Mase Blasts Diddy for ‘Robbing’ Him of Music Royalties

Mase and Diddy (Credit: Shutterstock)

Mase is accusing Sean “Diddy” Combs of shady business practices.

During an acceptance speech after receiving an industry Icon Award at a pre-Grammys gala hosted by Clive Davis last weekend, Diddy called out the Recording Academy for failing to give hip-hop and R&B proper respect.

“Truth be told, hip-hop has never been respected by the Grammys. Black music has never been respected by the Grammys to the point that it should be,” he said.

Diddy isn’t the only artist to question the Recording Academy’s diversity record. But Mase says Diddy is one to talk, considering he doesn’t respect his own artists.

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On Friday, Mase posted a photo on Instagram of a tweet from rapper Meek Mill about “young black kids in slave contracts in the music business.”

In the caption, Mase unloaded on Diddy, saying the mogul “robbed” him of music royalties.

“@diddy I heard your #Grammy speech about how u are now for the artist and about how the artist must take back control. So I will be the first to take that initiative,” he began. “Also, before we ask of other ethnicities to do us right we should do us as black people better.”

Mase continued: “If u want to see change you can make a change today by starting with yourself. Your past business practices knowingly has continued purposely starved your artist and been extremely unfair to the very same artist that helped u obtain that Icon Award on the iconic Badboy label. For example, u still got my publishing from 24 years ago in which u gave me $20k. Which makes me never want to work w/ u as any artist wouldn’t after u know someone is robbing you & tarnishing your name when u don’t want to comply w/ his horrendous business model.”

Mase said he recently tried to buy back his publishing rights for $2 million, but Diddy declined.

“To add insult, u keep screaming black excellence and love but I know love isn’t free. So I offered u 2m in cash just a few days ago to sell me back my publishing (as his biggest artist alive) that always show u respect for u giving me an opportunity at 19 yrs old,” Mase added. “Your response was if I can match what the EUROPEAN GUY OFFER him that would be the only way I can get it back. Or else I can wait until I’m 50 years old and it will revert back to me from when I was 19 years old.”

Mase then urged Diddy to stop preaching about black excellence until he starts to practice it.

“This is not black excellence at all. When our own race is enslaving us. If it’s about us owning, it can’t be about us owning each other. No More Hiding Behind ‘Love’. U CHANGED? GIVE THE ARTIST BACK THEIR $$$. So they can take care of their families,” he said.

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Mase scored several hits in the 1990s when he was an artist on Diddy’s Bad Boy label, before retiring and becoming a minister.

So far Diddy hasn’t responded on social media to Mase’s comments.