Harlem World
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Harlem World is the multi-platinum debut album by rapper Mase, released October 28, 1997. Seen as Puff Daddy's new protege since the passing of The Notorious B.I.G., Mase rose to fame after being a member of fellow Harlem rapper Big L's rap collective Children of the Corn which rapper Cam'ron was also a part of. 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 highly successful album spawning hits such as "Feel So Good" (U.S. #5), "What You Want" (U.S. #6), and "Lookin' at Me" (U.S. #8).
Mase released his first solo LP, Harlem World, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Pop and R&B LP charts selling over 270,000 copies in the U.S. its first week of release; it has since gone on to sell 3.3 million copies in the United States. Joining Mase on his solo LP was a long list of rap dignitaries including Busta Rhymes, The Lox, Lil' Kim, Total, and Monifah. 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." 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."
Mase hit the Top 40 helping out Brian McKnight with "You Should Be Mine (Don't Waste Your Time)."
In 2008, the single "Feel So Good" was ranked number 67 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop.
Track listing
| # | Name | Producer(s) | Featured Guest(s) | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Puff's Intro" | Sean "Puffy" Combs for The Hitmen | 1:40 | |
| 2 | "Do You Wanna Get $?" | Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie for The Hitmen | 3:49 | |
| 3 | "Take What's Yours" | Nashiem Myrick for The Hitmen | DMX | 3:45 |
| 4 | "Mad Rapper (Interlude)" | The Madd Rapper | 1:13 | |
| 5 | "Will They Die 4 U?" | Sean "Puffy" Combs for The Hitmen | Puff Daddy & Lil' Kim | 4:04 |
| 6 | "Lookin' at Me" | The Neptunes | Puff Daddy | 4:15 |
| 7 | "White Girl (Interlude)" | 0:52 | ||
| 8 | "Love U So" | Steven "Stevie J" Jordan for The Hitmen | Billy Lawrence | 3:12 |
| 9 | "The Player Way" | Mo-Suave-A | 8Ball & MJG | 4:13 |
| 10 | "Hater (Interlude)" | 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" | Sean "Puffy" Combs for The Hitmen/Dj Iroc Scratches | Total | 4:02 |
| 14 | "Phone Conversation (Interlude)" | 1:49 | ||
| 15 | "Cheat on You" | Jermaine Dupri | Lil' Cease & Jay-Z | 3:15 |
| 16 | "24 Hrs. to Live" | Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie for The Hitmen | Black Rob, DMX & The L.O.X. | 4:16 |
| 17 | "I Need to Be" | Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie for The Hitmen | Monifah | 5:12 |
| 18 | "Watch Your Back (Interlude)" | 0:56 | ||
| 19 | "Wanna Hurt Mase?" | Sean "Puffy" Combs for The Hitmen | 4:23 | |
| 20 | "Jealous Guy" | Sean "Puffy" Combs for The Hitmen | 112 | 6:25 |
Chart positions
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | The Billboard 200 | 1 |
Singles
| Single Information |
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"Feel So Good"
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"What You Want"
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"Lookin' At Me"
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Personnel
- Barry White - Grooming
- Eightball & MJG - Performer
- Billy Lawrence - Performer
- Busta Rhymes - Performer
- Sean "Puffy" Combs - Producer, Mixing
- DMX - Performer
- Jermaine Dupri - Producer, Mixing
- 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
- Puff Daddy/P. Diddy - 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 Iroc - Scratching
- Richard "Younglord" Frierson - Producer
- Lil' Cease - Performer
- Black Rob - Performer
Trivia
A video game called Harlem World that stars Mase is frequently featured on College University.
The title of this album was also the name of a collaborative group formed by Mase that included: Baby Stase (Mase's Sister), Blinky Blink, Cardan (rapper), Loon (rapper) & Meeno. They had a hit single with "I Like It".
A heavy metal remix of "Will They Die 4 You?" was made with rock band System of a Down. It appears on Chef Aid: The South Park Album.