* Ma$e

DOUBLE UP

(Bad Boy/Arista)

Ma$e's fame began with a verse on the late Notorious B.I.G.'s sublime "Mo Money, Mo Problems," and his glitzy, MTV-friendly image earned him denouncements from countless underground rappers with nothing better to rap about. He released his successful solo debut, Harlem World, in 1997, and now he's back with his sophomore album, a tepid, mainly joyless affair that may end his career -- he recently announced that he's quitting hip-hop to devote himself to God.

Nothing about Ma$e leaves much of a lingering impression, though "Make Me Cry" is neatly spliced together from bits of Natalie Cole and Fleetwood Mac. The rest of the disc is a familiar mix of sparkly synthesizers, ominous strings, ill-conceived remakes (Gary Numan's "Cars"?), and mumbled lyrics, seasoned with the obligatory pinch of Southern bounce. Some rappers rap for money, some for fame, some for the love of the music, and some because they have something to say. Ma$e -- who has always sounded casually unscrupulous -- just does it because he can. Even though he can't.

-- Kelefa Sanneh