Nationality American Criminal status Incarcerated | Other names Pappy Name Howard Mason | |
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Born September 8, 1959 (age 65) ( 1959-09-08 ) Occupation Drug trafficker, organized crime figure Similar People Edward Byrne, Kenneth McGriff, Alpo Martinez, Larry Hoover, Nicky Barnes | ||
Criminal penalty Life imprisonment | ||
Howard "Pappy" Mason (born September 8, 1959) is an American drug trafficker and organized crime figure. Mason ran a drug smuggling gang called the Bebos in the Jamaica, Queens neighborhood of New York City with his partner Lorenzo "Fat Cat" Nichols. The gang sold drugs and netted as much as $200,000 per week in profit.
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Murder of Edward Byrne
From behind bars on gun charges, Mason ordered the murder of police officer Eddie Byrne which led to increased law enforcement attention and his eventual arrest and conviction on various charges. A month after the killing of officer Byrne, Mason was sentenced to seven years in prison on gun charges. The federal government continued to investigate Mason for the Byrne killing. On December 11, 1989 Mason was convicted on federal charges including the murder of Officer Byrne. After four years of legal wrangling, including questions of Mason's mental competency he was given a life sentence in 1994. With his absence the drug crew was taken over by Eric "Bebo" Lucas who was a violent kid from the Brooklyn streets where Mason grew up, yet Lucas was years younger than Mason. In 1990 Mason's mother was given a ten year prison term for drug trafficking. She was released in 1998. Mason is serving his life sentence at ADX Florence supermax facility in Florence, Colorado.
Popular culture
Mason was referenced by rapper Nas in his 1994 debut album Illmatic. In the single "The World Is Yours" he rhymes "The mind activation, react like I'm facing time like 'Pappy' Mason with pens I'm embracing."
As well as in his 2002 album God's Son : In the single "Get Down" he rhymes "New York streets where killers'll walk like Pistol Pete And 'Pappy' Mason, gave the young boys admiration." He is also mentioned in Nas's 2004 album Street's Disciple on the single Just A Moment. He is also mentioned in 50 Cent's "I Don't Need Em" off his highly successful album called The Massacre.
He is referenced directly along with Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff in 50 Cent's Ghetto Qu'ran (Forgive Me): "I used to idolize (fat) cat Lorenzo "Fat Cat" Nichols, Hurt me in my heart to hear that nigga snitched on Pap (Howard "Pappy" Mason), how he go out like that?" He is also referenced in Jay-Z & R. Kelly - Best of Both Worlds Album- track 1 - " The combination of Pappy Mason and Larry Davis, Martin and Malcolm this is bigger than the Album."
He is also mentioned in a single "Bomba" (translated on English "Bomb") by the Serbian rapper Struka; he rhymes: "If hip-hop was horror movie I would be Jason, legend in hood like in Queens Pappy Mason" (translated to English from the original: "...Da je hip hop horor film ja bih bio Džejson, Legenda u kraju k'o u Kvinsu Pepi Mejson").
He is also mentioned by Booba, a French rapper living in Miami, in the song "Call of bitume" featuring Rim-K, another French rapper. "RG (French private espionage agency) are stalking me anywhere I am from Miami to Corbeil-Essones, no more surprised, I'm determinated like Pappy Mason".
On October 19, 2012, XV released his anticipated mixtape "Squarians Vol. 1". On the song "A Situation", Mason is also mentioned. "I'm in the lane with a dime that I'm penetrating, and her cat is real fat, yeah, Pappy Mason."
He is also referenced by Kendrick Lamar in his 2013 BET Cypher verse.
In the Luke Cage episode "Manifest", Shades mentions that Mason and former Mayor David Dinkins were acquaintances of "Momma" Mabel Stokes.