Harlem World
Harlem Worlddescribes a hedonistic lifestyle infomercialist Tom Vu would envy. Girls, riches, mo' money, mo' problems--it's all part of the game when you're Sean "Puffy" Combs's protégé, Mase. With his distinctive, narcoleptic vocals, Mase paints vivid pictures of singular Mase-ian problems on the dance-floor hits "Feel So Good," "Cheat On U," and "Wanna Hurt Mase?"Harlem Worldseems like a nice shiny package of proven hit making; problem is, Mase packs the charisma of Matt Dillon (always promising, but always the supporting actor). He has trouble keepingHarlem Worldinteresting, hence the preponderance of guests, including Busta Rhymes, Lil' Kim, Jay-Z, Total, and Puffy, of course. Good news: the Puff Daddy chop shop is open for beat recycling, andHarlem Worldwill ring more than a few bells of recognition. Not-so-good news: Puffy's style of commercial rap is dependent on charisma (see theNotorious B.I.G.andLil' Kim), and Mase is running on empty.--Todd Inoue