Mase is a hip-hop artist who rose to attention during the 1990s Golden Age of hip-hop. Signed to Sean Combs aka Puff Daddy's label Bad Boy Records, he released his first solo album Harlem World, in 1997. The album put him on the map as a pioneer of contemporary R&B along with label-mates such as Faith Evans and Total. Despite the massive success of his debut and follow up record, 1999's Double Up, Mase retired from music to pursue a life as a minister. He returned to rapping five years later with the 2004 summer hit "Welcome Back," which would become title-track off of his third record. After 16 years with Bad Boys Records, Mase was released from his contract in 2012 after years of struggling for creative control. Despite their differences, he and Sean Combs, who once again took on the moniker Puff Daddy, went on to tour together on the 20th anniversary of Bad Boy Records tour in 2016.
