Ma$e Addresses Comeback, MMG Rumors And More With Hot 97’s Funkmaster Flex

Judging by Tuesday's (April 24) Wale-released, "Slight Work (Remix)"— Mason "Ma$e" Betha is back. If his guest appearance on the track, alongside Diddy, Wale and French Montana, wasn't an indication of his return to rap, then it was made clear last night during his phone-in interview with Hot 97's Funkmaster Flex. Thirteen years ago (April 20, 1999), it was with Flex that Ma$e declared his retirement on the very show and station.

"To keep it one hundred with you, nobody gets as many chances as I got," said Ma$e about returning to rap. "I think I'm meant to do it. I keep throwing it away and it keeps coming back to me, it must be meant."

Citing French Montana as the reason for his return on Wale's Ambition remix cut— telling Flex: "A lot of love got to go out to French.He showed me Harlem love and he aint even from Harlem, it's crazy. He called Wale one time and then Wale was like, 'Yo come to the studio.'—Ma$e spoke on a range of topics.

Since his 2004 Welcome Back comeback album, M-A-Dollar Sign-E has had his fair share of returns to the game, including a short stint with G-Unit back in 2005.  "I really don't want to talk about them at this point," the Harlemite responded after being asked about his relationship with 50 and the whole camp. "You know I think all of them are rich enough, they don't need no Ma$e media. I can't say I spoke to him, but I know we probably ended on good terms, we shouldn't have no issues. I respect what he doing." This comes as the rapper-turned-Pastor-turned-rapper again has been amidst rumors of possibly joining Rick Ross' Maybach Music Group roster. As if last week's in-studio photo with Ross didn't fuel the rumors enough, Ma$e's "Slight Work (Remix)" verse added more speculation as he casually spits, "Only dude from the Unit, MMG recruited."

Speaking on the matter, the former Bad Boy artist had this say: "I was [only] in the back of a picture," he told Flex while downplaying the speculation. "I really went to Miami to kick it with Rico [Love] [who's] a longtime friend of mine. We was just chillin' and catching up and he just called me to take a ride with him. I ain’t know who was gonna be in the studio and all of that [so] I got there and everybody was there and they just said, 'Let's take a flick' and next thing I know I got a Maybach, Maybach chain [Laughs] and 20 beats from Kanye. The story just keeps getting crazy."

He did leave room for more speculation on the matter after answering Flex's question about whether or no he's spoken to Shyne. "Nah I haven't spoken to him, but on another note that dude Rick Ross, lyrically he's amazing," he offered.

Before closing out the interview Ma$e spoke more on his return to rap telling Flex, who asked if an album was in the works, "I could only do music if I could do it the way I could do it. That's what be making me stop, I don't wanna do music in the box. Like everybody [saying] what I can't do and that he can't say this but, when you need me to come do something for you, I have to be able to come to that event. So I'm taking all limitations off man, they gon' have to pray for me."—Ralph Bristout