Biography
Mase enjoyed only a fleeting period of fame, yet he notched multiple successes in the late '90s under the guidance of his mentor Puff Daddy before trying to extend that momentum through the creation of Harlem World, his own offshoot ensemble. In theory the project carried strong potential: Mase had already reached the upper ranks of the charts via his own first full-length release, also titled Harlem World (1997); he maintained a constant presence across the subsequent two years before the group’s arrival; and he benefited from the backing of two prominent pop-rap architects, Puff Daddy and Jermaine Dupri. Nevertheless, these advantages failed to generate the commercial returns Dupri anticipated after placing Harlem World on his So So Def roster. The Kelly Price-assisted lead track “I Really Like It” fell short of the anticipated crossover impact, and the accompanying album Movement (1999) dropped from view almost immediately. That setback foreshadowed further trouble when Mase’s long-delayed follow-up Double Up likewise underperformed, effectively closing his short-lived reign near the summit of a notoriously unpredictable rap scene. Viewed from a later vantage, Movement retains interest chiefly because of its two Neptunes-crafted cuts, “One Big Fiesta” and “Not the Kids,” both of which appeared just before the production duo’s swift ascent to widespread recognition.
Singles
