Harlem World is the debut studio album by American rapper Mase. It was 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 4.9 million copies and going quadruple platinum in the United States.

Harlem World
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 28, 1997
StudioDaddy's House Recording Studio, New York
GenreEast Coast hip hop
Length66:04
Label
Producer
Mase chronology
Harlem World
(1997)
Double Up
(1999)
Singles from Harlem World
  1. "Feel So Good"
    Released: October 14, 1997
  2. "What You Want"
    Released: December 3, 1997
  3. "24 Hrs. to Live"
    Released: February 20, 1998
  4. "Lookin' at Me"
    Released: July 7, 1998

It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart on November 15, 1997, selling nearly 273,000 copies in its first week.[1]

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [2]
Robert ChristgauA−[3]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[4]
Los Angeles Times    [5]
Muzik     [6]
Pitchfork8.1/10[7]
RapReviews7/10[8]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide     [9]
Uncut     [10]

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

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No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Puff's Intro" Sean "Puffy" Combs1:40
2."Do You Wanna Get $?" (featuring Puff Daddy)3:49
3."Take What's Yours" (featuring DMX)
  • Nashiem Myrick
  • Carlos "Six July" Broady
  • Combs
3:45
4."Mad Rapper (Interlude)" 
  • Combs
  • Angelettie
  • Mase
1:13
5."Will They Die 4 U?" (featuring Puff Daddy and Lil' Kim)
  • Combs
  • Lawrence
4:04
6."Lookin' at Me" (featuring Puff Daddy)The Neptunes4:15
7."White Girl (Interlude)" 
  • Combs
  • Angelettie
  • Mase
0:52
8."Love U So" (featuring Billy Lawrence)Stevie J.3:12
9."The Player Way" (featuring Eightball & MJG)
Mo-Suave-A Productions4:13
10."Hater (Interlude)" 
  • Combs
  • Angelettie
  • Mase
1:00
11."Niggaz Wanna Act" (featuring Busta Rhymes)
4:09
12."Feel So Good"
  • Combs
  • Angelettie
3:24
13."What You Want" (featuring Total)
  • Combs
  • Myrick
4:02
14."Phone Conversation (Interlude)" 
  • Combs
  • Angelettie
  • Mase
1:49
15."Cheat on You" (featuring Lil' Cease and Jay-Z)Jermaine Dupri3:15
16."24 Hrs. to Live" (featuring The LOX, Black Rob, and DMX)
  • Angelettie
  • Myrick
  • Broady
4:16
17."I Need to Be" (featuring Monifah)5:12
18."Watch Your Back (Interlude)" 
  • Combs
  • Angelettie
  • Mase
0:56
19."Wanna Hurt Mase?"
  • Combs
  • Lawrence
4:23
20."Jealous Guy" (featuring 112)
  • Combs
  • J-Dub
6:25

Sample credits

Personnel

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  • Prince Charles Alexander – mixing (5)
  • Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie – mixing (16), associate executive producer
  • Dave Aron – mixing (1)
  • Carlos "Six July" Broady – piano (3)
  • Sean "Puffy" Combs – mixing (5, 6, 9), executive producer
  • Lane Craven – mixing (2, 8, 20)
  • Mike Daddy – grooming
  • Stephen Dent – engineer (2, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 13, 16, 17, 19)
  • Jermaine Dupri – mixing (15)
  • Ben Garrison – engineer (20)
  • DJ IROC – scratches (5, 13)
  • J-Dub – additional programming (12, 16)
  • Groovy Lew – stylist
  • Tony Maserati – mixing (6, 9)
  • Michael Patterson – engineer (2), mixing (3, 11, 12, 17, 19)
  • Lisa Peardon – photography
  • Herb Powers – mastering
  • Kelly Price – additional vocals (12)
  • Phil Tan – engineer and mixing (15)
  • Rich Travail – mixing (13)
  • Barry White – grooming
  • Doug Wilson – engineer (1, 3, 11, 12, 17)
  • Jimmy Wilson – engineer (9)

Charts

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Chart performance for Harlem World
Chart (1997–1998) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[11] 91
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[12] 1
Canadian R&B Albums (SoundScan)[13] 1
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[14] 59
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[15] 20
UK Albums (OCC)[16] 53
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[17] 8
US Billboard 200[18] 1
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[19] 1

Billboard 200 Rank #20 1998

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[20] 3× Platinum 300,000^
United States (RIAA)[21] 4× Platinum 4,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Mase's 'World' Makes Its Way Straight to Top". Los Angeles Times. November 6, 1997. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  2. ^ link
  3. ^ link
  4. ^ link
  5. ^ link
  6. ^ link
  7. ^ link
  8. ^ link
  9. ^ {https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_New_Rolling_Stone_Album_Guide/t9eocwUfoSoC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=Sean%20Combs]
  10. ^ Williamson, Nigel (March 1998). "Mase: Harlem World". Uncut. No. 10. pp. 77–78.
  11. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 178.
  12. ^ "Mase Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
  13. ^ "Top 10 R&B Albums". The Gazette. January 8, 1998. p. D7 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Ma$e – Harlem World" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  15. ^ "Charts.nz – Ma$e – Harlem World". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  16. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  17. ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
  18. ^ "Mase Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
  19. ^ "Mase Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
  20. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Mase – Harlem World". Music Canada. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  21. ^ "American album certifications – Mase – Harlem World". Recording Industry Association of America.