Mase Responds to J.Lo’s Take About Who’s a Real New Yorker

Ma$e disagrees with his fellow New Yorker Jennifer Lopez about who can claim to be from the Empire State.

J.Lo found herself in some controversy after a recent appearance on the social media video series Subway Takes when she said you can’t say you’re from New York City if you weren’t born there. “You have to be born in New York to be a New Yorker,” she said. “Yes, I know everybody wants to claim the city. Everybody wants to claim our city, but you have to be born in New York. You have to be born in one of the five boroughs to be a New Yorker.”

Ma$e, who was born in Jacksonville, Florida, gave his take earlier Tuesday (June 9) on an episode of It Is What It Is after being asked what’s the definition of a New Yorker by his co-host Treasure “Stat Baby” Wilson.

“You would ask me this because I’m not born in New York, but I lived my whole life there, so according to J.Lo, Harlem World is a fake,” he replied with a laugh, name-dropping his 1997 debut album. “I don’t know how to feel about that. I think if you didn’t go to kindergarten there, if you didn’t go to elementary there, but if you’ve been there since kindergarten all the way through high school, at what point do you say a person is not from there?”

He added: “If they didn’t go to high school there then they’re definitely not from there. But if you been there since kindergarten, pre-K, all the way through college, where you from then? I see what she’s trying to say, but I’m definitely from where I’m from.”

So…what’s your take?

You can watch the full episode below.