Ma$e Celebrates 17 Years Of Classic Album "Harlem World"

Image Credit: stizzlifestyle.tv

By: Kai Jones

October 28th,17 years ago TODAY, Bad Boy Records dropped one of hip hops greatest albums, Harlem World. Harlem World was the debut of Harlem rap legend, Ma$e. This album was looked at as Puff Daddy’s showcase, of his new protégé to replace the legendary Notorious B.I.G. 

Ma$e had “big” shoes to fill, and he filled them masterfully...

While Ma$e was seen as the replacement for B.I.G., he gained national notoriety off of B.I.G.’s posthumous number one hit: “Mo Money, Mo Problems”. Harlem World’s lead single was “Feel So Good," a track produced by Puff Daddy himself; topped out at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. This song was ranked 67^th on VH1’s 100 Greatest Songs of Hip-Hop. The other 2 singles from that album, “What You Want” and “Lookin’ At Me," both hit Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. Harlem World debuted at #1 on Billboard Pop and R&B charts selling over 270,000 copies. While Harlem World was commercially successful, it was also an album of substance; which as bad as that sounds, commercial success doesn’t always mean the music is good.

While Harlem World is 17 years old, I can’t help but listen to this album and still hear his influences upon current artists, such as Kanye West and Pusha T. Puff Daddy’s influence upon the project is clear as it has a lot of themes and concepts that are similar to B.I.G.’s classic debut album Ready To Die. 

Harlem World also seemed to be a showcase for young talented artists. The Lox, DMX, Jay-Z, Lil Kim, Monifah, Black Rob, 112, Billy Lawrence, and Lil’ Cease. It also featured known artists such as Busta Rhymes, 8 Ball and MJG. The production also featured a great panel of producers with Puff Daddy, Stevie J, Jermaine Dupri, and D-Dot just to name a few, and was also the first surface of the legendary production team The Neptunes. All these reasons are why Harlem World has stood the test of time and quickly became a classic hip hop album.

17 years may not seem that long, but consider 17 years ago gas was not even a $1.50. 17 years in mainstream music is a lifetime considering how quick it changes. While I can’t say that this album is a Top 10 candidate in hip-hop, I must say it’s a album that deserves its place in anyone’s hip-hop catalogue.

Edited by: Dana Pellotta (E.I.C.)

Hip Hop Is Dead. Why ZERO Albums Have Went Platinum in 2014.

Image Credit: 2DopeBoyz.com

by: Dana P. (E.I.C.) 

A$AP Yams, co-owner of the A$AP Mob, took it to his Twitter to call 2014 "the worst year in rap history." Many disagreed and thought he was just downright crazy for saying such a thing. However, numbers don't lie so, let's check the scoreboard!

It's been a tough race in 2014, and unfortunately for those who dropped albums, no ones quite made it to the finish line. Week one numbers for Rick Ross' "Mastermind" and Young Jeezy's "Seen It All" came in strong, but not strong enough. Iggy Azalea's "The New Classic," along with Wiz Khalifa's "Blacc Hollywood" had a tough time passing 400,000! But are these artists really hip hop artists?

According to Billboard, ZERO albums have yet to go platinum in 2014. 

Is hip hop dead? Can any REAL hip hop artists step up to the plate, change the game back to the way it should be, and come back with a strong victory here? Nas, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar --we NEED you! 

Eminem, Fabolous and T.I. are all set to drop new albums  this fall. Let's hope they come through clutch with some dope material and SAVE the little bit left we have of 2014 and finish off strong by starting off 2015 the RIGHT way!

Drake Reveals Fourth Studio Album In The Works Titled 'Views From The 6'

Image Credit: Drake's Instagram (champagnepapi)

Young Money native Drake has literally gone from 0 to 100 real quick! The powerhouse rapper recently confirmed his latest project to Billboard on July 15 which is the title of his fourth studio album - Views From The 6. 
Although it is unclear what the '6' really means in the album title, it is rumored to be a hometown shoutout to his city of Toronto, Canada. Hint hint . . the city's two most common area codes are 416 and 647.
According to Billboard, Drake hasn't even begun to start putting down hard-hitting tracks in the studio for his upcoming album. It must be great to know that even with just a reveal of an album title, Young Champagne Papi can still easily stir up his fan base and better yet his competition too.
Even though his upcoming album announcement comes as huge news, Drake is still dedicating his time to help promote his OVO Sound artists Majid Jordan and PARTYNEXTDOOR as they are set to release projects of their own.
Since one can only dream of what fire Drake is about to cook up in the studio, we'll just have to settle for his glorious presence on the stage and the TV screen in the meanwhile. Be sure to check him out tonight as he hosts the 2014 ESPY's Awards at 9pm on ESPN.

- Brittany C. Jackson