Harlem World
Harlem World is the debut album by American hip hop recording artist Mase, released on October 28, 1997, by Bad Boy Records and Arista Records. The album was nominated at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards for Best Rap Album. It went on to sell 4.8 million copies in the United States, going quadruple Platinum in the United States. Harlem World sold nearly 273,000 copies during its first week.[1]
| Harlem World | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 28, 1997 (US) | |||
| Recorded | June 1996 - May 1997 | |||
| Studio | Daddy's House Recording Studio, New York | |||
| Genre | East Coast hip hop | |||
| Length | 66:04 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer |
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| Mase chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Harlem World | ||||
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Background
Seen as Puff Daddy's new protégé since the passing of The Notorious B.I.G., Mase rose to fame after being a member of Children of the Corn with fellow Harlem rappers Big L and Cam'ron. After the death of Bloodshed and the subsequent disbanding of the group, Mase was signed to Bad Boy, catching the public eye when appearing on the track "Mo Money, Mo Problems" from Biggie's 1997 album Life After Death. Puff Daddy began to promote Mase as the new premier act of Bad Boy and within a year had released "Harlem World", a successful album spawning hits such as "Feel So Good" (U.S. #5), "What You Want" (U.S. #6), and "Lookin' at Me" (U.S. #8).
Mase released his first solo LP, Harlem World, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Pop and R&B LP charts selling over 175,000 copies in the U.S. its first week of release; it has since gone on to sell 4.8 million copies in the United States. Joining Mase on his solo LP was a long list of rap elite including Jay-Z, Lil' Kim, Busta Rhymes, 8Ball & MJG, The Lox, Total, and his close friend DMX. The album featured production by Combs, Steven "Stevie J" Jordan, Jermaine Dupri, Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie, and (then unknowns) The Neptunes. Mase told MTV about his first solo effort: "Well, basically what I'm trying to establish is a strong identity and foundation for Mase so a lot of people could know that Mase is his own person and Mase can do other things besides rap and music and things in that nature."
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | link |
| Robert Christgau | A-link |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+link |
| Los Angeles Times | link |
| Muzik | link |
| Rap Pages | (favorable) link |
| RapReviews.com | link |
| Pitchfork | 8.1/10 link |
Entertainment Weekly said of the album: "...creatively refreshing, well-crafted lyrics... rap's newest bad boy more than holds his own on his solo debut... his distinctive marble-mouthed drawl... creates a regular-guy persona all too rare in hip-hop."Muzik (4/9, p.84) - 4 stars (out of 5) - "...Harlem on the rise? Most definitely." Rap Pages (1/98, p.105) - Solid Material - "...Creatively refreshing, well-crafted lyrics and a high-energy track over a hyped beat easily make this..."
In 2008, the single "Feel So Good" was ranked number 67 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Puff's Intro" | Sean "Puffy" Combs | 1:40 |
| 2. | "Do You Wanna Get $?" (featuring Kelly Price) | 3:49 | |
| 3. | "Take What's Yours" (featuring DMX) |
| 3:45 |
| 4. | "Mad Rapper (Interlude)" | 1:13 | |
| 5. | "Will They Die 4 U?" (featuring Puff Daddy & Lil' Kim) |
| 4:04 |
| 6. | "Lookin' at Me" (featuring Puff Daddy & Pharrell Williams) | The Neptunes | 4:15 |
| 7. | "White Girl (Interlude)" | 0:52 | |
| 8. | "Love U So" (featuring Billy Lawrence) | Steven "Stevie J" Jordan | 3:12 |
| 9. | "The Player Way" (featuring 8Ball & MJG) |
| 4:13 |
| 10. | "Hater (Interlude)" | 1:00 | |
| 11. | "Niggaz Wanna Act" (featuring Busta Rhymes) | Dame Grease | 4:09 |
| 12. | "Feel So Good" (featuring Kelly Price) |
| 3:24 |
| 13. | "What You Want" (featuring Total) | Myrick | 4:02 |
| 14. | "Phone Conversation (Interlude)" | 1:49 | |
| 15. | "Cheat on You" (featuring Lil' Cease, Jay-Z & 112) | Jermaine Dupri | 3:15 |
| 16. | "24 Hrs. to Live" (featuring The LOX, Black Rob & DMX) |
| 4:16 |
| 17. | "I Need to Be" (featuring Monifah) |
| 5:12 |
| 18. | "Watch Your Back (Interlude)" | 0:56 | |
| 19. | "Wanna Hurt Mase?" |
| 4:23 |
| 20. | "Jealous Guy" (featuring 112 & Puff Daddy) | Combs | 6:25 |
Sample credits
- "Do You Wanna Get $" sampled "Do Ya Wanna Get Funky with Me" by Peter Brown.
- "Feel So Good" sampled "Hollywood Swinging" by Kool & The Gang and "Bad Boy" by Miami Sound Machine.
- "Love You So" sampled "Square Biz" by Teena Marie and "Ooh Boy" by Rose Royce.
- "Jealous Guy" sampled "Jealous Girl" by New Edition & by Another Bad Creation.
- "Will They Die 4 U?" sampled "Everything Good to You (Ain't Always Good for You)" by B.T. Express.
- "Puff's Intro" sampled "Joy" by Isaac Hayes.
- "Wanna Hurt Mase?" sampled "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" by Culture Club.
- "I Need to Be" sampled "Tomorrow" by The Brothers Johnson.
- "24 Hrs. to Live" sampled "Moses Theme" by Frankie Bleu.
- "What You Want" sampled "Right on for the Darkness" by Curtis Mayfield.
- "Cheat on You" sampled "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" by Michael Jackson.
- "Lookin' at Me" interpolated "Illegal Search" by LL Cool J.
Personnel
- Barry White – Grooming
- Eightball & MJG – Performer
- Billy Lawrence – Performer
- Busta Rhymes – Performer
- Sean "Diddy" Combs – Producer, Mixing, Performer, Executive Producer
- DMX – Performer
- Jermaine Dupri – Producer, Mixing
- Kelis – Performer
- Ben Garrison – Engineer
- Tony Maserati – Mixing
- Michael Patterson – Engineer, Mixing
- Herb Powers – Mastering
- Phil Tan – Engineer, Mixing
- Doug Wilson – Engineer
- Total – Performer
- Nasheim Myrick – Producer
- Monifah – Performer
- 112 – Performer
- Jay–Z – Performer
- Lil' Kim – Performer
- Deric Angelettie – Producer, Associate Executive Producer
- MJG – Performer
- Prince Charles Alexander – Mixing
- Carlos "6 July" Broady – Piano, Producer
- Lisa Peardon – Photography
- Kelly Price – Vocals
- Lane Craven – Mixing
- Groovy Lew – Stylist
- Marcus Logan – Marketing
- Mase – Rap
- LOX – Performer
- Pharrell Williams – Producer
- Stephen Dent – Engineer
- Jimmie Wilson – Engineer
- Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence – Producer
- J–Dub – Programming
- Chad Hugo – Producer
- Dame Grease – Producer
- DJ DeVonte Luv – Scratching
- Richard "Younglord" Frierson – Producer
- Lil' Cease – Performer
- Black Rob – Performer
- Cudda Love– Manager
- Kelly Mack– Road Manager
- Supa Sam– Road DJ
Charts
| Chart (1997–1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[2] | 91 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard)[3] | 1 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[4] | 59 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[5] | 20 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[6] | 53 |
| US Billboard 200[7] | 1 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[8] | 1 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[9] | 3× Platinum | 300,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[10] | 4× Platinum | 4,000,000^ |
| ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
See also
References
- ^ "Mase's 'World' Makes Its Way Straight to Top". Los Angeles Times. November 6, 1997. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
- ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 178.
- ^ "Mase Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Ma$e – Harlem World" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
- ^ "Charts.nz – Ma$e – Harlem World". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
- ^ "Mase Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
- ^ "Mase Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Mase – Harlem World". Music Canada. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
- ^ "American album certifications – Mase – Harlem World". Recording Industry Association of America.