If you grew up running the blacktops from Staten Island up to 145th Street, you know the city has a unique heartbeat. Long before platinum records, pink minks, or Bad Boy royalty, Cameron Giles and Mason Betha were just two kids from Harlem who had the entire PSAL on notice.
In the early '90s, Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics wasn't just an academic hub on 116th and FDR Drive—it was a basketball powerhouse.
Running the backcourt were two guards with completely different styles, but the exact same killer instinct: Cam'ron and Mase.
Cam’ron: The Fiery Floor General
Before he was Killa Cam, Cameron Giles was a 6'1" scoring point guard with an Allen Iverson-esque handle and a jumper that demanded respect. He wasn't just a local playground legend; he was an elite NYC high school prospect. In 1992, as a sophomore alongside Mase, he dragged Manhattan Center all the way to the PSAL Class A Championship game at Madison Square Garden. By his senior year, Cam led the squad to an undefeated 25-0 regular season. He was running the floor in an era when NYC point guards were the gold standard, holding his own in discussions alongside future NBA legends like Stephon Marbury. Big-time D1 programs like Syracuse and Miami came knocking because Cam had legitimate Sunday-league potential.
Mase: The Smooth Operator
While Cam provided the explosive scoring and fiery leadership, Mason Betha was the ultimate glue guy in that backcourt. Mase’s game mirrored the smooth, unbothered demeanor he’d later bring to the microphone. He possessed high-IQ floor vision, slick handles, and a steady hand in high-pressure situations. You didn't just get to play for powerhouse AAU outfits like Riverside Church and The Gauchos by accident back then—you had to be certified. Mase ran with the absolute best talent in the tri-state area, holding down the backcourt on the city's biggest summer stages.
The Second Act: Bringing Barbershop Talk to the Desert
Decades after their high school run, the Harlem duo disrupted sports media by launching their hit talk show, It Is What It Is. The project was born out of pure authenticity. Cam'ron got fed up with generic, polished TV sports formats and decided to self-fund the venture, putting up around $250,000 of his own money to shoot a show that felt like unfiltered Harlem barbershop talk. Joined by co-host Treasure "Stat Baby" Wilson, the chemistry was instant. Within months of its 2023 launch, the show exploded into a cultural phenomenon, pulling millions of views and securing a massive eight-figure partnership with Underdog Fantasy.
To match their booming success, the operation relocated to a state-of-the-art studio setup right inside the Wynn Las Vegas (via Blue Wire Studios), trading the East Coast pavement for the Strip.
Show Highlights & Classic Moments
Unfiltered NBA & NFL Takes: Cam and Mase break down current games with raw, hilarious, and unapologetically biased New York humor—especially when reacting to their beloved Knicks.
A-List Guest Pull: The Vegas studio desk regularly hosts massive sports icons and hip-hop royalty, including Paul Pierce, Stephen A. Smith, OJ Simpson, Brandon Marshall, and Ice Cube.
The "pause" & "thank you" Culture: The show spawned viral internet catchphrases, hilarious soundboards, and legendary comedic debates that routinely hijack social media timelines the morning after an episode airs.
FINAL WORDS: If you were inside a packed NYC gym in 1992, you didn't see two future hip-hop stars or media moguls—you saw two of the coldest guards Harlem had to offer. Today, watching them trade jabs from a Vegas studio desk prove that no matter how big the stage gets, that NYC court chemistry never fades.BiG UP to the one #MURDAMASE and MY MAN 50 GRAND #kiLLACAM (see you soon, always with the Panko Pancho Fried Shrimps #onDECK). We all out here.... #VEGASBABY #STAYBLESSED