I love hip-hop, because in hip-hop it’s totally acceptable to bite someone else’s style and pass it off as your own (in the real world that’s called plagiarism). But on the streets, if you admire someone else’s flow, go ahead and take it, no biggie. And that’s the problem, no Biggie. I miss you Big Poppa.
Anyway, I was listening to Masta Ace’s newest disc A Long Hot Summer, and that got me thinking about how I don’t listen to enough hip hop anymore. It also got me thinking about how a certain Detroit rapper who named himself after a candy coated chocolate treat totally ripped off Masta Ace’s style. But then, I’m guessing if you played Masta Ace for anybody not in the know, they’d probably think he was ripping off Marshall Mathers. Which would be stupid because only prepubescent teens with angst issues and no real musical taste emulate Marshall Mathers.
Back to Ace, though. He released Long Hot Summer in 2004 and keeps saying that this is his last album and he plans to retire, which is sad because he’s damn good. Don’t do that retirement thing, Ace. It didn’t work for Michael Jordan, Jigga’s latest is so-so at best and while you are a great rapper, no body cares, because you’re not a white boy from the trailer park or a blinged-out pimp or a muscle bound street thug with a speech impediment. You’re just a great rapper who hasn’t gotten the recognition you deserve. Biggie didn’t title his album Ready to Retire, did he? Didn’t think so.
Web Site: Here
Stuff to Sample: From Master Ace’s Long Hot Summer “Oh My God†and “F.A.Y.â€
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