Masta Ace
A Long Hot Summer (M3) Consummating his lifelong love affair with hip-hop, Masta Ace settles down with narrative raps of a semiautobiographical variety. The former Juice Crew member and author of such hood classics as “Born to Roll” and “Sittin’ on Chrome” depicts life in Brooklyn with the insight of a shrewd novelist. Serving as the thematic prequel to 2001’s Disposable Arts, A Long Hot Summer lays bare why Ace’s protagonist was just out of jail on the previous disc. Chided into white-collar crime by his Italian sidekick Fats Belvedere, Ace reasons, “We relying on schemes and scams, just so we can realize our dreams and plans” (“Big City”). Faced with the expansive responsibilities of adulthood, tracks like “Da Grind” and “Beautiful” capture the stoic persistence of a career more than 15 years in the making. Wishing nothing more than to make it as a successful MC, Ace gives heartfelt background as to why even the best intentions sometimes fall prey to the cutthroat mentality of capitalist culture. “This nation is built on violent intimidations,” argues “The Ways,” the ever-relative ethical dilemma of black life in America further revealing itself as a constant psychological quandary. Dealing with dualities is second nature to Ace, as he admits on “Wutuwankno”: “It used to be about a hump and a rub, but I ain’t trying to be that old nigga up in the club.” Wise beyond his decades, Masta Ace stands at the altar with lyrical depth as his bride.
This article appears in August 27 • 2004.