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Mase Biography
Best known as Puff Daddy's
favorite sidekick, Mase secured his place as a Bad Boy label favorite
through a series of guest appearances on hit singles by other artists. By
the time he issued his debut album, the Bad Boy promotional machine had
effectively already made him a star. His flow was slow and relaxed, and
his raps often unabashedly simple, which helped make him especially
popular with the younger segment of Puff Daddy's pop-rap audience (they
could understand him and rap along). Of course, he was never much of a
critical favorite for exactly the same reason, but that became a moot
point when, just before the release of his second album, he announced his
retirement from rap to pursue a career in the ministry.
Mase was born Mason Durrell
Betha in Jacksonville, FL, on August 27, 1977. His family moved to Harlem
when he was five, but at age 13, he was sent back to Florida amid concerns
that he was falling in with the wrong crowd. He returned to New York two
years later, and began rapping to entertain the other members of his
school basketball team. He was a good enough basketball player to win a
scholarship to SUNY, but hip-hop soon grew to be more important; under the
name Mase Murder, he joined a rap group called Children of the Corn, which
disbanded when one of its members died in a car accident. Mase went solo
and started making connections around New York's hip-hop club scene. In
1996, he traveled to Atlanta for a music conference, hoping to hook up
with Jermaine Dupri; instead, he met Sean "Puffy" Combs, who
signed him to Bad Boy after hearing him rap.
Mase debuted on Combs' remix of the 112 single "Only You," and
quickly became a near-ubiquitous guest rapper on Bad Boy releases and
other Combs-related projects. He was a credited featured guest on the Puff
Daddy smashes "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" and "It's All
About the Benjamins," handled the first verse of the Notorious
B.I.G.'s number one hit "Mo' Money, Mo' Problems," and made
prominent appearances on Mariah Carey's "Honey," Brian
McKnight's "You Should Be Mine (Don't Waste My Time)," Junior
M.A.F.I.A.'s "Young Casanova," and Busta Rhymes' "The Body
Rock," among others. By showcasing Mase in such high-profile
settings, not to mention spotlighting him in several videos as well, Combs
ensured that by the time Mase actually released his own album, every
hip-hop fan in America would already know who he was.
Thus, when Mase's debut album, Harlem World, appeared in late 1997, it was
an instant smash, spending its first two weeks of release on top of the
Billboard album charts. It was a star-studded affair, naturally featuring
Combs (both rapping and producing) and a galaxy of guests: Busta Rhymes,
Jay-Z, DMX, Lil' Kim, Monifah, 112, the L.O.X., Eightball & MJG, Black
Rob, and Lil' Cease, not to mention additional production by the Hitmen,
Jermaine Dupri, and the Neptunes, among others. Reviews of the record were
mixed; some critics praised Mase's unique rapping style, but others were
far more harsh (this writer is fairly sure it was Ira Robbins who called
Mase "the luckiest no-talent sidekick since Ed McMahon").
Nonetheless, Harlem World was a smash hit, eventually going platinum four
times over; its first single, "Feels So Good" (which also
appeared on the soundtrack of Money Talks), was a Top Five pop hit, and
the follow-up "What You Want" was a fast-selling success as
well.
In the meantime, Mase's string of guest spots continued unabated, with
appearances on Brandy's "Top of the World," Puff Daddy's "Lookin'
at Me," Cam'ron's "Horse and Carriage," 112's "Love
Me," and the Rugrats soundtrack collaboration with Blackstreet and
Mya, "Take Me There." In April 1998, Mase made headlines with
his arrest in New York on disorderly conduct charges (he had initially
been accused of soliciting a prostitute, which he denied). But the
controversy was short-lived, and by year's end Mase had put together his
own group of protיgיs, also dubbed Harlem World, who issued
its debut album, The Movement, in early 1999. With Puffy's Bad Boy empire
still riding high, Mase's second album, Double Up, looked to be another
blockbuster. But shortly after it was completed (and before it was
released), Mase stunned close associates and observers alike by announcing
his immediate retirement from the music business, calling it incompatible
with his new calling to the ministry (he'd experienced a vision of himself
leading people into Hell). He refused to promote Double Up with any live
performances, although he did give interviews on its behalf. Perhaps it
was the lack of promotional support, or perhaps audiences gave up their
investment in him, but Double Up made a disappointing chart debut at
number 11 upon its summer 1999 release, and only reached gold sales
status. Despite what some initially thought, Mase's retirement has stuck;
in the years since, he has worked extensively with inner-city youth,
become an in-demand inspirational speaker on the religious circuit, and
published a memoir titled Revelations: There's a Light After the Lime.
Mase Links
Mase
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