Can't Stop Ma$e

(Friend and sometimes blogger Anthony wrote this piece. Consider him our rap correspondent.)

Em - Ay - Dolla Sign - E.

For those of you who don't appreciate the fine art of phonetic spelling, I just spelled out one of the most unlikely cultural icons of our generation - Ma$e.

And for those who don't know, I'm a huge Ma$e fan. I love the guy. Loved him ever since he blew up with Diddy in the late '90's and loved him for his whole story.

I legit got giddy when Ma$e came back last time with the timeless banger, "Welcome Back."

If you look at the scope of what this guy has done, I'm really not alone. I would argue people might even like Ma$e more than Diddy. Anytime you're part of the Bad Boy Family, you have a place in people's hearts. But, the truth is, Ma$e just has that place more than most people.

Truth be told, he only has three albums under his belt. His second album, "Double Up," wasn't received as well as his classic first one, "Harlem World." He doesn't even have nearly the same amount of hits or appearances as many other rap icons, but Ma$e's legacy is much more about his story.

After he killed it on the "No Way Out" CD as well as on "Life After Death," including chronic guest appearances on the hits "Been Around the World" and "Mo Money, Mo Problems," Ma$e released his first album, the aforementioned "Harlem World."

Not even a joke - Ma$e went 4x Platinum. Say that out loud to yourself. Ma$e is a four times platinum rap artist. The guy wasn't even really a product of his environment - his emcee skills are good and he's always been unreal to listen to. You're tellin' me that you can't still bump "What You Want," "Feel So Good" or my personal favorite, "Lookin' at Me"? That album is a straight classic.

After "Double Up," Ma$e realized he'd been living too much of the high life and decided to retire and become a minister. Mason Betha was no longer going to grace the mic as the guilt of partying had started to weigh on him. (To be fair, I'm going through the same period of self-doubt right now. Did pass my liver tests, though, biatttttchhhhh).

So much to my dismay and that of his other superfans, Ma$e fell off the rap planet before hopping back in the rocket and showing up with his new CD, "Welcome Back." I'm big on record sales and, well, Ma$e sells. His two albums post-"Harlem World" have been certified Gold by the RIAA (totaling 5 million for his career - an incredible number considering he was just supposed to be Diddy's sidekick. This wouldn't be that different than finding out Murphy Lee or Obie Trice had sold 5 million albums.)

"Welcome Back" gave us the hit title track along with "Breathe, Stretch, Shake" which still blows clubs out when it comes on. After the "Welcome Back" stage, Ma$e was in all sorts of rumors involving G-Unit but apparently Diddy didn't want to relinquish his superstar and the negotiations frustrated Ma$e to the point of going back into seclusion. Ma$e even called his time with G-Unit a mistake as he didn't believe it sent the right message. Also, 50 Cent said it sucked because he was the second-best slow-flow rapper in the group and it made him realize even more how bad he actually was. OK, I made that part up. But it's probably true.

You get what you pay for with Ma$e. He's gonna give you the lispy, slow flow with a lot of quick rhymes and some crispy punchlines. Many people argue Ma$e inspired some of the fire rappers out today including Fabolous, who uses a similar style of delivery. You're tellin' me people would be disappointed to have Ma$e as their college graduation speaker? Followed by a quick little concert? You're kidding. Nick and I used to joke the greatest moment of our lives would have been if our speaker got cancelled and Ma$e showed up to wax lyrical.

Anyway, the long and the short of it is Ma$e is back -- again. He squashed his beef with Cam'ron and recorded a new single (seen here on Music Monday - good looks by DJ Perk). He supposedly has another album in the works. And since 2009 is the year of the comeback (and the summer of The Kid), Ma$e is looking to make a splash. Apparently, Ma$e was inspired by the death of Michael Jackson (a similar, but probably less famous artist) and didn't want to keep his greatness to himself anymore. It Feels So Good.

No one knows why Ma$e is so revered or so interesting to people. But the truth is, I would read a Ma$e book in a second. I mean, from partying with Biggie and Puff to changing his lifestyle to become a preacher to coming back and rolling with the ever-turbulent G-Unit crew? This is good, readable material.

Anyway, get ready for rap to make a solid run this summer. In the next few months, we're looking at a new Fabolous CD, a new Lil' Wayne CD, Jay-Z's new one and possibly a new one from Ma$e.

I honestly might be the most excited for Ma$e.