Ma$e

Released: October 28, 1997

Featuring: Kelly Price Diddy

Songwriter: Peter Brown Deric “D-Dot” Angelettie Ron “Amen-Ra” Lawrence Ma$e

Producer: Ron “Amen-Ra” Lawrence Deric “D-Dot” Angelettie

[Verse 1: Mase]
Uh, uh, come on, uh
It be the same cats that wouldn't listen to my demo
Now I want they ass in my limo cuz now I'm a sex symbol
Intercontinental, L.A. airplay, just like Jay Leno
Now all the labels out wanna send a memo
To do a remix ya'll, but Mase say N-O
Figure once I make it, they'll fake it
And ain't nobody show me love when I was naked
And when he threw my tape in the trash, I laughed
Now a nigga' tape on blast, I laugh
Figure as days pass, make more cash
And I push everything from E to H-class
Four years ago couldn't go to a show
I was standin' on the corner sellin' dope for dough
Now I no longer hope I'll blow, smoke my dro
On a Yacht nigga, fuck a boat that row

[Hook]
With all this money that we can make
Why ya'll cats wanna playa hate?
Do you wanna get money with us, do you wanna?
Do you wanna get money with us, do you wanna?
With all this money that we can make
Why ya'll cats wanna playa hate?
Do you wanna get money with us, do you wanna?
Do you wanna get money with us, do you wanna?

[Verse 2: Mase]
Yo, the reality of it all, everybody can't ball
If you had currency, you wouldn't be worryin' 'bout me
But see, I could go the whole summer, gold Hummer
But I'd rather go Lex bubble, cuz it's less trouble
Make my dough and I just stack, no investment
I live off just that
Money, hoes, and clothes, and shit that I'm best at
But I'm a Bad Boy so you gotta expect that
Why do what most do? Do what you 'possed to
Make hot jams ya'll, sell bicoastal
If you want a hit you can let me coach you
Money back on anything that got my vocals
This is so true, I do what pros do
’Cause broke ain't a state that I'm tryin' to go through
Dealers give me credit any place I go to
Drive out in the Benz say "Let Mase owe you'"

[Hook]

[Verse 3: Mase]
See, the moral of the story is
I'm not here to replace Notorious
I'm just a young cat tryin' to do his thing
Harlem World style, pursue my dream, cuz see
The things that went 3 mil, I didn't even like that
You say you got mad hoes, well where is she tonight?
Mase be the cat that'll lead you to the light
Messin' with me shorty, you'll be a-ight
Stop listen' to all them cats on the block
That tellin' you that Mase don't rock
Cuz Mase is hot and Mase got a drop and a yacht and a big knot
To move you and your moms off the block
For real though, Mase got real dough
That be in briefcases cats kill fo'
And since you can't beat us, it's best you join us
Cuz I know you won't have this hold that's on us

[Hook until fade]

Mase is a Harlem rapper best known for his string of hits with Bad Boy Records in the late 1990s, including the top 10 pop hits “Feel So Good,” “What You Want,” and “Lookin' At Me.” He also appeared on Puff Daddy’s #1 hit “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down” and The Notorious B.I.G.’s #1 hit “Mo Money, Mo Problems” in 1997.

Born Mason Betha in 1975, Mase moved back and forth between Harlem and Florida for much of his childhood. He started rapping as a teenager under the name “Murda Mase,” getting his first taste of the spotlight as a member of Children of the Corn, a group that also included well-known rapper Big L and Mase’s childhood friend, Cam'Ron.

In 1996, Mase signed with Bad Boy as a solo artist after his manager Cudda Love—who was also a road manager for The Notorious B.I.G.—introduced him to Puff Daddy. Within a week of signing, he appeared alongside the label’s superstar Biggie in the music video for 112’s platinum single “Only You (Remix).” He dropped the “Murda” from his name and was credited simply as “Mase.”

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