S. Samuel
After recently undergoing a life-changing experience, The Clipse's Malice has promised fans he is not taking the Mason "Ma$e" Betha route by turning his life and music over to the Lord.
Despite the Christian topics in his new Wretched, Pitiful, Blind and Naked book, Malice said he is still maintaining gritty street themes in his music.
“I’m working on a solo mixtape titled Hear Ye Him,” Malice revealed in an interview. “I just think it’s going to be so crazy and I’m so excited that I can’t sleep at night. I can’t wait to get these verses out here to the fans, especially those who thought I stopped rapping or I’m doing Christian hip-hop or gospel music or something now. I’m definitely not doing that — I respect any vehicle that promotes Christ, so I definitely respect, but that’s just not something I do. I don’t think I would do a good service to gospel music or Christian hip-hop.” (Karmaloop TV)
Last month, Malice revealed plans to change his rap alias to reflect his position in life.
“I’m not a malicious person, and I don’t really like answering to that. I know that people that follow The Clipse or follow my music, they know Malice, so I understand that, I get that,” Malice said in an interview. “But you don’t want to be under any moniker that’s of evil intent, that’s not you. I come to more believe that there’s so much power in the tongue. The power of the tongue is life and death, so I believe if you are what you fall under whether it’s in your subconscious or not. It’s just me trying to clean up a little bit. But I haven’t thought of that name yet. So Malicious is what it is right now.” (Ruby Hornet TV)
In November 2010, rapper Shyne spoke on his conversion to Judaism.
“All these rules, rules, rules,” the rapper said about the strict religious requirements. “But you know what you have if you don’t have rules? You end up with a bunch of pills in your stomach.” Even though Shyne sports a Hasidic-style hat and a black jacket that hangs to his knees, the Brooklyn-raised rapper said he hasn’t lost his street cred. “There’s nothing in the Chumash [a Jewish book] that says I can’t drive a Lamborghini,” said Shyne, who was released from prison last year after serving nine years. (New York Post)
Around 2009, Mase talked about his retirement from rap in the late 1990’s due to his new-found Christianity.
“I think people look at me like I’ve taken the step that people are most fearful of taking,” he said in an interview January 2009. “It’s not just the giving it up; it’s the sticking with it. Like most people have seen a lot of entertainers entertain the thought, but we haven’t seen many stick with it….In order for people to understand, you have to take them from where you were, to where you are. So in taking people from where I was, it would require you to do music that exemplified where you were, then if I would have stayed in it, I was going to musically bring them to where I am. But then I started seeing that what I’m thinking and what they’re thinking is totally two different things.” (Phoenix New Times)
Check out Malice’s interview below:
