Why rapper Mase says Memphis basketball signee Mikey Williams should quote Taylor Swift

Memphis Tigers basketball signee Mikey Williams recently received some unsolicited advice from rapper-turned-podcaster Mase: Quote Taylor Swift, not Rylo Rodriguez.

Williams, who is facing six felony gun charges, found out last week that a San Diego County judge ruled his case can proceed to trial. He is scheduled to be arraigned Oct. 24, when a trial date likely will be set.

In response to the judge's decision, the four-star guard took to Instagram, where he posted a line from "Ah Never Be The Same," a track from rapper Rodriguez's June 2023 album, "Been One."

Williams posted a video clip of a TV news station's story from last week's preliminary hearing and captioned it with a version of the explicit lyrics: “Say Da Judge n D/A fw his head just stay a float."

The post caught the attention of Mase, who had a platinum-selling hit with "Feel So Good" in 1997, and was featured on other big hits, such as The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Mo Money Mo Problems."

Mase took issue with Williams apparently calling out San Diego County Superior Court judge Sherry M. Thompson-Taylor and San Diego County Deputy District Attorney George Modlin. The rapper offered his thoughts on the post during the most recent episode of his popular podcast, "It Is What It Is."

"Mikey, we hope you really get past this, so you can go down there with (Memphis basketball coach) Penny (Hardaway)," Mase (born Mason Betha) began.

When co-host Treasure Wilson brought up Williams' Instagram post, Mase did not hold back.

"He goin' to jail," Mase said. "This is not where you quote Rylo at. Yo, this is the beginning of the trial. Mikey, you are wilin'. This is not where you quote Rylo. You gotta be quoting Marvin Sapp: 'Never would've made it without you' — all of that. You get what I'm saying?

"This is not where you do that. You quote Taylor Swift. 'If at first you don't succeed, dust yourself off and try again' (from Aaliyah). More inspirational, Mikey, c'mon now. He's making it hard for me now. He's making it really hard for somebody to stand in his corner doing that, taking shots at the DA."

In April 2023, Williams was arrested on five charges of assault with a weapon and one count of firing into an occupied vehicle. His arrest stems from a shooting that occurred outside his California home on March 27. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The Memphis program issued a statement in September saying Williams will not be permitted to be part of the team until his legal issues have been resolved.

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On Saturday, Hardaway, speaking publicly for the first time since Williams' preliminary hearing, said the latest developments don't change how the program is approaching the matter.

"If it would have, it would've happened already," he said. "I think we're just still waiting."

Hardaway said he spoke to Williams last week and encouraged him to "keep your head up and stay locked in."

The Tigers' first exhibition game is set for Oct. 29, while the regular season begins Nov. 6, when they play Jackson State at FedExForum.

Reach sports writer Jason Munz at [email protected] or on Twitter @munzly.

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This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Rapper to Memphis basketball signee Mikey Williams: 'Quote Taylor Swift'