MA$E
| Mase | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Mason Durrell Betha |
| Also known as | Murda Ma$e |
| Born |
August 27, 1977 Jacksonville, Florida |
| Origin | Harlem, New York City, New York |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | Rapper, singer-songwriter, musician |
| Years active | 1993–1999, 2004-2006, 2009–present |
| Labels |
Bad Boy Records/Atlantic Records (1996–2012) E1 Music / Ice Age Entertainment / WestSide Entertainment / Rich Fish Records (2013–present) |
| Associated acts | Diddy, The Notorious B.I.G., Harlem World, Total, Big L, Cam'Ron, McGruff, The LOX, G-Unit, Mac Dre, Shyne, Picachi King. |
Bad Boy Records/Atlantic Records (1996–2012)
Mason Durell Betha (born August 27, 1977), better known by stage name Mase (formerly often stylized Ma$e or MA$E), is an American hip hop recording artist and minister. He is best known for being signed to Sean "Diddy" Combs's label Bad Boy Records.
Mase was born Mason Durell Betha in Jacksonville, Florida on August 27, 1977. Growing up he did not know his father. Fleeing her abusive husband, Mason’s mother moved her children to Harlem, New York when Mason was just three years old. He spent his early teen years gambling, cutting class, chasing after girls and running the streets of 139th and Lenox; however, he returned to Florida when he was 13 due to concerns he was associating himself with the wrong crowds. Betha returned to New York at age 15. Basketball was his first love. He was a star player for Manhattan Center High School—along with his close friend Cam’ron. As teens, the two dabbled in rap as a hobby, briefly forming a group called Children of the Corn ("corn" stood for "corner"). Damon Dash, a fellow Manhattan Center student, was their manager for a while before leaving to pursue another rap associate Big L. Before rapping, which he always saw as a part-time pursuit, his plan was to play pro basketball, since he was a starting point guard at the State University of New York, Purchase, on an athletic scholarship. After graduating high school in 1994, Mason went to the State University of New York at Purchase in Westchester, New York on a basketball scholarship. He returned to Harlem after only a couple of semesters, intent on pursuing a career in rap. His sister Stason hooked him up with Cudda Love, a road manager for burgeoning rap legend Biggie Smalls. In 1996 Cudda took Mason down to Atlanta, where the likes of Jermaine Dupri and Sean "P. Diddy" Combs were gathering for a rap convention. Shortly after meeting and rapping for Combs at the Hard Rock Café, Ma$e signed a $250,000 deal with Bad Boy Entertainment and joined labelmate Notorious B.I.G. in building a pop culture dynasty. . Within a week Mase was featured on and also was in the video for 112's Only You with Biggie.
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