Mase

Mason Durell Betha (born August 27, 1975), better known by his mononym Mase (formerly Murda Mase and stylized as Ma$e), is an American rapper. Best known for his work with Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs' Bad Boy Records, he signed with the label in 1996 and quickly found mainstream recognition as Combs' hype man. He guest appeared on Combs' 1997 single, "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down", which peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100, while his singles as a lead artist, "Feel So Good" (featuring Kelly Price) and "What You Want" (featuring Total) both peaked within the top ten of the chart. Released in October of that year, his debut studio album, Harlem World (1997) peaked atop the Billboard 200 chart, received quadruple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and spawned his third top ten single as a lead artist, "Lookin' at Me" (featuring Puff Daddy). Furthermore, his guest performances on labelmate the Notorious B.I.G.'s single "Mo Money Mo Problems" and Puff Daddy's "Been Around the World" peaked at numbers one and two on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively, that same year.
Prior, Mase performed as a member of the hip hop group Children of the Corn, which he formed with New York City-based rappers Cam'ron and Big L in 1993. Two years later, he formed the hip hop group Harlem World, who signed with Jermaine Dupri's So So Def Recordings to release the album, The Movement (1999) during Mase's mainstream peak. Meanwhile, his second album, Double Up (1999) peaked at number 11 on the Billboard 200, followed by a five-year recording hiatus in favor of Christian ministry. His third album, Welcome Back (2004) peaked at number four on the chart and spawned the top 40 single(s) of the same name and "Breathe, Stretch, Shake" (featuring Puff Daddy). Despite receiving gold certifications by the RIAA, both albums were met with largely mixed critical reception and he parted ways with Bad Boy after the latter; his subsequent releases have been few and far between, and each failed to chart.