely. So, he started focusing more on writing music, making demo tapes, and performing in local nightclubs. Eventually, Mase left college to work on his music career full-time.

Career

Starting in Music: Children of the Corn and Bad Boy Records (1993–1997)

After Mase returned to Harlem, he and his childhood friend Cam'ron began rapping for fun. They used the names Murda Mase and Killa Cam. They briefly formed a group called the Children of the Corn with other Harlem rappers like Big L.

In 1996, Mase's sister, Stason, introduced him to Cudda Love, who worked with the Notorious B.I.G.. Cudda took Mase, who was 20 at the time, to Atlanta, Georgia. There, Mase met Jermaine Dupri and Sean Combs (Puff Daddy) at a rap event. Soon after rapping for Puff Daddy, Mase signed a $250,000 deal with Bad Boy Records.

Within a week of signing, his stage name was shortened from Murda Mase to just Mase, to make it more appealing. He was featured in the music video for 112's "Only You" with the Notorious B.I.G. He also appeared on many hit songs with other Bad Boy artists, including Puff Daddy's "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" and "Been Around the World", and the Notorious B.I.G.'s "Mo' Money, Mo' Problems". "Mo' Money, Mo' Problems" even reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Harlem World and More Success (1997–1998)

Mase's first album, Harlem World, was a huge success. It debuted at number one on the Billboard Pop and R&B album charts, selling over 270,000 copies in the U.S. in its first week. Since then, it has sold over four million copies in the United States.

The album had several hit songs, including "Feel So Good" and "Lookin' at Me", which both reached number one on the Rap Billboard charts. "What You Want" also peaked at number three on both the Rap and R&B charts. In 1997, Mase also appeared on songs with other famous artists like Puff Daddy, Mariah Carey ("Honey"), Brian McKnight ("You Should Be Mine (Don't Waste Your Time)"), and Brandy ("Top of the World").

In 1998, Mase started his own record label called All Out Records. He signed his group Harlem World, which included his twin sister, Stason, to the label. Mase and Harlem World member Blinky Blink were featured on Blackstreet & Mýa's song "Take Me There", which was part of The Rugrats Movie soundtrack.

Double Up and Taking a Break (1999)

Mase's second album, Double Up, was released in 1999 by Bad Boy. It sold 107,000 copies in its first week and debuted at number 11 on the US Top 200 chart.

On April 20, 1999, Mase announced on a New York radio station that he was retiring from music. He said he felt a "calling from God" and wanted to focus on his faith. He explained that he felt unhappy with his music career, even though it made him a lot of money, and he wanted to serve God in a different way. That same year, Mase enrolled as a freshman at Clark Atlanta University, a college for Black students, and began taking classes. He kept a low profile while on campus.

Returning to Music (2004)

After a five-year break from music, during which he became an ordained minister, Mase returned with his album Welcome Back in the summer of 2004. It was released on August 24, 2004, through Bad Boy Records. The album debuted at number four in the US, selling 188,000 copies in its first week, and eventually sold over half a million copies.

The album showed Mase's new Christian lifestyle and a "cleaner" image. Mase called himself "a Bad Boy gone clean" on the main song, which used a sample from the Welcome Back Kotter TV show theme song. This new style received mixed reviews. While the album wasn't as big a hit as Harlem World, the songs "Welcome Back" and "Breathe, Stretch, Shake" were played often on radio and music TV channels. "Breathe, Stretch, Shake" reached number 28 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. Both songs also sold enough copies to be certified gold.

In the mid-2000s, Mase toured and recorded with the New York hip-hop group G-Unit. He often appeared with 50 Cent in magazines, on stage, and in music videos. Mase later said that while he didn't regret working with the group, he felt the message he was sending wasn't right. He had joined G-Unit hoping to reach a different audience and show them that people could change, just as he had. He released a mixtape called 10 Years of Hate: Crucified 4 the Hood with DJ Whoo Kid, but an official album with G-Unit was never released.

Second Comeback (2009)

Mase started appearing on remixes of R&B songs again. In June 2009, he was featured on "Uptown Boy" by Harry O. Weeks later, Mase appeared on a remix for Drake's "Best I Ever Had". Mase said that Michael Jackson's death inspired him to make a comeback. He discussed his return on a radio show, using it to release new music every Friday that summer.

The first new song featuring Mase was "Get It," released on July 10, which also featured Cam'ron. Mase then released "Thinkin' 'Bout You" on July 17. On July 24, he added a verse to the remix of Teairra Marí and Kanye West's "Diamonds". At the end of July, Mase released his second solo song since his comeback, titled "Shut the City Down." This song talked about his legacy and how the music business had changed. He also hinted at himself as a hip-hop superhero. Mase released "Radio" on August 21 as a preview for his upcoming mixtape, "I Bleed Money." On September 11, Mase was featured on the remix to Ron Browz's "Gimme 20 Dollars."

In October 2009, Mase made a surprise appearance during a live radio interview with Diddy-Dirty Money. He told the studio staff that he had documents to release him from his contract with the Bad Boy label. He gave the forms to Diddy during the interview, and Diddy signed them, announcing that Mase was "free to go do whatever he wants to do." However, it was later clarified that the forms didn't completely end Mase's contract but allowed him to work on songs with artists from other labels.

New Music and Plans (2010–present)

In 2010, Diddy offered Mase a one-year release from Bad Boy to resolve their differences. Mase decided to retire from rap for good, though he was supposed to re-sign with Bad Boy later.

On April 17, 2012, a production company tweeted a photo of Mase with Rick Ross and French Montana in the studio. This made people wonder if Mase was making his third return to music. A week later, DJ Funkmaster Flex played a remix of Wale's "Slight Work" on his radio show.

Mase later said that French Montana was the reason for his third comeback. Mase helped with Montana's album, Excuse My French, and appeared on the remix of Montana's "Everything's a Go".

In December 2012, Mase announced that he was no longer signed to Bad Boy. He said he probably wouldn't sign with a big record label anytime soon. He told MTV that the only two labels he would consider joining were Kanye West's GOOD Music or Drake's OVO Sound. On October 18, 2013, Mase announced his next album would be called Now We Even. He also shared a wish list of artists he wanted to feature on the album, including Jay-Z, Diddy, Beyoncé, Drake, 2 Chainz, Lauryn Hill, Meek Mill, Fabolous, Ariana Grande, Dipset, Eric Bellinger, Seal and CeeLo Green.

On November 24, 2017, Mase released "The Oracle," a song aimed at his former friend and now rival, Cam'ron. This was in response to Cam'ron's songs on his mixtape The Program.

Legacy and Influence

Mase's unique melodic rap style has had a lasting impact on hip hop music. Many rappers, such as Pusha T, Fabolous, and Kanye West, have used a similar relaxed, yet musical, flow in their songs. Artists like Jay-Z and Drake have also used lines from Mase's songs in their own music. Kanye West has even said that Mase is his favorite rapper of all time.

Writings

• Revelations: There's a Light After the Lime (2001)

Discography

Studio albums

• Harlem World (1997)
• Double Up (1999)
• Welcome Back (2004)

Mixtapes

• 10 Years of Hate: Crucified 4 the Hood (2006)
• I Do the Impossible (2009)

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Mase para niños