Jim Jones on Why Mase Left Harlem: It 'Can Be a Rough Place'

Mase famously retired from music in 1999 and moved to Atlanta to become a pastor.

Since then, rumors have abounded as to why Murda Mase left Harlem. In a new interview with Cam Capone News, Jim Jones was asked why he thought Mase abandoned his home borough.

“I believe that he started studying religion,” Capo said. “Took a sudden hiatus—went down to Atlanta, got closer to God. It’s nothing wrong with that. I don’t know the ins and outs of it per se. I mean, Harlem can be a rough place when you around some of the illest hustlers."

He went on to namedrop Baby J, also known as Baby Maine.

He explained, “It’s a lot of people … that really was in Harlem going crazy and really was a star. It was hard to be a star in Harlem at that time. It was a lot of stars out there, a lot of competition. In the midst of you living so fast, sometimes you wanna give your life to God ‘cause it’s hard when you sinning. You heard? God bless him though. … I’m a God-fearing man so I can’t really talk too bad about that situation.”

Just two years before Mase took his leave, he dropped his debut album, Harlem World, via Bad Boy Records. It spawned hit songs like “Feel So Good,” “Lookin’ at Me,” and “What You Want.”

Then, on April 20, 1999, following his second Bad Boy album Double Up, the former Children of the Corn rapper called Funkmaster Flex on Hot 97 to announce his retirement from music.

“I gotta do what make me happy,” he told Flex. “A lot of people going to say I’m crazy, I’m leaving money behind … but it’s just … how I feel in my heart. Once God put something in your heart, you know, God talk to everybody different.”

Mase added, “I don’t want to make no records, I don’t want to rap on no records, and I don’t want to run no record companies.”

Rumors swirled at the time that Mase moved to Atlanta because he was beefing with Harlem’s Baby Maine, allegedly due to Mase becoming romantically involved with the mother of Maine’s children. Maine was later reportedly killed.

After a five-year hiatus, Mase returned to music and released his third album Welcome Back in 2004.