Mase

American rapper Mase was born in Jacksonville, Florida. While he initially dreamed of joining the NBA and having a professional career in basketball, he ended up leaving college to focus on writing music, producing demo tapes and performing at local night clubs instead. His first serious venture into the music business was with childhood friend Cam'ron, and later with the hop hop group Children of the Corn. He would go on to sign a record deal not long after, featuring in songs with Notorious B.I.G. and Puff Daddy. His debut album, "Harlem World" (1997) was a success, reaching number 1 in the Billboard charts. In 1998, Mase formed his own record label, All Out Records. The following year, despite the success of his second album, "Double Up" (1999), Mase decided to retire from rapping to pursue spirituality. His return to music would only come about five years later, to mixed reactions. In the years that followed, he collaborated with several different artists, releasing new songs sporadically, and most recently appearing in Kanye West's album "Cruel Summer" (2012). His rapping style has remained a huge influence on hip hop to this day.