Biography:
In an industry where who you know and where
you're from could mean more than what you can do, it takes more than an average
rapper to transform from a small town kid with a dream into a success story.
Although Richard Ward II, better known to his fans as Mason Caine, is an
Atlanta native raised in the urban cities of Chicago and Cincinnati. His
reputation as an MC gained the most notoriety while residing in the
little-known town of Hudson, Florida. Mason Caine has proven to be that rare
breed of artist whose fast-growing success is owed not to his surroundings, but
to his own "masonry," as his name implies, and honing of his craft.
The Florida hip hop scene was new to Caine, an artist used to an underground
climate and a battling atmosphere. However, Caine’s Midwest consciousness and
intellect was soon
matched with a more colorful wordplay and southern gangsta style, making him as
versatile as his background. His reputation as the uncontested battle rapper to
beat spread quickly and reached the ears of the then up and coming rapper, Laws (currently signed to Warner Bros. and J.U.S.T.I.C.E
League).
As the two best lyricists in the Tampa bay area, the two moved past their
initial rivalry and joined forces with producers The
Craftzman, and Feb9, to form the group P.H.A.N. 4. Caine
also became a member of Pasco County rap crew, Juice City. Performing at local
venues such as Orpheum, Empire,
the 2008 Tampa
Music Conference and sharing the stage with musical legend KRS-One, Caine
became a staple in Central Florida hip hop.
In a city full
of egos, Mason Caine has successfully gained the respect of his competitors as
a lyrical force gaining unstoppable momentum. To date, Mason Caine has released
numerous independent projects, such as "I Am Number 4" with several
features from Laws, "The Tampa Bay Buccaneers Anthem" on WILD 94.1
FM, "Heart Of The City" and "Heart of The City 2 - The Heartbreak Kid" (with
Tampa’s 88.5 FM DJ Ritz). Mason has currently released the single “Motivation Musick” via soundcloud and plans to release
additional music along with music videos.
As his musical
progression continues and with the backing of some the industry's
"heavyweights", these successful ventures provided the opportunity
for Mason to perform at the A3C and SXSW music festivals. Mason describes his
performance style “You can expect
high-energy, lyricism, and heavy crowd participation at my shows…me on the
stage just equals money. I live and die on this stage!” Mason Caine is laying
the foundation to be one of the next major contenders in hip hop.
