| Howard Mason | |
| Birth Date: | 8 September 1959 |
| Nationality: | American |
| Other Names: | Pappy |
| Occupation: | Drug trafficker, organized crime figure |
| Known For: | Murder of Edward Byrne |
| Penalty: | Life imprisonment |
| Conviction Status: | Incarcerated at USP Allenwood |
| Allegiance: | The Bebos |
| Victims: | Edward Byrne |
Howard "Pappy" Mason (born September 8, 1959) is an American drug trafficker and organized crime figure. Mason and his partner, Lorenzo "Fat Cat" Nichols, ran a drug smuggling gang called the Bebos,[1] in the Jamaica, Queens, neighborhood of New York City. The gang sold drugs and netted as much as $200,000 per month in profit. Mason is serving a life sentence in federal prison.
From behind bars on gun charges, Mason ordered the 1988 murder of a police officer, Edward Byrne, which led to increased law enforcement attention and Mason's eventual arrest and conviction on various charges. A month after the killing, 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.[2] Mason began serving his life sentence at ADX Florence supermax facility, in Florence, Colorado and was subsequently transferred around 2015[3] to USP Allenwood.[4]
In 1990, Mason's mother, Claudia Mason, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for drug trafficking after she continued to run his crack business while he was in prison. She was released on 27 March, 1998. Her BOP Register Number was 24652-053.[5]
Nas mentions Mason in several albums, including:
50 Cent brings up Mason in multiple songs:
Mason is referenced in Jay-Z & R. Kelly's Best of Both Worlds Album, on track 1: " The combination of Pappy Mason and Larry Davis, Martin and Malcolm this is bigger than the Album."
He is mentioned in a single "Bomba" (translated in English as "Bomb") by the Serbian rapper Struka, who 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 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-Essonnes, 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 referenced by Kendrick Lamar in his 2013 BET Cypher verse.