Mase

Mason Durell Betha (born August 27, 1975), known professionally as Mase (often stylized as Ma$e), is an American rapper. Best known for his work with Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs's Bad Boy Records, he signed with the label in 1996 and quickly found mainstream recognition as Combs's hype man. He guest appeared on Combs's 1997 single "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down", which peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100, while his first two singles as a lead artist, "Feel So Good" (featuring Kelly Price) and "What You Want" (featuring Total), both peaked in the chart's top ten. Released in October of that year, his debut studio album, Harlem World (1997), peaked atop the Billboard 200 chart, was certified quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and spawned his third top-ten single as a lead artist, "Lookin' at Me" (featuring Combs). His guest performances on labelmate the Notorious B.I.G.'s single "Mo Money Mo Problems" and Combs's "Been Around the World" peaked at numbers one and two on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively, that same year. Mase also performed as part of the hip hop group Children of the Corn, which he formed in 1993 with fellow New York City-based rappers including Cam'ron and Big L. Two years later, he founded the hip hop group Harlem World, which signed with Jermaine Dupri's So So Def Recordings. The group's only album, The Movement (1999), and Mase's second album, Double Up (1999), both peaked at number 11 on the Billboard 200. The latter preceded a five-year recording hiatus, during which Mase began a separate career as a Christian pastor. He returned to recording with his third album, Welcome Back (2004). It peaked at number four on the chart and spawned the top 40 singles "Welcome Back" and "Breathe, Stretch, Shake" (featuring Puff Daddy)....