Released in October of that year, his debut studio album, Harlem World (1997), peaked atop the Billboard 200 chart, received quadruple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and spawned his third top ten single as a lead artist, "Lookin' at Me" (featuring Puff Daddy).
Prior, Mase performed as a member of the hip hop group Children of the Corn, which he formed in 1993 with fellow New York City-based rappers including Cam'ron and Big L. Two years later, he founded the hip hop group Harlem World, who signed with Jermaine Dupri's So So Def Recordings to release their only album, The Movement (1999).
Despite receiving gold certifications by the RIAA, both albums were met with largely mixed critical reception and he parted ways with Bad Boy after the latter; his subsequent releases have been few and far between, and each have failed to chart.
Amidst Combs' sexual misconduct allegations and ongoing criminal trials since 2024, Mase unveiled his previous falling out and dissociation with the rapper due to suspected concerns, referring to his woes as "payback".
During his early teenage years, Betha began getting into trouble on the streets of Harlem, and when he was 13 his mother sent him back to Jacksonville to live with relatives.
After returning to live in Harlem at age 15, Betha began showing promise as a basketball player, becoming the leading point guard for his team at Manhattan Center High School during the 1993 season, where he played alongside Cameron Giles, who went on to be known as the rapper Cam'ron.
He had hopes of joining the National Basketball Association (NBA), but was unable to make it into a Division I College due to his poor academic scores.
He attended State University of New York at Purchase, where he grew to realize he was unlikely to make the NBA and instead began focusing more on writing music, producing demo tapes, and regularly performing at local nightclubs.
Cudda took then 20-year-old Mase to Atlanta, Georgia, where Jermaine Dupri and Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs were attending a rap convention.
Shortly after meeting and rapping for Puff Daddy at the Hard Rock Café, Mase signed a $250,000 deal with Bad Boy Records.
He also appeared on numerous hit songs with other Bad Boy artists, including Puff Daddy's "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" and "Been Around the World" and the Notorious B.I.G.
[4] During 1997, Mase also appeared on songs with Puff Daddy, Mariah Carey's "Honey", Brian McKnight's "You Should Be Mine (Don't Waste Your Time)", and Brandy's "Top of the World".
He and Harlem World member Blinky Blink were featured on Blackstreet & Mýa's song "Take Me There", which appeared on the soundtrack of The Rugrats Movie.
[12] 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 claimed 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.
[13] He said 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 had become unhappy with what he did, no matter how much money it had made him.
The same year, Mase enrolled as a freshman at Clark Atlanta University, a historically black college, and began taking classes on August 19.
In September 2012, Mase appeared on Kanye West's album Cruel Summer, on the track "Higher" with The-Dream, Pusha T, and Cocaine 80s.
He also said his wish list for guest appearances would include Jay-Z, Diddy, Beyoncé, Drake, 2 Chainz, Lauryn Hill, Meek Mill, Fabolous, Ariana Grande, Dipset, Eric Bellinger, Seal and CeeLo Green.