Although he no longer goes by Murder Mase, the Harlem bred MC isn’t ready to shed all of his old style. After getting in the booth to spit a couple of lines on Nelly’s song “I Still Love You”, Mase began to get that feeling back. “I left because I had to get my mind right,” Mase told MTV about retiring from rap April 4, 1999. “I wasn’t mentally ready to deal with how hip-hop was and the role I played in hip-hop. I had to do it for me and for the sake of my spirituality. The reason for me coming back is, now I can handle it. It won’t control me; I control it. Before, I wasn’t ready. Even after three years away, I wasn’t ready to take this stand”.
Working on his album for the last few months secretly with his former manager Cudda Love, who is now the president of Fo’ Reel Entertainment, Mase worked with up and coming producers to put his new album together. “It was simple,” he continued. “After being away for five years, there are still a lot of things I want to talk about, I just couldn’t fit them all on the same album. But I didn’t want to come back so different that it scared you. I wanted to do something that was beautiful that you could relate to, something that you can think is retro Mase. Then, as I grow as an artist, I’ll allow the audience to grow with me.” As well as the release of his new album “Welcome Back” in August, Mase will welcome his first child this year.
