Masta Ace

Two immediate things I can say about Masta Ace are 1) He'll always be best known for his verse the classic posse cut "The Symphony", and 2) at 45 years of age (as of this post), he is one of very few hip hop artists who have got better with age, and that's clear on his latest release, which I will touch on in this post. Masta Ace was the most underrated member of the Juice Crew, and he's still underrated to this day.

I never had a chance to fully check this one out. I recently listened to some samples online, and I liked what I heard, so I'll be adding this to my collection, and it's going to take a moment considering it's out of print.

These two albums were released in 1993 and 1995, respectively, and although I listened to each of them twice (haven't purchased them, even though I was close at one point), I honestly can't get into them. I can't quite put my finger on it, but they didn't hook me like I thought they would.

I listened to both of these in the same day (8/8/12), mostly with the intent on adding them to my collection. I like the idea of a concept album and he did it well, but one of the main reasons I decided against copping either of them is their length. Now, I enjoy a lengthy album (probably a little more than most) and Masta Ace is capable of holding my attention for an entire album (as you'll see later in this post), however, both albums seem to drag at times and even if I were to buy them, I probably wouldn't revisit them again.

I recently listened to this on Spotify and I can't believe I let this one slip under my radar, seeing as it came out in 2009. The simple yet effective delivery of tight beats and hard rhymes are present on this one, and it impressed me so much that I copped the album a few days later.

Rating- 4 stars

Being that I just added this to my collection, I can't think of 5 favorites at the moment, but two of the songs that stick out are "Fans" and "Little Young".

This is another recent addition to my collection and it's already made my Best Albums of 2012 list. It's THAT good and the concept (a dedication to his mother who has passed away), as well as the beats from Ma Doom make this one excellent. Doom's beats may have been used elsewhere, but as mentioned in a recent article I read on this album, Masta Ace gives them LIFE. I dare to say that this may be the best album on this list.

Rating- 4.5 stars

Can't determine 5 favorite songs at the moment.

Masta Ace definitely has longevity in hip hop, and I respect that a great deal, even though I didn't feel most of his albums like that. I hope to see another album of the "Son of Yvonne" album.

Update, as of 9/14/2012:

The more I listen to this guy, the more I appreciate his talents. I don't know what I missed the last times I played "Disposable Arts" and "A Long Hot Summer", but since I added them to my collection, both albums have completely won me over. His albums with Edo. G & MF Doom, respectively, were excellent, as well as the eMC album "The Show", and I'll be adding "Slaughtahouse" & "Sittin On Chrome" to my collection soon, something I should've done YEARS ago, lol. His first album "Take A Look Around" is out of print, so it may take a while to add that one (and none of the sites have an MP3 download either, sadly). Underrated and underappreciated, but to this day MAD nice on the mic and he's gotten better with age, which is something not too many artists can say.