# Harlem World

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, being certified as quadruple platinum in the United States.
It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart on November 15, 1997, selling nearly 273,000 copies in its first week.

## Reception

Professional ratings :
| Review scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| Robert Christgau | A− |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+ |
| Los Angeles Times | |
| Muzik | |
| Pitchfork | 8.1/10 |
| RapReviews | 7/10 |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | |
| Uncut | |
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

Sample credits
* "Puff's Intro" contains excerpts from "Joy", written and performed by Isaac Hayes.
* "Do You Wanna Get $" contains excerpts from "Do Ya Wanna Get Funky with Me", as performed by Peter Brown.
* "Will They Die 4 U?" contains a sample from "Everything Good to You (Ain't Always Good for You)", as performed by B.T. Express.
* "Love U So" contains excerpts from Ooh Boy", written by Norman Whitfield. It also contains a sample of "Square Biz", as performed by Teena Marie.
* "Niggaz Wanna Act" contains elements from "Hostage", as performed by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes.
* "Feel So Good" contains a sample from "Hollywood Swinging", as performed by Kool & The Gang, and embodies portions of "Bad Boy", as performed by Miami Sound Machine.
* "What You Want" contains a sample from "Right on for the Darkness", written and recorded by Curtis Mayfield.
* "Cheat on You" contains a sample from "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough", as performed by Michael Jackson.
* "24 Hrs. to Live" contains excerpts from "Moses Theme", written by LeRoy Bell, Thom Bell, Jack Robinson, and Casey James. It also contains samples from "Magic Wanda", as performed by Frankie Bleu.
* "I Need to Be" contains a sample from "Tomorrow (A Better You, Better Me)", as performed by The Brothers Johnson.
* "Wanna Hurt Mase?" embodies portions of "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me", written by Jon Moss, Roy Hay, Mikey Craig, and George O'Dowd.
* "Jealous Guy" contains a sample from "Jealous Girl", written and performed by New Edition.

## Personnel

* 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

Chart performance for Harlem World :
| Chart (1997–1998) | Peak position |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) | 91 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard) | 1 |
| Canadian R&B Albums (SoundScan) | 1 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) | 59 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) | 20 |
| UK Albums (OCC) | 53 |
| UK R&B Albums (OCC) | 8 |
| US Billboard 200 | 1 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) | 1 |
Billboard 200 Rank #20 1998

## Certifications

| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
| Canada (Music Canada) | 3× Platinum | 300,000$^^$ |
| United States (RIAA) | 4× Platinum | 4,000,000$^^$ |
| $^^$ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |||