Mase Addresses Maybach Signing Rumors, Preps Comeback

'I think I'm meant to do it,' says rapper, who drops a new verse on Wale's 'Slight Work' remix.
By Rob Markman

Mase
Photo: Tim Mosenfelder/ Getty Images

Mase went from Harlem World to on top of the world to his own world, and now he wants it all back. It was 13 years ago when the charismatic rap star with the boyish smile unexpectedly pulled the plug on his flourishing career so he could dedicate his life to God.

On April 20, 1999, Mase called New York radio DJ Funkmaster Flex to announce his retirement from rap months before his sophomore LP, Double Up, was scheduled to drop. "I gotta do what makes me happy. A lot of people gonna say I'm crazy, I'm leaving money behind and a lot of things, but it's just how I feel in my heart," he said on the radio 13 years ago. "Once God puts something in your heart, you know, God talks to everybody different."

He tried his hand at a comeback with his gold-selling Welcome Back album in 2004 and then again as a member of 50 Cent's G-Unit crew, but it was all short-lived.

Well, M-A-dollar sign-E is back at it. On Tuesday night, Wale dropped his "Slight Work" remix featuring French Montana, Diddy and Mase. Right after that, the former Bad Boy rapper called Flex on Hot 97 to catch up. "Nobody gets as many chances as I got," Mase said over the phone with a chuckle. "I think I'm meant to do it. That's the conclusion I came to."

Last week, after a picture of Rick Ross, Montana, Omarion, producer Rico Love and Mase in the studio was posted online, rumors began to swirl of a Maybach Music signing. Montana suggested to XXL magazine that a deal may be in the works, but Mase wouldn't confirm whether he was planning to sign with Rozay.

"[Rico Love] just called and asked me to take a ride with him — I didn't know who was gonna be in the studio," Mase explained. "I got there and everybody was there, and they just said, 'Take a flick.' The next thing I know I got a Maybach chain, I got 20 beats from Kanye. The stories just keep getting crazier."

If he does return to music full-time, Mase wants to do things on his terms. He feels that his strong religious association has restricted his musical output. "I can only do music if I can do it the way I can do it," he said. "That's what be making me stop. I don't want to do music in a box, like everybody say what I can't do, 'he can't say this.' "

While the slow-flowed MC says that he will always put God first, he is ready to take the gloves off while in the studio. "I'm taking all my limitations off," he promised. "They gonna have to pray for me."

Should Mase return to rap for good? Tell us in the comments!

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Foster The People Keep The Show Rolling In 'Houdini' Video

Band is the model of professionalism after an on-stage mishap.
By Gil Kaufman

Foster the People's Marc Foster in the "Houdini" music video

Singers have taken the stage with sore throats, broken feet and all manner of cuts, scrapes and bruises, both mental and physical. But after surviving a high-speed car chase in their "Don't Stop"
clip, when the time came for Foster the People to suit up for the video for "Houdini", the fourth single from their smash debut album, Torches, they decided to show just how dedicated they are to going on with the show.

Just seconds into the clip directed by Daniels (The Shins, Chromeo), a lighting rig crushes the band's members the day before a major gig. That doesn't wash with a mysterious businessman, who shows up on set determined to see that the concert goes off, no matter what. His minions slap corsets on the boys and lash them to men in black body suits who stand behind them and manipulate their arms and heads as if the pop trio were human marionettes.

With a snap of his fingers, the businessman gets the lights turned off and, what do you know? The boys are actually pretty awesome dancers. The crew rejoices and we quickly learn that in a "West World"-like reveal that the band is made up of cyborgs.

Actually it's kind of hard to know what exactly is going on, but the fellas are somehow rebooted and able to pull off the sold-out show the next night, bringing tears to the eyes of their crew. Oh, and they also have superpowers that allow them to hop way up in the air and dance like pros. But, by the end they are either so wiped out, or their batteries are so depleted, that they crash on the couch backstage as everyone celebrates their triumph around them.

The video comes one year after the release of Torches and a month before FTP prepare to launch their summer tour on May 29. The outing includes three sold-out nights in New York's Central Park, where they will play to more than 17,000 fans, as well as a first-ever trip to the Bonnaroo Arts and Music Festival. After playing alongside the reunited Beach Boys
 at this year's Grammys, they will hook up with the legendary beach pop group on two of their summer dates.

What do you think of the 'Houdini' video? Let us know in comment below.

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• Foster the People

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Bond Graces 'Empire' Cover, 'Skyfall' Trailer Debuts At CinemaCon

Not many details have escaped from the set of the next Bond movie, "Skyfall," but the latest issue of Empire and the Sony panel at CinemaCon have shed some light on the upcoming 007 adventure. The first teaser trailer for "Skyfall" is set to premiere next month in front of "Men in Black III," but [...]

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AT&T breaks own smartphone sales record in Q1, iPhone still dominates

AT&T this morning announced its first-quarter 2012 earnings. The carrier sold a Q1 record 5.5 million smartphones -- 78 percent of them iPhones. That leaves 1.2 million Android and BlackBerry smartphones to make up the difference. AT&T didn't give a breakdown of non-iPhone sales, but it is worth noting that the heavily marketed Samsung Galaxy Note wasn't available until Feb. 19, so it missed half the quarter.

AT&T added 726,000 subscribers for the three months ending March 31, and saw its lowest churn in seven quarters.

Source: AT&T

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Fort Atlantic releases new album on modded NES cartridge, no chiptunes in sight

It's getting tough for bands to out retro each other these days (what with even cassettes making something of a comeback), but Birmingham, Alabama's own Fort Atlantic has managed to come up with something that's likely to break through the nostalgia-filled haze. While you'll soon be able to buy the band's self-titled debut album in all the usual formats, you can now pre-order a limited edition version that ships a week before the proper release date and comes in the form of an NES cartridge modded to hold a USB drive ($25 and apparently limited to just 50). That includes the full album in both lossless and MP3 formats, along with an added EP, videos and other bonuses. Unlike past NES album releases, though, there's no chiptunes to be found here -- you can listen to one song from the album courtesy of the Paste Magazine link below, and see frontman Jon Black explain the cartridge decision in the video after the break.

Continue reading Fort Atlantic releases new album on modded NES cartridge, no chiptunes in sight

Fort Atlantic releases new album on modded NES cartridge, no chiptunes in sight originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PSA: Sprint's LTE-infused Galaxy Nexus now available online and in stores

Google itself may have thrown the pricing situation out of whack by offering up a contract-free GSM version of Samsung's Galaxy Nexus for just $399, but those adhering to Sprint's plans can't make use of that, anyway. The other CDMA / LTE-infused Galaxy Nexus is now shipping from Sprint, several months ahead of its first LTE rollout. $199.99 on a two-year contract nets you a device, while you can snag one for $549.99 sans any strings. It's also available in stores nationwide for those who'd prefer to try before they buy, and yes, Sprint users who activate a Google Wallet account within a week of activation will receive a $10 instant credit and an additional $40 within three weeks. Just try to ignore that Galaxy S III that'll launch next month, okay? (It's not a pure Google device, anyway.)

PSA: Sprint's LTE-infused Galaxy Nexus now available online and in stores originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Apr 2012 17:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Skype for Windows Phone working on Nokia Lumia 610, scoffs at memory restrictions

Remember the unfortunate news that Skype's new Windows Phone app wasn't compatible with low-memory devices? Well, the app is now compatible with the incoming Nokia Lumia 610. After "some challenges early on", Nokia tells us that the app is primed for use when the entry-level Windows Phone eventually hits Asian store at the end of April. Now one problem remains; which color?

Skype for Windows Phone working on Nokia Lumia 610, scoffs at memory restrictions originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Apr 2012 05:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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