Rapper Mase took to Instagram on Friday to unleash his personal feelings toward Sean "Diddy" Combs' speech at the Grammys. Combs, who spent the weekend celebrating Black excellence at the annual Roc Nation brunch, took to the stage to receive his 2020 Grammy Salute to Industry Icons Award and to call out recording labels and their unfair business practices toward Black artists.
After thanking his musical family for their support after the passing of his ex-girlfriend and mother to three of his children, Kim Porter, he went on to share his candid feelings about the industry. The 50-year-old, who also addressed the lack of diversity at the Grammys, encouraged artists to take back control and demand transparency.
"My goal used to be about making hit records. Now it's about ensuring that the culture moves forward. My culture, our culture, the Black culture. And for me to be worthy of an icon award, I have to use my experience to help make a change," Diddy said.
The music mogul ended his speech by telling the Grammys they have 365 days to address his demands for "protecting the welfare of the musical community." However, Mase says Diddy should look to rectify his past before calling out others.
Mase, who started his career working under the direction of Diddy and Bad Boys Records, said on Instagram he will be the first artist to take back control of his career — starting with the entrepreneur.
"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," the rapper said.
"I heard u loud and clear when u said that u are now for the artist and to that my response is if u want to see change you can make a change today by starting with yourself," Mase said. "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."
Mase accused Diddy of holding onto his publishing rights from over nearly two decades ago and refusing to allow him to purchase the rights back for $2 million.
"Your response was if I can match what the European guy offered 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. You bought it for about 20k & I offered you 2m in cash. This is not black excellence at all," he said.
He said Diddy's shady business practices make him reluctant to work with him in the future after being "robbed" and having his brand "tarnished."
"I would be forced to still perform to not look crazy when I was getting peanuts and the robbery would continue," Mase continued in his Instagram post.
Mase, who is now a minister, alleged that he continued to be faithful to his business relationship with Diddy while refusing to call him out for his antics in the hopes of reaching a point to address the situation with sincerity and not out of spite.
The 44-year-old ended his lengthy Instagram post encouraging Diddy to stop hiding behind "Love," the mogul's middle name, and give his artists their publishing rights.
Back in 2016, Mase and other former members of the Bad Boy family reunited for a nationwide tour, as Blavity previously reported. While the status of their business relationship at the time of the tour is unclear, the shows appeared to be successful and left fans in a 90s trance.
