Customer Reviews

Harlem World

5 star:		(77)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(25)

 

 

With the death of The Notorious B.I.G., Puffy needed someone else to replace him as the top MC on Bad Boy Records. Mase was the next in line to blow. After appearing on "Mo Money Mo Problems" on Biggie's album and multiple tracks on Puffy's "No Way Out Album" in 1997, Mase finally got to drop his album, "Harlem World" the same year.


1. Puff's Intro

2. Do You Wanna Get $? (Featuring Puff Daddy) - 4.5/5

3. Take What's Yours (Featuring DMX) - 4/5

4. Mad Rapper (Interlude)

5. Will They Die 4 You? (Featuring Puff Daddy & Lil' Kim) - 4/5

6. Lookin' at Me (Featuring Puff Daddy) - 4.5/5

7. White Girl (Interlude)

8. Love U So (Featuring Billy Lawrence) - 4.5/5

9. The Player Way (Featuring Eightball & MJG) - 5/5

10. Hater (Interlude)

11. N***** Wanna Act (Featuring Busta Rhymes) - 5/5

12. Feel So Good - 3/5

13. What You Want (Featuring Total) - 4.5/5

14. Phone Conversation (Interlude)

15. Cheat On You (Featuring Lil' Cease & Jay-Z) - 5/5

16. 24 Hours to Live (Featuring The L.O.X., Black Rob, & DMX) - 4.5/5

17. I Need to Be (Featuring Monfiah) - 3.5/5

18. Watch Your Back (Interlude)

19. Wanna Hurt Mase? - 4.5/5

20. Jealous Guy (Featuring 112) - 4.5/5

Overall:

61/75

4 Stars

Mase hits us with a solid debut album. There is about two weak tracks on here and some of the hooks weren't up to par but besides that, this album is fire. Check it out if your a fan of Mase or the OLD Bad Boy Records.

Diddy used to love himself some Mase. When Mase first joined the Bad Boy label, Diddy made it his business to give him a heap amount of exposure so that the public would receive him positively, and we did. The public loved Mase because his style of rapping was different (he rapped in a slow monotone) and the ladies loved him because he was stubby but very handsome, particularly because of his dimples. Then, he "transcended." He went from being Mase to Reverend Mason Betha, the Bible toting author who I knew was a hypocrite all along. So, how did he prove me right? Well, first he professed to be a changed man; he said that the days of cursing, rapping and living the fast life were a thing of the past and he was a man of God. Ha! How long did that last? Well, put it this way, the last I heard from him, he was rapping, using profanity, and calling Brandy an unmentionable name. But, I must give credit where it is due and "Harlem World" is a very solid album. I enjoyed most of the tracks here. I was not only entertained by Mase, but his label mates Diddy, Lil Kim, Total and 112 all drop by and help make this album the classic that it is.

Many of the songs on "Harlem World" were released to radio like "Lookin' at Me", "Feels So Good", "What You Want", and "24 Hours to Live." Sometimes, Mase's slow rapping can serve as an irritant or become boring, but, he's a fantastic lyricist and he should be recognized for that. This album features some memorable one-liners and great versus. For some reason, Mase and Diddy try their hand at singing on the album's final track, "Jealous Guys." Neither of the men can sing; 112 puts them to shame as they do a great job on the chorus. Sections of the song sound like something New Edition would do, but maybe that was the intention for this ballad. "Take What's Yours" is a decent offering. Mase does a nice job and DMX lends his talents and also does a nice job. "The Player Way" features Mase in rare form because he gives a very energetic performance alongside 8Ball and MJG. This is easily on of the best songs on this album because of the good beat and above average lyrics. "Feels So Good" is another memorable moment on this album, after all, Mase is alongside his main man Diddy. They do a really nice job with this track.

Music lovers, you would be doing your music collection a disservice if you did not add this album to your pile. This is not only rap, this is music, too. I hope Mase truly finds where his heart lies so that he can concentrate on whichever craft he chooses to attempt to perfect. 4 stars.

Mikeisha's Top 5

1. "24 Hours to Live"
2. "Feels So Good"
3. "Take What's Yours"
4. "Looking at Me"
5. "Cheat on You"

this is the best pop cd in hip hop history and one of bad boys best releases other then black robs life story and notorious bigs cds mase left at a good time after a terrible cd in double up i think he left cause Big L died and Biggie but i would like mase to come back and at least work with kanye west

Favorite Track:Take Yours
Guests:DMX,Eightball & MJG,Black Rob,Puff Daddy,Total,Lil'Kim,Lox

8.5 of 10 lyrics 8.5 of 10 beats

Mase...what can you say, found by the great puff daddy. This album has it all, guest appearances, great remixes, catchy hooks, phat beats, terrific rhyming. I would reccomend this album to anybody that likes any kind of rap.

This has to be the weakest CD I have ever bought. I got the CD right before Mase blew up. The first couple times I listened to it; it was ok, but it got old and bad very quickly. The only song I kind of like is 24 Hours to Live. Unless you like Mase's weak lyrics and beats, I DO NOT recommend buying this CD.

How can people possibly enjoy listenin to this utter garbage, If you wanna hear a real good albumn, then try All Eyez On Me, or even Life After Death for that matter. This really is ubelievably bad, trust me!!!

Mas....or should I say Ma$e is just another accomplice in Puff Daddy's evil plan to destroy hip-hop and old songs. I do not know where to start about why this album is so bad: 1. Ma$e has not lyrical skills whatsoever. I heard that he used to have some talent before the whole Bad Boy thing but he obviously does not showcase them here. I honestly do not care the slightest bit how much money Ma$e has, what kind of cars he drives, or how many women he is cheating on or dating. People like Rakim, Talib Kweli, and Q-Tip have lyrical talent. Ma$e is nowhere close to having lyrical skills. 2. The beats are unoriginal rehash of old songs we have heard before. I have heard "Hollywood Swingin'" and I do not need to hear it turned into some trashy novelty tune. Puff Daddy's sampling goes to far since he just takes the whole song instead of snippets for sampling. If the beats are terrible then Ma$e should at least make up for them with lyrics. As I stated in #1, Ma$e has no lyrical talents. If you want good sampling check out DJ Shadow's "Entroducing...", the X-ecutioners "X-Pressions", or any Gang Starr album. 3. Ma$e is not helping to destroy hip-hop stereotypes. He is reinforcing them. Bottom Line: Save hip-hop and boycott this album. There is too much crap in hip-hop already and we do not need more. Support The Roots, Tribe, Gang Starr, Jungle Brothers, De La Soul, and all other artists who elevate hip-hop as an artform.

Mase's whiny nasal voice is reminiscent of Puff Daddy's, which I noticed when it remained difficult to distinguish the two from each other after several listenings. After Puffy lost the man who wrote all his lyrics for him, Biggie, he quickly replaced him with Mase, and continues to steal beats and rhythms from elsewhere to rocket his artists to quick but short-lived 'fame'. Puff Daddy's habit of stealing songs has angered me repeatedly, and I don't think I will buy any more Bad Boy merchandise or listen to the radio when the songs are playing; it's like listening to the oldies station because old stuff keeps showing up. That idiot Puff Daddy just cannot stop sampling, sampling, sampling, sampling, and pretending he's something he's not.

Ma$e is, in a word, horrible. He is basically, and everyone who isn't brain dead should know this, a way to make money, that is what Puffy (that panzy) saw in him. He is a sell out to rap and basically the whole Bad Boy label is. Mumblin' Mase should just move up to his big house on the hill and keep his mouth shut. ZERO STARS

Don't buy this CD unless you are a teenage girl infatuated with Mase's baby-face, because otherwise, not even the cover will hold any sort of appeal. Notice that most of the five star reviews of this album contain somewhere in them "Mase is the cutest man alive" or "Mase is my honey-bunny." Now let's be real. If you know anything about rap or even take rap seriously, this cannot be a good sign. When Mase rhymes over music (I hesitate to call it rap, and it's hard to say rhymes when sometimes he doesn't do that), he sounds like my drunk uncle Pookie. He slurs everything he says and rhymes at a snail's pace. The only part of the album that can even be considered mildly gratifying are the guest appearances, which actually aren't even that impressive. Hey, I gave Mase a chance, but I guess I probably shouldn't have. Oh well. We can just toss this album in the 'Pop' trash bin where it belongs...