Sean Combs’s major speech at Clive Davis’s dinner last Saturday night has completely backfired. I previously reported on how the speech was riddled with inaccuracies and omissions, portraying Combs as a fighter for musicians’ rights and Disneyfying his career.
Rapper Mase, who had major successes in the 1990s with Sean Combs, Puff Daddy, and P Diddy, has now opened up about their connection. Twenty-four years ago, Mase claims Puffy paid him only $20,000 for his publishing rights. Mase now demands their return. He claims to have made a $2 million deal to Combs to win them back. Combs does not appear to have responded.
Mase, whose real name is Mason Durell Betha, claims that the rights will return to him after he is 50. However, six years is a long time, and he is only 44. (This also implies that he was 20 when he signed the contract.) Paradoxically, Mase performed to applauding spectators last Saturday during the Combs tribute. But Puffy had not yet canonized himself with his now-famous remarks. I’m not sure who represents Mase in the record industry, but I hope this Instagram post helps him win his rights. The rapper The Lox and Faith Evans both deserve this.
I listened to your #Grammy address in which you stated that you are now an advocate for artists and that they need to regain control. Therefore, I’ll be the first to suggest that. Also, we as Black people need to take better care of ourselves before we expect other ethnic groups to do the same. in particular, the authors. I clearly heard you when you stated that you are now in favor of the artist, and in response, I say that if you want to see change, you need start changing yourself right now.
Knowingly continuing to starve your artists and treating them incredibly unfairly—the same artists who helped you win the Icon Award on the venerable Badboy label—are examples of your past business practices. You still have my publishing, for instance, from 24 years ago, when you gave me $20k. Which is why I will never want to collaborate with you, just as any artist would not want to work with someone who is robbing them and ruining their reputation when they refuse to follow his ridiculous business plan.
But everyone was continually asking, “What’s up with Mase?” The robbery would therefore go on and I would have to continue performing to avoid looking mad while receiving peanuts. In music, so many wonderful moments and lives were lost. However, even though I rode by you through death without faltering, you would still do incorrectly. I refrained from speaking until I was in a better financial position to make sure that my intentions were sincere and not vindictive. You keep yelling about black brilliance and love, which is insulting, but I know that love isn’t free.
