Ma$e was a pretty big deal in his youth. There is no disputing that.
However, the Harlem rapper may have a somewhat inflated opinion of how big.
During his podcast, Ma$e made a bold claim about Drake.
“My initial start was hotter than Drake.”
Mase reveals he studied Redman, Nas, LL Cool J, and Method Man to develop his Rap style and says he didnāt listen to Biggie at first because he was a 2Pac fan but started after signing to Bad Boy.
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ā The Art Of Dialogue (@ArtOfDialogue_) March 5, 2025
“My initial start was hotter than Drake,” he said.
Let’s go to the numbers to see if that’s true.
Ma$e’s debut album, which came about a year after he signed with Bad Boy and got famous, did 273K in its first week and has been certified quadruple platinum. Ā Before that, he had some regional success with Cam’ron and Big L in Children of the Corn, but he was far from a household name.
Drake’s first album,Ā Thank Me Later, did 447K in its first week and has gone on to sell about five million copies.Ā Before that, he had some pretty successful mixtapes and extended plays.
So we are going to have rule Ma$e’s flex a stretch too far.