''Welcome Back'' is the third

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

rapper

Mase Mason Durell Betha (born August 27, 1975), better known by his mononym Mase (formerly Murda Mase and stylized as Ma$e), is an American rapper and minister. In the late 1990s, he recorded on the Bad Boy Records label alongside its founder Sean ...

, 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 Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile ...

, selling 559,000 copies in the United States. This was Mase's first album to not have a

Parental Advisory Advisory (abbreviated PAL) is a warning label introduced by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 1985 and adopted by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) in 2011. It is placed on audio recordings in recognition of profan ...

warning, and his first official studio release since 1999's '' Double Up''. " Welcome Back" samples the ''Welcome Back, Kotter'' theme song.

Critical reception

''Welcome Back'' received mixed reviews from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

'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." Jon Caramanica, writing for ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'', found Mase's delivery lacking in quality after years away from the rap game and focusing on religion. Kelefa Sanneh from ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' 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."

Track listing

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

* {{Authority control 2004 albums Albums produced by Rick Rock Bad Boy Records albums Mase albums