Hailing from a family strictly of athletes, Mike Tomlin’s son Mason is more than just an athlete. Mason’s grandfather, Ed Tomlin, was a part of the 1968 Baltimore Colts. His father has been the Steelers’ head coach for almost 19 seasons now. Taking nothing away from Mason’s athletic genes, he is also a footballer. Mason is a Division I football player for Columbia University. But apart from just playing as a defensive end in his college. Mason also excels in music. He is not just any student-athlete—Mason is a flourishing rapper who has just released his new music, earning praise from his dad.

Mason, who goes by the stage name Mayce, has just released his new single, WINGS FREESTYLE, on Instagram. Judging by the caption he used for the post, “didn’t know if he would make it, but he knew he’d try.” It’s probably a rap dedicated to those who doubted him as a musician. “Still the kid that went and flew too high. And lived a life like it was do or die. Didn’t know if he would make it, but he did try. And climbed himself into a life only a few survive,” these are the first few verses of Mayce’s new release.

Well, listening to the song that is clearly a jibe at those who questioned Mayce’s capabilities. His father, Mike Tomlin, couldn’t be more proud of his son’s musical journey. Seeing him release another song under his label PRESSUREMADE, Tomlin reshared Mason’s post on his Instagram, using the caption, “Keep bringing the fire (using a fire emote).” A bona fide self-starter in the rap industry, Mayce’s journey started with playing drums.

Picking up drums in his elementary school, Mason recalled how he instantly fell in love with music. “I just got excited with music. I picked up drums one time, and I was like Oh, Cool,” Mason mused. After a while, Mike Tomlin’s son tried playing the piano and even though people laughed at him, he didn’t care. “They always laugh at me and say..I like to try a bunch of different stuff. I’m into everything. I used to be able to ride a unicycle and just random stuff,” Mason revealed.

Well, Mason’s music may have blossomed through his own expertise and desire to learn. All of this wouldn’t have been possible without his late high school friend.

Even self-made stars like Mike Tomlin’s son have inspiration 

Before WINGS FREESTYLE’s release, Mason had already lit the rap world on fire with his two previous albums. “These Things Take Time” and “Wake Me Up When It’s Over” were released in 2020 and 2022, respectively. He has also released multiple singles, like Okay and a third album, “Who Else But Us.” Seeing the name and fame he has earned through his singing, Mason’s college remains one of his biggest supporters. His defensive coordinator, Justin Stovall, once revealed how Mason’s songs are played in the locker room to hype everyone up.

“I always ask him to give me his latest stuff. I want to hear what the latest is, I give him control of the speaker when we do unit meetings, I know of his interests away from the field, and I love that about him,” Stovall said. Now, all of this wouldn’t have been possible if not for Mason’s best friend, Jonathan. Mason already had a liking to rap music, but it was Jonathan who pushed him to pursue it every day. “I had listened to rap, but my friend Jonathan. He was the first person that had me into rap. I feel like I wouldn’t be a rapper had I not been friends with him for those three, four years.”

Wherever Jonathan is, he would surely be proud of his best friend’s success in the rap world. Seeing how far Mason has come from silencing his doubters shows that nothing is impossible. All you need to have is the grit and resilience to keep on fighting towards your goal.