Diddy’s efforts to fly the flag for “black excellence” in the zeitgeist have been chopped down by his former artist Mase who says that there is nothing excellent about the way the mogul exploits black musicians for financial gain.
Read his statement, and portions of the debate it sparked online, below…
After watching Diddy condemn the Grammys for not giving black musicians the respect they deserve, a confused Mase took to Instagram to share why he believes Diddy is a part of the very system he is criticising.
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. Also, before we ask of other ethnicities to do us right we should do us black people better. Especially the creators. 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. 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. For example, u still got my publishing from 24 years ago in which u gave me $20k. Which makes me never want to work w/ u as any artist wouldn’t after u know someone is robbing you & tarnishing your name when u don’t want to comply w/ his horrendous business mode.
Mase feels that Diddy’s business practices are just as harmful and exploitative as the structures and systems the mogul says he wants to dismantle.
However, people would always ask what’s up w/ Mase? So I would be forced to still perform to not look crazy when I was getting peanuts and the robbery would continue. So many great moments and people lives in music were lost. But again, I rode with u in the face of death without flinching & u still wouldn’t do right. I never said anything because I wanted to wait until I was financially great so I can ensured that I was addressing this from a pure place and not out of spite. To add insult, u keep screaming black excellence and love but I know love isn’t free. So I offered u 2m in cash just a few days ago to sell me back my publishing(as his biggest artist alive) that always show u respect for u giving me an opportunity at 19 yrs old. Your response was if I can match what the EUROPEAN GUY OFFER 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. When our own race is enslaving us. If it’s about us owning, it can’t be about us owning each other. No More Hiding Behind “Love”. U CHANGED? GIVE THE ARTIST BACK THEIR $$$. So they can take care of their families.
His remarks inspired a Twitter debate centred on black capitalism and a supposed class of black musicians/millionaires whose wealth and social status is built on the backs on the very people they claim to be uplifting.
See below…
I’ve never felt Diddy was genuine. Even after the Grammy speech. Mase just confirmed a lot of those feelings. He preaches black excellence but look at where a lot of his former artists are now. A lot of them could’ve and should’ve had more longevity and a been more relevant today
— Nomi (@literallynaomi) January 31, 2020
Mase ain't wrong here. Diddy spoke truth at the awards show, but it also opens the door for accountability regarding his specific actions toward his own artist. Hopefully Puff will make it right and they can move forward. https://t.co/ZJ6lTOkVhS
— Vandal a.k.a. Reggie Trimbach (@iamvandal617) January 31, 2020
What Mase said about Diddy must be true. Name an artist that signed with him that's still making great money now and/or not doing a reality TV show to get a check? pic.twitter.com/dFxlFEDBvD
— Jennifer Opal | ENGINEER (@_jenniferopal) January 31, 2020
Mase makes a valid point and while I’m sure a lot of this is debatable, one thing that isn’t is that Diddy trying to be some “voice of change for the culture” ass nigga, but has fucked so many of his brothers and sisters in business. https://t.co/7CRRT5fh6E
— fan account (@hosthetics) January 31, 2020
Mase was 18 years old when he met Diddy. He was poor & from the hood in Harlem. He had no knowledge on the music industry. He had no idea a fellow Black man would steal from him his hard earned money. Diddy knew this. Diddy has a track record. It's not just one naive person. https://t.co/0mn17lY9m5
— Bella Goth (@HoodSocialism) January 31, 2020
I told y’all about @Diddy and these “black celebrity” fucking FRAUDS …DO NOT TRUST THEM ..they’re just like if not worse than the yt men running the music industry!! WAKE UP! Proud of Mase for speaking the truth bc a lot of the FILTHY shit they do fly under the radar ..#Mase pic.twitter.com/Zmm1Jzhmxn
— ????NetFlex ? (@iLuvVisa) January 31, 2020
He is currently the highest trending topic on Twitter.
Do you agree?
Danity Kane, Cassey, Day 26, Mary J Blidge, Cheri Dennis, Ryan Leslie the list goes on of all the black artist he tried or did screw over
G dep, black rob, loon, Shyne, total….
When will black people realize it’s your own that screw you over Diddy and jay z the list goes on include russle r***** Simmons stop caping for these rich black People just because they are black don’t mean they for you include Oprah fake ass in there too she will cape for the whites to make her money and Beyoncé too she just realize she black in recent years wearing turbons I’m over these wretched blacks
The point of the topic is, Diddy should stop saying the Grammy’s don’t care about black music when three fingers are pointing back at him.
Shut the f**** up hoè
Did-it has always been off.
Too much partying on yachts in St. Tropez, too many “I ain’t scared of (insert universally scary thing here) because am black” statements on Ellen, too many intimidation tactics towards former protégés and even stare-offs with a contestant on The Four.
Needs cement on his wrist and waist, for both get limp when he sees a cute guy.
I hope he be humbled.
Everybody like to say the white man is the person stopping black people from winning but let me tell u a big secret,
It is black people who are stopping other blacks from succeeding and winning.
Pharrell (screw kelis over, didnt pay her for her albums)
Jay z
Diddy
Lee Daniel’s
Tyler perry
Oprah
Nicki Minaj
Even beyonce stopped other girls back in the day from winning.
Any successful black man u see, trust me he screwed over so many black people to get to where he is in society, he cheated and used so many black people to get to where he is in society.
I saw clips of the roc nation party that was held some few days ago and I was just disgusting
Evil black men who have screwed over their own people for wealth and power.
Rappers encouraging young black men to gang bang and do drugs while they send their own kids to prestigious schools and colleges.
Wait. Aren’t you the person of color that CONSTANTLY and CONSISTENTLY puts down artists of color? I would respect this if it didn’t come from you.
Gurl just shut up.
I will never celebrate or support mediocrity just because the person has the same skin colour as mine.
U are angry that I dont stan normani.
I dont stan mediocrity. NEVER
Normani is the most mediocre musician in the music industry. Over hyped no substance.
You urself u dont even like normani but ur only supporting normani cause she’s black , and u want to see a black girl win , and u hate Camila.
Deep down in ur heart, u know it, normani cant sing and doesnt have artistry but u will never admit it.
Normani stans always trying to guilt u into supporting normani. This is not how to build a fan base.
As a black person, just say u dont like normani and watch as her stans will start calling u all sorts of names, they are gonna accuse u of hating black women.
right @ only facts. he’s a convenient troll. he degrades black female artists on a daily here but accuses any white female more successful than Crowmila of being racist when in fact she was the one caught saying the n-word more than once.
I’ll give you the rest but your lying about beyonce.. what girls could meet her on the stage.. *crickets* that’s what I thought.. nobody could meet beyonce on the stage and say she stole from them. Only girl that lied was Keri hilson and it wasn’t beyonce fault blame the label.
destiny’s child. her father blocked a lot of opportunities, she has dropped albums strategically to block others. kanye has told the world how she works with award shows. like come on now.
Gguurrrrlll. Kanye was asked he said he didn’t remember who said it
Puff Daddy, Puffy, P. Diddy, Diddy, Sean Combs, Sean Jean (or whatever the eff he wants to go by now) is EVIL. Plain and simple. He’s a Scorpio as well, which should tell you everything you need to know about him ??
His Capricorn Mars, Virgo Moon + South Node, and Taurus Saturn make him a money-worshiping cheapskate. The Scorpio part DOES make him off you/your livelihood secretly to flex his power over you or bury with you dirt you may have on him. #Dirty $
??
He has been doing this for years. Look at all of the artists he’s used and thrown away, while also double-dipping as being the executive producer of the album, writer, featured guest, and in the music videos. I was blind to it until I saw what he did to Danity Kane. They could have been LEGENDARY if he didn’t f*ck them up. Karma always comes back though.
And the NERVE of him to bring Making The Band back this year? Chiiiiiile, BYE!
https://youtu.be/TzyYbtwtKgc
Wow. Most important thing he said: “If it’s about us owning, it can’t be about us owning each other.”
Diddy ain’t never been sh!t… smh. But he’s not in this only. Smh. Black on black crime has got to stop.