Hate all you want. If you were too hardcore for ‘Harlem World’ back in 1997, your girl had it, and your favorite rapper studied it.

For those of us who at least loosely followed Mase during his musical hiatus, we accepted that the former prince of the Bad Boy empire would never return to hip-hop.

A strong follow-up to his classic debut album ‘Harlem World’ (1997), Mase’s sophomore album contains subtle signs of the wear-and-tear he endured as a rising star in the spotlight.