The best known is the rapper, whose extensive Wikipedia page has been partly copied below.
Mason Durell Betha (born August 27, 1975),[1] better known by stage name Mase (often typeset as Ma$e) who was previously known as Murda Ma$e, is an American rapper, songwriter, actor and inspirational speaker. He was an artist on Sean "Diddy" Combs's hip hop label Bad Boy Records. He was introduced as Bad Boy Entertainment's next big artist during the summer of 1996 when he was featured on the remix to 112's debut single, "Only You", which peaked at number one on Billboard's Hot Dance Singles Sales chart as well as its Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart. With his soon-to-be-trademarked[citation needed] slow flow, Mase quickly developed a crossover fan base as he was featured on original tracks, as well as remixes, by popular R&B artists such as Brian McKnight, Mariah Carey, Keith Sweat, and Brandy, among others. Puff Daddy (Diddy) featured Mase on "Mo' Money, Mo' Problems" from The Notorious B.I.G.'s double-LP Life After Death, the album's biggest hit single. He then featured Mase on several songs on his own debut album, No Way Out: the lead single, "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down", which hit number one on the Rap, R&B, and Pop charts, as well as on "Been Around the World", which would also reach number one on Billboard's Hot Rap Tracks. By the time Mase released his own debut album, Harlem World, in late 1997, the rapper had become Bad Boy's premier artist, filling the void left by the death of Biggie Smalls. He is married to Twyla Betha and leads an international ministry.
Contents
[hide]
1 Early life
2 Career
2.1 Harlem World
2.2 Double Up and retirement
2.3 Return to music and subsequent controversy
2.4 Second comeback
3 Discography
3.1 Albums
3.2 Compilations
3.3 Official Mixtapes
3.4 Filmography
4 References
5 External links
[edit] Early life
Rapper Mase was born Mason Durell Betha in Jacksonville, Florida on August 27, 1975, moved to Harlem, New York City with his family at age five, returned to Florida at age 13, and then moved back to Harlem two years later.[1] Betha was a point guard for the Manhattan Center High School basketball team and in 1993 he performed as "Murder Mase" in a rap group called Children of the Corn which also included successful solo artists Big L and Cam'ron (at the time known as Killa Cam). Of his ten childhood friends, eight were murdered and two went to prison. While attending SUNY Purchase, Mase met hip hop producer Country, was introduced to producer Sean Combs, and dropped out of college to pursue a rap career.[2]
[edit] Career
[edit] Harlem World
Mase's first solo LP, '"Harlem World"', debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts.[1]
[edit] Double Up and retirement
Mase's sophomore effort, Double Up, was released in 1999 and distributed by Bad Boy Records and sold 107,000 copies in its first week, debuting at #11. Though it reached #5 when popular rap music was dominated by Master P and his No-Limit crew. Double Up also featured much more aggressive material. Perhaps no other sign was as clear as a line in the last song of the album, "From Scratch": "If I could do it all again, I'd do it all for Christ."
On April 20, 1999, during an interview with Funkmaster Flex on New York radio station Hot 97, Mase announced his retirement from music to pursue "a calling from God." He felt he was leading people, friends, kids and others down a path to hell, stating that he left to find God in his heart and follow him.[citation needed] He declared it was time for him to serve God in his way, saying rap was not real and that he wanted to deal with reality, and that he had become unhappy with what he did, no matter how much it paid.[citation needed]
[edit] Return to music and subsequent controversy
After a five-year hiatus from the music industry, Mase made a comeback with "Welcome Back" during the summer of 2004. Prior to the album's release, the rapper was featured on Nelly's "In My Life," as well as the remix to Fat Joe's "Lean Back".
Mase's third album, Welcome Back, released August 24, 2004. The album debuted at #4 on the charts, selling 188,000 copies in the first week; the album would eventually go gold, selling 559,000 copies in the United States. Released after a five-year break from the rap scene, the album was a product of Mase's newly developed Christian persona. Portraying a "cleaner" image during this short-lived return to the industry, Mase dubbed himself "a Bad Boy gone clean," on the lead single, also titled "Welcome Back." This new approach to rap was received with mixed reviews. However, even though the album was not a commercial success like Harlem World, the singles, "Welcome Back" and "Breathe, Stretch, Shake," received moderate radio airplay and video play on BET and MTV, with the latter reaching #28 on the Billboard Hot 100; both singles were also certified gold by the RIAA.
Mase for a short time had recorded for G-Unit. He has since said that working with the group was not something he regrets, but that the message he was sending was a mistake. He joined G-Unit to appeal to a different audience so they could see that they could change just as he did, thinking that "in order to get people where I'm at, I have to go back to where I once was." Under G-Unit, he released a "Crucified 4 The Hood: 10 Years of Hate," a mixtape from the DJ Whoo Kid series, but an official album was never released. According to 50, Diddy refused to let Mase out of his contract with Bad Boy for anything less than $2 million. Uncertain that Mase's album would sell well enough to make up for that type of investment, 50 gave up on trying to bring Mase onto G-Unit.
[edit] Second comeback
Following the formula that worked for him 13 years earlier, Mase has begun to appear on popular R&B artists' remixes. In early June 2009, he was featured on the last verse of "Uptown Boy" by Harry O, signed to The Inc., which also features Ron Browz. Weeks later, Mase appeared on a street remix for Drake's "Best I Ever Had." Mase stated that since the death of Michael Jackson it has lit the fire inside him and he is ready to come back. He appeared on Power 105.1 to have a phone conversation with "The Prince of New York" DJ Self to discuss his latest attempt at a comeback. During this interaction, former-friend-turned-rival, Jim Jones, called in to make peace and hinted at the possibility of the two working together in the near future. Mase would then use that very radio show as his outlet to release new music throughout the rest of the summer as he'd have a new song or feature premiere every Friday on DJ Self's show. On July 3, 2009, Mase appeared on the remix to Trey Songz' hit single "I Need A Girl," where he shouts out "And Diddy told them that '10 years from now we'll still be on top. I thought I told you that we won't stop," referring to the line on "Mo' Money, Mo' Problems."
In October 2009, Mase appeared on a live on-air interview on V-103 with appearance release forms to Bad Boy Records which he gave to Diddy in the middle of the interview for his signature. Diddy signed the forms and was quoted: "He has the freedom to go do whatever he wants to do." However, the forms do not end Mase's contractual obligations to Bad Boy Records, but rather allow him to appear on songs with artists from other labels.[3]
I Wanna Go
Mase Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From the first day i met you, i knew you was special
You had lot of drama but i used to protect you
When you was nieve, yo i could not let you
Do a lot of things, so i had to correct you
You thinkin if you juss went left, instead of right
Right now what would your life be like
And me, you know i love the good life
I watch you, as you turn and turn
And burn and burn from all your decisions
You could be a christian, rich somewhere
But you ain't tru to listen, so get somwhere
Itz never to late til itz to late, right now,
You is wit me, you be livin in a new state
Ridin around with new plates, livin in a new place
But you couldnt tell your crew, wait
[hook]
I want to go back to the days
You used to say when you were lovin me
And i was lovin you
I want to go
'cause i would do many things so differently
Baby me and you, would still be together
want to go back to the days
You know i see you on the beach, feed her rose petals
I tell you the truth, but then you want to go settle
A girl, like you is on another whole level
Try to move you out that hood, but you scared to leave the ghetto
I told you, anything you say you can have it
With me, i always spend a million on my fabric
Establish and lavage, karats since i have it
I'm married, and i don't mean i want you looking average
I thought you known that, take you where your zone at
Peeps, in the street talkin like they own that
I talk truth, but they only want facts
When you want to do right, you know where your homes at
I tell you wadel lennex, that mean wait a minute
Bracelet tennis, face then you finish
And just because you're not my girl
That doesn't mean you alone in this world
[hook]
I want to go back to the days
You used to say when you were lovin me
And i was lovin you
I want to go
'cause i would do many things so differently
Baby me and you, would still be together
want to go back to the days
I'm in love with a girl named Twyla
I'm in love with a girl from mississippi named Twyla
I'm in love with a girl named Twyla
I'm in love with a girl named Twyla Betha
Twyla Betha, i said Twyla Betha, Twyla Betha
You know I'm in love
I'm in love with a girl named Twyla
I'm in love with a girl from mississippi named Twyla
[hook]
I want to go back to the days
You used to say when you were lovin me
And i was lovin you
I want to go
'cause i would do many things so differently
Baby me and you, would still be together
want to go back to the days
I'm in love with a girl named Twyla
I'm in love with a girl from mississippi named Twyla
I'm in love with a girl named Twyla
I'm in love with a girl named Twyla Betha
Twyla Betha, i said Twyla Betha, Twyla Betha
You know I'm in love
I'm in love with a girl named Twyla
I'm in love with a girl from mississippi named Twyla
I want to go back to the days
You used to say when you were lovin me
[fades]
The lyrics to Mase's song "I Wanna Go" are about the rapper's desire to see a former lover doing well in life, even though their relationship did not work out. He reminisces about the early days of their relationship when he saw her potential despite the drama surrounding her. Mase explains that he had protected her when she was naive. The song suggests that she had made bad decisions that led her away from a successful life. The chorus of the song emphasizes Mase's wish to go back in time and change things so that they could stay together. However, he acknowledges that it is too late for that now.
The lyrics reveal a complicated relationship dynamic between Mase and his former love interest. He wants her to thrive in life, but also wants her to recognize his status as a wealthy man. However, he's still in love with her but not in a way that signals he wants them to be together again. Overall the song is a sentimental and bittersweet reflection of a past love that never seemed to reach its full potential.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey i juss want to see you doin good
I just want to see you doing well.
From the first day i met you, i knew you was special
I knew you were special from the very beginning of our relationship.
You had lot of drama but i used to protect you
You had a lot of problems and I wanted to protect you from them.
When you was nieve, yo i could not let you
When you were naive, I couldn't just let you be and make mistakes.
Do a lot of things, so i had to correct you
I had to correct you and help you make better decisions.
You thinkin if you juss went left, instead of right
You wonder how your life would be different if you made different choices.
Right now what would your life be like
You're wondering what your life would be like if things had gone differently.
And me, you know i love the good life
I enjoy the good life and all that comes with it.
And you, i know you hate the hood life
You don't like living in the hood and you want something better.
I watch you, as you turn and turn
I watch you make a lot of turns and changes in your life.
And burn and burn from all your decisions
You suffer consequences from your choices.
You could be a christian, rich somewhere
You have the potential to be successful and wealthy.
But you ain't tru to listen, so get somwhere
You don't listen to advice, so you don't make progress.
Itz never to late til itz to late, right now,
It's never too late to change until it is too late.
You is wit me, you be livin in a new state
You could be living in a better place with me.
Ridin around with new plates, livin in a new place
You could have a new life and a new start.
But you couldnt tell your crew, wait
But you can't leave your current situation and tell your friends to wait.
I want to go back to the days
I want to go back to the time when we were together.
You used to say when you were lovin me
You used to express your love for me when we were together.
And i was lovin you
And I loved you too.
I want to go
I want to go back to those times.
'cause i would do many things so differently
Because I would make different choices if I could go back in time.
Baby me and you, would still be together
If we could go back in time and do things differently, we would still be together.
You know i see you on the beach, feed her rose petals
I see you on the beach, enjoying life with another woman.
I tell you the truth, but then you want to go settle
I tell you the truth about what you could have with me, but you want to settle for less.
A girl, like you is on another whole level
You are a special woman and should be living a better life.
Try to move you out that hood, but you scared to leave the ghetto
I try to get you out of the ghetto, but you're afraid to leave.
I told you, anything you say you can have it
I told you that I would give you anything you want.
With me, i always spend a million on my fabric
I always spend a lot of money on expensive clothing.
Establish and lavage, karats since i have it
I am established and have a lot of money and jewelry.
I'm married, and i don't mean i want you looking average
I am married, but that doesn't mean I want you to look ordinary.
I thought you known that, take you where your zone at
I thought you knew that I could take you to a better place.
Peeps, in the street talkin like they own that
People are talking about what they own and control.
I talk truth, but they only want facts
I am telling the truth, but people only want to hear what they want to hear.
When you want to do right, you know where your homes at
If you want to do the right thing, you know where you should be.
I tell you wadel lennex, that mean wait a minute
I tell you to wait a minute before making any decisions.
Bracelet tennis, face then you finish
I buy expensive things like tennis bracelets and watches.
And just because you're not my girl
Just because we're not in a relationship.
That doesn't mean you alone in this world
That doesn't mean you're alone in the world and can't have a better life.
I'm in love with a girl named Twyla
I am in love with a woman named Twyla.
I'm in love with a girl from mississippi named Twyla
I am in love with a woman from Mississippi named Twyla.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: GERRY GOFFIN, MASON BETHA, MICHAEL MASSER, TYRICE D. JONES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind