The highly anticipated MADE IN AMERICA festival is returning triumphantly to Philadelphia’s Benjamin Franklin Parkway, promising an unforgettable experience with an extraordinary lineup. Since its inception, this festival has become a Labor Day weekend staple, attracting renowned artists and emerging talents to the City of Brotherly Love.
With its strong community focus, the Made In America festival has significantly impacted Philadelphia’s economy, contributing over $180 million since its two-day debut in 2012. This year, the festival will host Cause Village again, a platform dedicated to promoting and supporting various organizations tackling vital causes such as education, voter registration, animal welfare, LGBTQIA+ rights, arts and culture, social justice, and mental health.
Among the partners for Made In America 2023 are D’USSE, HUD, the United States Virgin Islands, and White Claw.
The full lineup for the festival is truly star-studded, with headliners SZA and Lizzo gracing the stage. Joining them are Miguel, Tems, Metro Boomin, Ice Spice, Coi Leray, Latto, Lil Yachty, Doechii, Lola Brooke, Coco Jones, Paris Texas, TiaCorine, Eem Triplin, Flau’jae Johnson, Tanerélle, and Weston Estate. A special joint set by Mase and Cam’ron is also set to captivate the audience.
The festival will occur on Saturday, September 2, 2023, and Sunday, September 3, 2023, at the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia, PA.
It isn’t easy for MCs to smoothly leave the music industry once fully engrained in it. One hit song is life-changing, propelling an artist from often impoverished circumstances to the top of the world. Even a “one-hit wonder” can change their family’s life off of the track’s notoriety. As a result, plenty of creatives hang onto the music industry far after their relevancy has passed, praying that they can re-create that musical magic. Their home, social circle, and way of life become engrained in grandiosity.
However, rapper Mase is a rare exception to this standard. Merely two years after his hit studio album Harlem World, he famously retired from hip-hop to pursue a calling from God. Even if the world was screaming out the hook to “Feel So Good,” the New York-raised personality wasn’t feeling it. He dropped it all to become an ordained minister while continuing his studies at Clark Atlanta University. During an interview with Funkmaster Flex, he announced his retirement, stating, “I told everyone that I don’t plan to be here for long. I planned to use rap as a stepping stone.” He continued, “It takes a great person to walk away from money. When my whole heart isn’t in it, I can’t do it.”
However, Mase’s departure from hip-hop had been in the works for a long time. He spent his adolescent years in The Bronx after being born in Jacksonville. However, his mother sent him back to Jacksonville after he began getting in trouble in the streets. While living in Jacksonville as a teenager, he began attending church. He wouldn’t spend much time back in Florida, returning to New York by the time he was 15. However, it was enough time for Mase to be influenced by the Christian lifestyle he was entrenched into.
Like many other MCs, Mase’s teenage aspirations revolved around the world of sports. After returning to New York, he pursued a career as a basketball player. He was the star point guard at Manhattan Center High School in the early 1990s. However, Mase would eventually pivot into a rapper career when he realized he wouldn’t make it to the NBA. His big break in the industry came in 1996 when he began rapping for Diddy (Puff Daddy at the time) at the Hard Rock Cafe. Shortly after, he would sign a $250,000 deal with Bad Boy Records.
Mase & Diddy Have Had An Extended Beef
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY – MAY 12: Mase attends DJ Cassidy’s Pass The Mic Live! at Prudential Center on May 12, 2023 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Shareif Ziyadat/Getty Images)
By the time he was ready to retire, Mase’s inscribed deal for Bad Boy Records would be the source of beef between the two MCs. Mase felt that his contractual obligations to the label still existed after his retirement, which caused him to construct a series of subtle disses at Diddy. However, the two would eventually reconcile their differences, that is, until the 2020 Grammys. After receiving the Icon Award, he blasted the Grammys. He boldly stated, “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.”
After his speech, Mase would re-ignite his opinions on Diddy’s treatment of his artists under Bad Boy Records. He told Vibe, “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.” While Diddy remained silent for a long time regarding the beef, he eventually came out in 2022 to defend his name on The Breakfast Club. He accused Mase of being a “fake pastor” who “went and conned people.” Lastly, he claimed that Mase owed him $3 million.
He Quit Hip-Hop To Focus On Ministry
Even after Mase retired from the hip-hop industry to pursue a religious career in ministry, he straddled between being a rapper and a pastor. Five years after his supposed retirement, he returned with the 2005’s self-explanatory Welcome Back. However, he hasn’t released a solo project since then. Outside the occasional release of a new single or a feature, Mase’s recent life has been focused on moving forward with his religious relationship. In 2021, he became the head of the Gathering Oasis Church. In addition, Cam’ron and Mase recently re-kindled their relationship as co-hosts on the It Is What It Is sports talk show.
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All eyes will be on the Los Angeles Lakers, and it won’t only be because fans are interested in their stats. The NBA mixed things up recently after trades were announced, and the Lakers have a lineup that gave pop culture pause. It seems that Scotty Pippen, son of Scottie and Larsa Pippen, will be playing for the team alongside Malik Beasley. This usually wouldn’t be a big deal; however, Beasley briefly dated Larsa just a couple of years ago.
Following the announcement of the 22-year-old Pippen moving to the Lakers, the commentary flowed. Cam’ron brought up the topic on his Killa Cam talk show, where he discusses sports. “Sh*t is f*cked up,” said Cam. “What the f*ck you doin’, Rob Pelinka,” he added, mentioning the Lakers’ Vice President of Operations. “You have to do your due diligence before you get n*ggas on the team!”
Mase chimed in to say that this could spell the “destruction to the locker room.” Cam seemingly agreed. “Yo, they do all this background check to see if n*ggas smokin’, to see if n*ggas criminal record, see whatever. Are you checkin’ to see if a n*gga boned another n*ggas mother before you get ’em on your team.”
Beasley and Larsa dated for just a few months, but their romance was hit with controversy. Their age gap was a hot topic, but Beasley was separated at the time, and his wife stirred the pot. She alleged that Larsa was cheating with Beasley, an accusation that the Real Housewives star fiercely denied. Scotty found his name entangled in controversy, but he has kept a level head, at least publicly.
These days, Larsa is reportedly dating Marcus Jordan, son of sports giant Michael Jordan. Yes; that means she’s dating the son of her ex-husband’s teammate. This pairing has also faced controversy, but the couple has taken it in stride. They’ve posed together in social media photos and even showed off their secret handshake. It is unclear what the two former Chicago Bulls icons think about Larsa and Marcus, but it doesn’t look like the couple cares much about what the world has to say.
Brooklyn rapper Papoose has just been named the head of hip-hop at music distributor Tunecore. In a brief message, he also says he would like for rappers to sign with them and stop singing bad deals. Brooklyn rapper Papoose has just announced that he is the head of hip-hop at music distributor, Tunecore. Papoose, who […]
Three New York legends are set to bring their brand of Hip-Hop across the country. On Friday, Jadakiss, Cam’ron, and Ma$e announced the 3 headed Monster Tour.
“On the road again!” Jadakiss wrote on Instagram. “#3HeadedMonsterTour coming to a city near you.”
The tour will begin on the east coast, touching Philly, Pittsburgh, and Bridgeport, CT, before taking a trip south for Norfolk, Atlanta, and Ft. Lauderdale.
You can see the dates below and grab tickets here.
