Mase | Main

It's been five years since twenty-six year old Mason "Mase" Betha gracefully bowed off the hip-hop stage to pursue a higher calling and now, Harlem's famed "Prince Charming" has returned with a new album, Welcome Back, to once again ignite the radio and bounce the heads of listeners everywhere. And although he still heeds the beckon of that higher calling (pay close attention to the lyrics), he hasn't missed a step or skipped a beat, no cobwebs here, just the words and renewed energy of one of hip-hop's beloved artists. It all started in 1996, when a young Harlem MC who had been trying for years to get put on, bumped into Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, then known as Puff Daddy, at an Atlanta club and rhymed for the CEO on the spot. After slowing down his style to make it smoother and more accessible, Mase joined the all-star Bad Boy Records roster and his first shine came on 112's 1997 smash hit "Only You (Remix)" and he held his own next to one of the most gifted MC's of all time, Notorious B.I.G. It would be hard to forget "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" another hit with P. Diddy and his verse on Biggie's "Mo Money, Mo Problems." In 1997, with these high profile guest appearances under his belt, Mase continued to make his mark with the release of his debut album, Harlem World. Two years later, in 1999, Mase released his gold-certified follow-up LP, Double Up, and then everything changed. Suddenly, in April 1999, one of the most successful young artists hip-hop had ever seen announced that he was ready to leave. He was retiring from recording and performing "in order to pursue his faith." All the doubters and nay-sayers followed, but for five years, from that day - Mason Betha went from star MC, to a student at Clark Atlanta University, to a pastor of his own church. He received an honorary doctorate of theology from New York's St. Paul's Bible Institute in 2002 and continues to preach in his new hometown, Atlanta, Georgia. He made the personal and professional sacrifice to follow his true calling. He didn't do any shows, didn't do any ghostwriting. The man didn't even listen to the radio whose play lists he used to dominate. But Welcome Back does not mean that. So let the trumpets blare and the players play, Harlem's prince is back and even better than before. Welcome back, Mase.