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Ma$e (born Mason Durrell Betha on August 27, 1975 in Jacksonville, Florida) is an American rapper, best known as a successful artist on Sean Combs' (Diddy) hip hop label Bad Boy Records during the late 1990s. He is currently signed to G-Unit Records which is headed by 50 Cent . Raised in Harlem, New York, Mason Betha began his music career as a hardcore gangsta rapper. While in the proto-supergroup "Children of the Corn", he called himself Murder Mase, rapping alongside Big L, Cam'ron, McGruff and Bloodshed. In 1996, Mase travelled to Atlanta in hope of meeting producer Jermiane Dupri. *** *** Instead, he ran into Sean Combs and rapped for him on the spot in a nightclub. Puffy instantly signed Mase to Bad Boy records. His image was refined as Diddy set about developing a marketable pop rapper out of an artist formerly known for violent imagery in his lyrics. In 1997, Ma$e caught one of his first breaks when he signed with Puffy decided to put Mase into 112's Only You Remix which instantly showcased the young rappers talent. In that year he recorded and released his first album, Harlem World, which became a multiplatinum success, and featured the hit single "Feel So Good", which included a prominent sample of Kool & the Gang's "Hollywood Swinging" and the chorus from Miami Sound Machine's "Bad Boy". Other successful Harlem World singles included "What You Want" (featuring Total), "Lookin' At Me" (featuring Puff Daddy, produced by The Neptunes), and "24 Hours To Live" (featuring The Lox, Black Rob, & DMX). Notably popular among mainstream audiences, Mase became one of Bad Boy's premiere acts. During the promotional period for his second album, Double Up, and its single "Get Ready" (featuring Blackstreet), Ma$e announced that he had become a born-again Christian and was retiring from music. He moved to Atlanta, Georgia and studied at Clark Atlanta University, eventually earning an honorary Ph.D. in theology in 2002 from St. Paul's Bible Institute in New York City and becoming Reverend Mason Betha. Rev. Betha was the pastor and founder of both the S.A.N.E. Church International and the Mason Betha Ministries in Atlanta. Betha also became a member of World Changers Church International in the Atlanta suburb of College Park. It is rumoured that Ma$e retired due to the murder of two of his friends over an extortion deal involving Ma$e in Harlem. After a five-year absence from the industry, Ma$e returned to music and Bad Boy Records with the Welcome Back album, and the single of the same name (sampled from the Welcome Back, Kotter TV theme song). Despite returning to secular entertainment, Ma$e still claimed the status of a pastor. A few months after his Welcome Back album, it was rumored that Mase had defected to G-Unit Records under his old persona of "Murda Mase". After much speculation, Mase appeared at a Young Buck concert in Madison Square Garden wearing a G-Unit spinning necklace. A short while later, he came out with a few songs on G-Unit mixtapes. It is unknown if Mase will still claim to be a man of God now that he has reverted back to his decidedly violent and misogynistic "Murda Mase" persona. Ma$e has had many disputes over his rap style, as many performers such as Fabolous, Myran and Loon sound similar to him.

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