Welcome Back (Mase album)

Last updated • 1 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
Welcome Back
Mase wb.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 24, 2004 (US)
Recorded2003–2004
Genre Hip hop
Length49:30
Label
Producer The Movement, Rick Rock, Tyrese Jones, Chad Hamilton, Brass 'n Blues
Mase chronology
Double Up
(1999)
Welcome Back
(2004)
Singles from Welcome Back
  1. "Welcome Back"
    Released: May 25, 2004
  2. "Breathe, Stretch, Shake"
    Released: September 14, 2004
  3. "Keep It On"
    Released: 2004

Welcome Back is the third studio album by American rapper Mase. It was released on August 24, 2004, by Bad Boy Records and Universal Records. The album debuted at No. 4 on the charts, selling 188,000 copies in the first week. The album received gold certification by the RIAA, signifying sales of 559,000 copies in the United States.

Contents

This was Mase's first album to not have a Parental Advisory warning, and his first official studio release since 1999's Double Up . "Welcome Back" samples the Welcome Back, Kotter theme song.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 57/100 [1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Blender Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Entertainment Weekly B− [3]
HipHopDX Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [4]
Music Critic [5]
PopMatters Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1] [6]
RapReviews5.5/10 [7]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [8]
Tiny Mix Tapes Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [9]
USA Today Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [10]

Welcome Back received mixed reviews from music critics. AllMusic's David Jeffries said, "Welcome Back runs out of steam toward the end, and spreading out some of the "don't sleep on this" material from the beginning would've worked wonders. It makes this the least necessary Mase album, but half the tracks point to a future that is brighter than ever." [2] Jon Caramanica, writing for Rolling Stone , found Mase's delivery lacking in quality after years away from the rap game and focusing on religion. [8] Kelefa Sanneh from The New York Times said that despite the production in "Breathe, Stretch, Shake" and "Do You Remember" giving him support to lace his flow on the beat, he felt Mase's religious outlook held him back when delivering "lousy similes" about the Bible and brushing women and former friends aside without a response, calling Welcome Back "a surprisingly tepid collection that might have benefited from a bit more preaching, or at least a bit more passion." [11]

Track listing

#TitleProducer(s)Featured guest(s)Time
1"Welcome Back" The Movement John Sebastian 4:22
2"Breathe, Stretch, Shake" Rick Rock Diddy 3:17
3"Keep It On"Tyrese JonesChantelle3:34
4"My Harlem Lullaby"The Movement3:54
5"I Owe" Rick Rock 3:49
6"Wasting My Time"S.Gerongco, R.Gerongco, Kuya Productions4:01
7"Gotta Survive"The Movement4:42
8"The Love You Need" Park Jin-Young Rashad4:06
9"Money Comes and Goes"Chad Hamilton, Ryan Presson4:16
10"I Wanna Go"Tyrese JonesChantelle3:52
11"Into What You Say" Rick Rock 4:04
12"Do You Remember"The MovementCardan5:01

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2004)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [12] 68
Canadian Albums (Billboard) [13] 10
Canadian R&B Albums (Nielsen SoundScan) [14] 12
French Albums (SNEP) [15] 165
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [16] 71
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [17] 29
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [18] 65
UK Albums (OCC) [19] 68
UK R&B Albums (OCC) [20] 10
US Billboard 200 [21] 4
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [22] 3

Year-end charts

Chart (2004)Position
US Billboard 200 [23] 152
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [24] 73

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [25] Gold500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

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