Harlem World

the take

For the record, I've never really actually hated Ma$e as a rapper. I've always thought he was a decent MC with wordplay that can keep the crowd rocking with him. Hell, he did just that when he was at Camp Flog Gnaw in 2024. It's just that I hated the entire "shiny suit" era, courtesy of the Diddler. Unfortunately, that umbrella included Ma$e in the mix as well. But maybe, juuuust maybe... his debut album isn't as bad ("bad" meaning super mainstream) as I remembered it to be? Ma$e's "Harlem World" is an album that tries to do a bit too much with different styles of music throughout the album. On the one hand, Diddy made sure to have a few songs that are standout radio-friendly songs, such as "Feel So Good", "What You Want", and the Pharrell-assisted "Lookin' at Me", which are all both tolerable and enjoyable at minimum. Then, there are the more gangsta rap tracks that sometimes come off as cheesy based on either the production given itself or the vocal performances that don't sound all too convincing for me. It's really a bit hit-or-miss on this side of the coin, though, as tracks like "24 Hrs. to Live" and "Do You Wanna Get $?" are among my top favorites on here, as Ma$e feels a bit more comfortable and into his zone, even if the production sounds a bit flashy for his liking. I don't know, I mean, it's not terrible as a whole for me, but it comes off as being a bit extra when it didn't have to be the entire time. Overall, I'm left with an okay project with few standouts, a few duds ("Will They Die 4 You?", "Jealous Guy"), and possibly the worst song Ma$e has ever made in "I Need to Be" (it sucks because Monifah's feature was great and the beat is nice, but Ma$e's raps on said song is questionable at least, aging even worse as time goes on). My hatred for the shiny suit era still lingers, but I'll admit that Ma$e does have some music I wouldn't mind letting spin around me. "Harlem World" is at least a good project to me, but it barely makes over the threshold.