Matt Diehl from
Entertainment Weekly said of the album: "Known for his funkified cameos on hits by Mariah Carey, Notorious B.I.G., and mentor Puff Daddy, rap’s newest bad boy Mase more than holds his own on his solo debut
Harlem World. Like Puff Daddy, he laces hardcore raps with pop hooks and drops Big Willie boasts on cuts like 'Do You Wanna Get $'; his distinctive marble-mouthed drawl, however, creates a regular-guy persona all too rare in hip-hop."
AllMusic editor Leo Stanley wrote, "like many big-budget hip-hop records,
Harlem World is nearly a various-artists collection, featuring an array of different producers and guest rappers that often obscure Mase himself. Still, all that talent guarantees that the record will be well crafted, and that certainly is true. With Combs and Dupri behind the decks for much of the album,
Harlem World has a dense, funky sound that is up-tempo party rap at its best."
Los Angeles Times critic Cheo Hodari Coker wrote that on
Harlem World "Mase is consistently mellow and confident, relying on simplicity but also displaying moments of stunning insight and poignancy [...] With
Harlem World, which features production from a host of hot studio hands, Mase manages to display commercial sensibilities without selling out, and he’s also able to poke fun at his own image when the time is right. For Mase, mo money seems like no problem." Sheldon Pearce of
Pitchfork called the album "larger than life. Mase had a buttery touch when in his groove, as if having an out-of-body experience watching himself churn out hits. His flows were as silky, or as plush, or as golden as the material world furnishing his songs. He made the realm of luxury feel quaint."
Robert Christgau called
Harlem World a "hugely appealing, moderately disturbing piece of pop." ==Commercial performance==