Rap RushmoreMa$e

Ma$e

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.”