Welcome Back (Mase album)

Welcome Back is the third studio album by American rapper Mase, released August 24, 2004. The album debuted at No. 4 on the charts, selling 188,000 copies in the first week. The album would eventually go Gold, selling 559,000 copies in the United States.

Welcome Back
Studio album by
Mase
ReleasedAugust 24, 2004 (US)
Recorded2003-2004
GenreHip hop
Length49:30
Label
ProducerThe Movement, Rick Rock, Tyrice 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

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
Metacritic57/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Blender[1]
Entertainment WeeklyB−[3]
HipHopDX[4]
Music Critic[5]
PopMatters[1][6]
RapReviews5.5/10[7]
Rolling Stone[8]
Tiny Mix Tapes[9]
USA Today[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
# Title Producer(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 Jones Chantelle 3:34
4 "My Harlem Lullaby" The Movement 3:54
5 "I Owe" Rick Rock 3:49
6 "Wasting My Time" S.Gerongco, R.Gerongco, Kuya Productions 4:01
7 "Gotta Survive" The Movement 4:42
8 "The Love You Need" Park Jin-Young Rashad 4:06
9 "Money Comes and Goes" Chad Hamilton, Ryan Presson 4:16
10 "I Wanna Go" Tyrese Jones Chantelle 3:52
11 "Into What You Say" Rick Rock 4:04
12 "Do You Remember" The Movement Cardan 5:01

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
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[25] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. "Critic Reviews for Welcome Back by Mase". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved May 30, 2012.
  2. Jeffries, David. "Welcome Back - Mase". AllMusic. Retrieved May 30, 2012.
  3. Fiore, Raymond (August 20, 2004). "Welcome Back". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
  4. Koslow, Jessica (September 14, 2004). "Mase - Welcome Back". HipHopDX. Cheri Media Group. Archived from the original on August 13, 2012. Retrieved March 23, 2008.
  5. Music Critic review
  6. Ozga, Matthew (November 22, 2004). "Mase: Welcome Back". PopMatters. Retrieved May 4, 2013.
  7. Juon, Steve 'Flash' (August 24, 2004). "Ma$e :: Welcome Back :: Bad Boy Records/Universal". RapReviews. Retrieved August 10, 2009.
  8. Caramanica, Jon (September 30, 2004). "Mase: Welcome Back". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Archived from the original on July 25, 2008. Retrieved September 4, 2007.
  9. Chadwicked (December 14, 2006). "Mase - Welcome Back". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved May 4, 2013.
  10. Jones, Steve (August 23, 2004). "Welcome prodigal son Mase; Steve Earle's 'Revolution'". USA Today. Gannett. Retrieved May 4, 2013.
  11. Sanneh, Kelefa (August 30, 2004). "Critic's Choice/New CD's; Rap Beats: Preachy, Snarly or Sweet". The New York Times. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
  12. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 178.
  13. "Mase Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  14. "R&B : Top 50". Jam!. October 7, 2004. Archived from the original on October 10, 2004. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  15. "Lescharts.com – Ma$e – Welcome Back". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  16. "Offiziellecharts.de – Ma$e – Welcome Back" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  17. "Charts.nz – Ma$e – Welcome Back". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  18. "Swisscharts.com – Ma$e – Welcome Back". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  19. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  20. "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  21. "Mase Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  22. "Mase Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  23. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2004". Billboard. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  24. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2004". Billboard. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  25. "American album certifications – Mase – Welcome Back". Recording Industry Association of America.
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