Harlem World
Harlem World is the debut album by American hip hop recording artist Mase, released October 28, 1997. The album was nominated at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards for Best Rap Album.
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", "What You Want", and "Lookin' at Me".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 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
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 stars - "...Harlem on the rise? Most definitely."Rap Pages - 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
| # | Name | Producer | Featured Guest | Time |
| 1 | "Puff's Intro" | Sean "Puffy" Combs for The Hitmen | 1:40 | |
| 2 | "Do You Wanna Get $?" | Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence/Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie for The Hitmen | Kelis | 3:49 |
| 3 | "Take What's Yours" | Nashiem Myrick & Carlos "6 July" Broady for The Hitmen | DMX | 3:45 |
| 4 | "Mad Rapper " | 1:13 | ||
| 5 | "Will They Die 4 U?" | Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence/Sean "Puffy" Combs for The Hitmen | Puff Daddy & Lil' Kim | 4:04 |
| 6 | "Lookin' at Me" | The Neptunes | Puff Daddy & Pharrell Williams | 4:15 |
| 7 | "White Girl " | 0:52 | ||
| 8 | "Love U So" | Steven "Stevie J" Jordan for The Hitmen | Billy Lawrence | 3:12 |
| 9 | "The Player Way" | Mo-Suave-A, T-Mix | 8Ball & MJG | 4:13 |
| 10 | "Hater " | 1:00 | ||
| 11 | "Niggaz Wanna Act" | Dame Grease | Busta Rhymes | 4:09 |
| 12 | "Feel So Good" | Sean "Puffy" Combs for The Hitmen | Kelly Price | 3:24 |
| 13 | "What You Want" | Nashiem Myrick for The Hitmen | Total | 4:02 |
| 14 | "Phone Conversation " | 1:49 | ||
| 15 | "Cheat on You" | Jermaine Dupri | Lil' Cease, Jay-Z & 112 | 3:15 |
| 16 | "24 Hrs. to Live" | Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie, Nashiem Myrick, Carlos "6 July" Broady for The Hitmen | The LOX, Black Rob & DMX | 4:16 |
| 17 | "I Need to Be" | Carl "Chucky" Thompson for The Hitmen | Monifah | 5:12 |
| 18 | "Watch Your Back " | 0:56 | ||
| 19 | "Wanna Hurt Mase?" | Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence/Sean "Puffy" Combs for The Hitmen | 4:23 | |
| 20 | "Jealous Guy" | Sean "Puffy" Combs for The Hitmen | 112 & Puff Daddy | 6:25 |
Samples
"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 " 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
Chart positions
Singles
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