Welcome Back

Mase | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 24, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Bad Boy
• ASIN: B0002QO4J0
• Also Available in: Vinyl  |  DVD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (180 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #54,967 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

HIP-HOP SUPERSTAR MASE RETURNS WITH HIS RELEASE WELCOME BACK. Multi-platinum selling artist Mase, is gearing up to dominate the music world once again with his first single also titled "Welcome Back". The hit single "Welcome Back" is a fun summertime groove which uses a clever Welcome Back Kotter sample. The single "Welcome Back" is only the beginning. You can expect new classic Mase grooves suitable for all ages. "Welcome Back" will definitely reaffirm Mase's position as a leading force in Hip-Hop. "WELCOME BACK" MARKS THE RETURN OF GOOD SPIRITED MUSIC THE MAKES YOU DANCE, COURTESY OF MASE.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Welcome Back Mason, September 2, 2004

By 

ryan "King" (Omaha, NE USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Welcome Back (Audio CD)

For all you haters that's dissing Mase just because he ain't trying to be a pimp or a gangsta need to shut up. I don't like pop rap, but somehow I really dig Mase. He rhymes so lazily that it's irrisistable at time. I first noticed this when I heard "Feel So Good" from his debut album. "Welcome Back" isn't a classic, but it is one of the highlights of this year along with a few others.

1)Welcome Back- Even though it's getting a little boring from being overplayed, this is still a great song. I heard this song on a local rap channel and immedietely digged it.
2)Breathe, Stretch, Shake- The club banger on the album. I have a feeling Mase wanted to do at least one banger to get more people to buy the album. This is a great song but why does it say it features P. Diddy. All he does is yell a little bit every once in awhile.
3)Keep It On- The chorus sounds a little off-beat but it still works because of Mase's style. He basically tells women to keep their clothes on and that there's more ways of having fun besides sex.
4)My Harlem Lullaby- I really like this song. The chorus is pretty good. The song basically is Mase thanking everyone who supported him throughout his life.
5)I Owe- The chorus doesn't sound like something Mase would do, but the song's still good. It has a strange feel to it and is basically Mase telling everyone he owes them the truth.
6)Wasting My Time- In this song, Mase tells all the obsessive girls that they're wasting his time because he's married now.
7)Gotta Survive- The deepest song on the album and might just be the best song. Mase discusses his life, his retirement from rap to become a minister, and his return to serve God.
8)The Love You Need- Sounds like the R&B songs on the radio now and days. I like the beat and the song is pretty good. Mase basically says that he's a good and loving person to be with.
9)Money Comes and Goes- Ooh this song is catchy. The song sounds like a part 2 to "Mo Money, Mo Problems". We are given an R&B chorus and Mase talks about how money isn't worth everything and that it really does come and go.
10)I Wanna Go- A good love song. Mase says that "he's in love with a girl named Twyla" at the end of the song and that's his wife. The song is very important to listen to because it describes what good relationships are.
11)Into What You Say- The beat sounds like a Lil' Jon beat and it's very much like one. This is another club song I guess, though it isn't as good as the first one.
12)Do You Remember- A very slow song with a sort of Carribean beat. The one and only other guest rapper on the CD, Cardan, is on this. He has a kind of Nelly style but he's tight. The song is basically Mase asking if you remember how the old days were.

Basically, this album is a must have for those who want decent, non-obsene rap, but not corny stuff like Will Smith. MA$E IS BACK!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mase is Baacccckkkk, September 19, 2004

By 

john doe "mic" (Los angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Welcome Back (Audio CD)

When i first heard mase was coming back i was thinking "no explicit lyrics and married now i though it was going to suck". I want out to buy the album because i'm a big fan of mase. When i heard the whole album i was like whooe this is a great albut. What the hell was i thinking. I give mase mad props and wish him luck.

Best songs on the album:
1. My harlem lullaby(my favorite song on the album)5/5
2. Wasting my time 4/5
3. Welcome back 4/5
4. Into what you say4.5/5
5. Breth, strech, shake
6. Money comes and goes 5/5

17 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars 2-1/2 stars -- Welcome back to average music, November 6, 2004

By 

Anthony Rupert "shut up, Shut Up, SHUT UP!!!" (Milwaukee, WI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Welcome Back (Audio CD)

I'm sure everyone knows Mase's history, but you have to admit that it was surprising to see him return to the rap scene. It's obvious that he isn't trying to give up on his faith, as Welcome Back doesn't contain any profanity, but it doesn't contain much quality either. Yeah, it's better than Double Up, but is that really saying much?

Now, Mase was never really the dopest rapper in the world, and on this album, things haven't changed much. To be honest, calling the album average is kind of pushing it. Since this is a Bad Boy record, some of the things on here are formulaic; above all else being obvious samples. The title track, for instance, is based on John Sebastian's theme song of the same name. And then there are times where Mase actually samples his OWN songs, like "The Love You Need", which contains elements of "What You Want".

The bad attempts at interpolating lyrics into tracks don't stop there, either. "My Harlem Lullaby" finds Mase singing the tune to Madonna's "La Isle Bonita", and "Keep It On" is based on Jermaine Stewart's "We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off". Speaking of that, for some strange reason the liner notes state that the sample comes from "We Don't Have to Keep Our Clothes On" (read that aloud: does that even make sense?). It looks like producer Tyrice Jones didn't do his research. By the way, Mase's song takes the original song completely out of context, because Jermaine's version was an anti-sex song, while Mase's version is about keeping his music playing.

Another problem on this album is that Mase relies too hard on weak braggadocios to get his point across, like "In my former life I did more Cris than Aguilera" (from "Into What You Say"). And other times he uses similes that don't even make sense, like on "Money Comes and Goes" when he says: "Money stack in the back like Barnes & Noble."

At first I was going to give this album three stars, but I had to knock it down to 2-1/2 because the songs were getting weaker and weaker as the album went on. This is evident in songs like "I Owe"; and "Wasting My Time" will have you saying just that. And I challenge ANYone to find a song lazier than "Do You Remember". Also, well-produced songs are ruined by lame lyrics, like "Into What You Say" and "Breathe, Stretch, Shake".

If you weren't really impressed by Mase in the past, then you sure won't be impressed by him NOW. It's fine that he made a comeback, but it doesn't change the fact that Welcome Back isn't really welcome in your collection.

Anthony Rupert

P.S. On a recent mixtape single called "Father Forgive Us", the Diplomats diss Mase by saying: "Everybody welcoming this, welcoming that/He wasn't welcomed in the first place; how we welcome him back?" Who are the Diplomats to diss anyone?