Mase Albums (4)
What The Critics Say
After five years of leading his own ministry and rap retirement, Mase is back with the same skills and the same lazy yet on-point delivery, but lyrically it's a whole new ballgame. Yes, he raps about Jesus, but no more than some thugs do. No, he doesn't want your drugs, booze, or loose women, but living the good life rarely sounds this fun, this hip. Don't think Mase is going to be joining the Partridge Family anytime soon; he's not naïve enough and his portrayal of day-to-day life on Welcome Back is real. Rather than going the "it says in the Good Book" route, Mase focuses on the consequences of a thug lifestyle throughout the album, without a cuss but with plenty of street smarts. The title track is the bouncy, sticks-in-your-head reminder of everything great about Mase. Like his past hits it's lyric-filled, driven but effortless, and has a crafty interpolation of a pop tune, this time the Welcome Back Kotter theme. Producers Rick Rock and the Movement take the Bad Boy Records way of borrowing from the pop world and pump new life into the tired technique more than once. "My Harlem Lullaby" uses Madonna's "La Isle Bonita" as a springboard, while "Keep It On" does some brilliant digging and uses Jermaine Stewart's cautionary chestnut "We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off" for its beat (the liner notes claim the sample is from "We Don't Have to Keep Our Clothes On" for some bizarre reason). Unfortunate, but Welcome Back runs out of steam toward the end, and spreading out some of the "don't sleep on this" material from the beginning would've worked wonders. It makes this the least necessary Mase album, but half the tracks point to a future that is brighter than ever. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Shortly after he completed his second album, Double Up, Mase announced his retirement from hip-hop. He chose to follow the path of the Lord, which didn't just mean that he could no longer rap -- he no longer had the desire to do so. Frustratingly, the album finds Mase continuing to improve, but falling short of delivering a stunning farewell that could stand as his last testament. Double Up pretty much recycles the same hooktastic pop-rap formulas as Harlem World, following Puff Daddy's design of borrowing the best, regardless of the source (for example, Gary Numan provides the basis for one cut), and turning it into radio-ready party music. While this is pleasing to the ear, it tends to be a little monotonous and too predictable, especially when compared to Mase's raps. True, he still favors a flat, slow delivery but there's a growing undercurrent of distaste for hip-hop clichés, a feeling which, ultimately, led to Mase throwing in the towel and turning to God. Certainly, this gives Double Up more lyrical drama than the average hip-hop album, and it's often enough to keep it compelling when the music flat-lines. Still, there's still the sneaking suspicion that Double Up could have been more -- either an excellent pop-rap record with no flab, or a convincing statement of purpose, evidence of why Mase had to leave hip-hop behind. As it stands, it's simply a good sequel to a promising debut. Which, of course, is all that it needed to be, but in light of Mase's retirement, it's hard not to want more. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
After Mase's debut album Harlem World became a huge hit, he decided to confirm his status as a hitmaker and protege of Puff Daddy by becoming a mogul himself. Working with his producer Jermaine Dupri, he developed a new group confusingly called Harlem World. To the surprise of absolutely no one, Harlem World's debut album The Movement sounds like Puffy, Mase and Dupri -- blends of hip-hop, soul and pop, crafted for parties and crossover radio alike. The problem is, none of the six members of Harlem World are particularly distinctive rappers, which ultimately makes The Movement feel like a pale shadow of their mentors. Not to say that it doesn't have its moments. When you have two of the leading lights of contemporary pop-rap masterminding your record, you damn well better deliver a couple of good singles, and they do in the form of "One Big Fiesta" and "You Made Me." The rest of the album is well-crafted, but not remarkable. While that may not be a problem for some fans of this style, since it does provide good background music for parties, it doesn't bode well for Harlem World's future movements. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
It's a little ironic that Mase, who made his reputation as a guest rapper on records by Puff Daddy and the Notorious B.I.G., almost seems like a guest himself on his debut album, Harlem World. Like many big-budget hip-hop records, Harlem World is nearly a various-artists collection, featuring an array of different producers and guest rappers that often obscure Mase himself. Still, all that talent guarantees that the record will be well crafted, and that certainly is true. With Sean "Puffy" Combs and Jermaine Dupri behind the decks for much of the album, Harlem World has a dense, funky sound that is up-tempo party rap at its best. Like any late-'90s hip-hop record, it's a little too long for its own good, but the singles, such as the bouncy "Feel So Good," make it worthwhile. It still would have been nice to hear more of Mase on his own album, though. ~ Leo Stanley, All Music Guide
