Ma$e is know as one of the iconic artists under Diddy’s Bad Boy label, but did you know his loyalty as a fan initially leaned more toward Tupac Shakur than his future label mate, The Notorious B.I.G.
Get this, in a recent appearance on It Is What It Is, Ma$e opened up about his journey to signing with Bad Boy and how his musical influences shaped his early career. Upon joining the label, Ma$e shared that he dedicated much time to refining his craft, working on his flow, and improving his delivery.
“I worked on it for like six months,” he explained. “I studied people like Method Man, I studied people like LL. I got my waves from Nas, I got my bounce from Method Man, I got my songwriting from LL.”
Moreover, despite being on the verge of joining Bad Boy, Ma$e admitted that his musical tastes initially didn’t align with the label’s biggest star at the time, Biggie Smalls. “I wasn’t at first listening to Big. I was more like a Tupac fan. So when I got signed to Bad Boy, it was like, now I’m with Bad Boy, but I was really a Tupac fan,” he confessed.
Get this: Ma$e’s perspective changed after spending more time with Biggie. The two developed a close relationship, and Biggie helped Ma$e improve his skills as an artist. “Biggie was letting me hear his raps… And I learned so much about rap like that,” he said.
Here’s what’s interesting. The turning point for Ma$e came when Biggie invited him to perform at the legendary Apollo Theater. “One day, he was performing at the Apollo, and he brought me out, and that was the part that just changed everything,” Ma$e remembered.
After that pivotal moment, Ma$e and Biggie collaborated on several iconic tracks. His first significant feature was on 112’s remix of “Only You,” alongside Biggie. Ma$e was also featured on Biggie’s massive hit “Mo Money, Mo Problems,” which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks. That same year, they also worked together on “Been Around the World,” which peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100.