How Mase got robbed and set up by his own friend and crewmate Big L
Mase and the late emcee Big L were friends in the 1990s and, for a period, were part of the same crew, Children Of The Corn. In fact, Big L was his mentor. As one of the older MCs in Harlem, Big L took Mase and Cam’Ron under his wing. However, the Harlem World creator recently recalled how he was set up and robbed because of the rapper.
Mase shared the story on his podcast It Is What It Is alongside Cam’Ron but insisted it wasn’t the first time his late friend had put him in a dangerous situation. He also revealed that Big L was quite reckless back in the day.
Cam’Ron, Mase, and Big L were all once members of the 1990s Harlem hip-hop collective Children of the Corn, alongside McGruff and Bloodshed. At the time, Mase and Cam’Ron were the hottest and most prominent young MCs from the projects of uptown Manhattan.
Speaking about the first time he got set up by Big L, Mase detailed, “If you go online right now, you’ll see a story about Fat Joe talking about how me and L got into it, you know?” The two had got into a minor dispute. However, L wanted Mase to suffer.
Mase continued, “I told L, ‘I’ll knock you out, n*gga. You faking, n*gga. You know I know you, n*gga.’ God Bless. He went and got Fat Joe on me. He went and got some Bronx n*ggas ’cause he couldn’t find nobody.”
However, this led to Big L calling one of his Latino friends to rob Mase. Recounting when the individual attacked him, Mase remembered, “A Spanish n*gga just run out of nowhere like, ‘Yo give it, give it up, n*gga, I’mma kill both of y’all n*ggas.'”
Mase added, “I give him back a look and this is happening in like 30 seconds, fast communication. I’m looking at the ni**a like, ‘This my first [Rolex]. I can’t just give it up like this.'” However, he did end up giving over his watch.
In 2022, during an appearance on the Hotboxin’ WIth Mike Tyson podcast, Fat Joe admitted that Big L did ask him to help him settle a beef. Remembering how he didn’t feel comfortable watching two friends arguing, Joe told the host, Angie Martinez, “Now, one time I got set up, rest in peace, Big L. [He] comes up to me in the Tunnel, he’s like, ‘Yo, Crack, yo, come bring your n***as, I got some beef.'”
The pair were formerly in the Diggin In The Crates crew, so, understandable Fat Joe did turn up. Recalling how he met Big L with his friends, Joe concluded, “So, we come, Big L’s our brother, you know, since Diggin’ in the Crates. And when I come up, it’s f*ckin’ Mase! He’s arguing with Mase! They from the same block!”