Hip-Hop artist a.c.e breaks ground with new single on itunes

Rapper Jason “A.C.E” Adams, 1/2 of the duo Genysis, releases new single on iTunes “How I Feel”

By Rae Angrand

A.C.E is a not what he sounds like: he may be the Barack of Hip Hop. The Great Hot Hope. A Long Island native, now Syracuse University student, A.C.E has a junior/senior status in the mastery of his sound. He uses his network and underground production to prove he is the next Fresh New Sound to break surface with his Artistic Creative Energy mixtape. Jason Adams see’s energy as the meat to his sound, whether it’s  conscious or swag-heavy. His flow is raw, growing, dirty and youthful in its conscious tracks and on its swag-filled crunk-club delivery. There is a little bit of Tupac, a little bit of De La Soul (on the fresher, laid back tracks) and a poetry to his delivery. It’s Lupe and an early Mobb Deep melting into something we haven’t heard in one person.

I shared a few tracks and got feedback like “dope underground/old skool potential” from Slam Artist, MalTempo and communal nods to his New York sound and New York City underground hip hop flow —which is never a bad thing.

This is not an amateur effort, though there are areas of hesitation, the technique, alliteration and breathing is impressive. Shout out’s to the production on this sound (which is revealed in the Artist Interview at www.raesunshine.com/review).

The track list varies from laid back, to underground Hip Hop to commercial ready-right-now crunkness.

Favorite Track: “Lovin’ You No More” and “I’m So Fly“
Artist Score: 4.0 / 5.0

Check out the sound:
www.facebook.com/acexxi
https://www.reverbnation.com/acexxi

DID YOU DOWNLOAD THIS SONG FOR FREE? THANK THE ARTIST!

Interview With Rapper A.C.E from TakeOver Entertainment

Rae: Who Are Your Influences?

A.C.E: My influence includes, first and foremost, Michael Jackson.  As well as inspiring me musically, he’s my inspiration for being an entertainer.  My other musical influences include: The Beatles, Curtis Mayfield, 2Pac, 50 Cent, Jay-Z, Nas, Eminem, Busta Rhymes, and OutKast to name a few.  I was really influenced by a lot of artists that were active around 2001, that’s when Hip-Hop had just found me and was beginning to embrace me creatively.  There’s a bunch of other influences but these are some that stick out to me.

Rae: Who’s the Producer of “How I Feel” and “Wondering Where I’ma Go?”

A.C.E: The producer of How I Feel is Afta-1, an independent producer.  I came across the beat some time ago and I had been sitting on it and I only had the bridge in my head, then the hook, then the verses.  But I really constructed the song around the bridge.  It held the energy of the message I wanted to get across.

Wonderin’ Where I’ma Go is produced by That Boy Artixx, an up and coming producer.  When I heard that beat I wrote to it right away.  I had been sitting on it for a while and I decided to put it out as an incentive for people to tell their friends about my music page on facebook.  It’s still in the works. What I put out is all I’ve done. I may put it on a new project but only when a second verse comes to me, we’ll see what happens with that song but for now it is as it is.

Rae: Why iTunes?

A.C.E: Why not?  The song will still be available for free download on my website for anyone that’s willing to sign up for my mailing list, and anyone who would like to support the movement can purchase it right where they can purchase all of their other favorite music as well.  Honestly, it’s just really easy to tell people to download it on iTunes as opposed to telling them to get it anywhere else.

Rae: Tell me about collaborations and marrying your sound with other artists?

A.C.E: I’m a frequent collaborator.  In Long Island, where I’m from, my team spits all the time.  I’m the one who’s got all the equipment to record it right there on deck, so whenever we’re all together and the creativity is flowing, we bounce ideas off of each other and record it.  Whenever I work with another artist I want to step out of my comfort zone and I’m more a fan of being in the studio with people I collaborate with than I am of doing the whole sending verses back and forth, but sometimes schedules and other things make that difficult, so you still gotta do what you gotta do.  Overall, it’s important to be on the same page with the person I’m collaborating with.

Rae: What is your challenge as an artist at this time?

A.C.E: My biggest challenge has been developing a level of transparency in myself where I can let my ideas just flow exactly how I want them to.  For a while when I was making music I felt that it was good but that I had better things bouncing around in my head, than what I had been laying down.  But I’m always lyrically exercising so it’s becoming much easier.

Rae: How is/does poetry affect your flow?

A.C.E: I think it helps contribute to that level of transparency in my lyrics.  Poetry was my thing before I began really writing some dope bars.  So whenever I’ve written it’s been about telling people how I feel.  I honestly don’t know how to rap about things that I’m not about.  Whenever I am on a record I am me, just as I am in my poetry.  To me rap is poetry with special attention being paid to the rhythm.

Rae: Are you Rap? or Hip-Hop?

A.C.E: Both.  I am Hip-Hop.  Rap is the medium that I’m meant to express it through.  Hip-Hop is a way of living it’s more than just the music it’s the entire movement.  I’m loyal to Hip-Hop when it comes to making music.  Wherever I decide to take my sound it all stems from there.  There are rappers out there who are just rappers and don’t really respect the knowledge element of Hip-Hop and to me that’s wack.  Technically speaking anyone can rap, but the difference between the bad and the good are the ones that respect the fact that you don’t have to fabricate your subject matter if your skills are tight.

Rae: Who is Artistic Creative Energy?

A.C.E: Artistic Creative Energy is me.  It’s what I embody.  Where I choose to direct that energy is what ends up on the record, but that energy is mine and mine alone.  So it’s the best way for me to describe what I am.  A.C.E. as an artist is a reflection of my thoughts and feelings and, just as important, the thoughts and feelings of my listeners.  Everything I put out is an extension of me.

Rae: How has your flow changed?

A.C.E: I’ve become more fluid when I rap.  I like to let the words just flow.  I’ve been working toward removing that mental filter between what I think and what I say and it’s working so I’m gonna keep with it and see where it takes me.  So far so good.

Rae: What are you willing to experiment with [as far as sound]?

A.C.E:  I’m really willing to experiment with any sound as long as it’s where my heart’s at.  I don’t like doing things just because the sound is new or different.  The most important thing about any sound that I put out is that it resonates with me

Thank you A.C.E and be sure to check him out on iTunes and facebook.com/acexxi