Masta Ace Inc.

mannybolone · November 2005

These two albums have just hit the digital download sites (i.e. Napster, iTunes, etc.)

Discuss

Big_Stacks · November 2005

These two albums have just hit the digital download sites (i.e. Napster, iTunes, etc.)

Discuss

Yo O,

I absoluted LOVE "Slaughtahouse" (to this day), but I thought "Sittin' on Chrome" was inconsistent in quality. Don't get me wrong, the latter had some definite gems on it (and should be in one's collection), but also too many filler joints in my opinion. I still play "Slaughtahouse" fairly regularly.

Peace,

Big Stacks from Kakalak

DocBeezy · November 2005

I still play slaughtahouse a lot as well.

Im glad it is out there for DL.

congrats masta ASE (or ACE?)

pcmr · November 2005

These two albums have just hit the digital download sites (i.e. Napster, iTunes, etc.)

Discuss

Both excellent. I remeber an Ace interview with very interesting comments on how INC was him being the first East coast rapper to use WestCoast style prod in his lp. (about the time tensions we're building up. Slaughta was a great "fake-emcee murder" record. Seems Ace never has and may never get his shine. Consistent excellent albums
I smoke trees to INC Ride

DirtyBeatGuy · November 2005

Sittin' On Chrome has to has to be one of my favorite beats - if you play the instrumental it freaks people out that have no idea what it is - they always think it's something on G-stone or K & D related. On a side note - anyone else have the dbl Lp on silver vinyl? I got it at a flea market years ago and haven't seen another.

mannybolone · November 2005

yeah, I have to say: Slaughtahouse is one of the most underrated classics of the early '90s, one of the first major anti-gangsta albums but without coming off too didactic or "underground as fuck". Fantastic production too - as consistent a sound as you could hope for. Ace's lyricism isn't the illest shit ever but I dug his attitude and Lord Digga and Leschea help provide some nice balance.

My joint? "Boom Bashin'".

Chrome had some good moments and it's actually a pretty ambitious album in its own right too: it's as much a concept album as Slaughtahouse (just w/ a different concept) and the production wants to find a similar vibe that it can ride in different ways. But as others noted, it's just not as consistent an album overall and personally, I thought Ace tried to milk the whole jeep-beat shit too much here. Like, we get it, "Born to Roll" was a big hit for you.

batmon · November 2005

Sittin' On Chrome has to has to be one of my favorite beats - if you play the instrumental it freaks people out that have no idea what it is - they always think it's something on G-stone or K & D related. On a side note - anyone else have the dbl Lp on silver vinyl? I got it at a flea market years ago and haven't seen another.

Both albums are personal favs. Masta Ase is on my starting five.

I really want that silver edition LP. I've only seen a photo of it. Was it promo only or limited edition.

DocBeezy · November 2005

On a side note - anyone else have the dbl Lp on silver vinyl? I got it at a flea market years ago and haven't seen another.

batmon · November 2005

These two albums have just hit the digital download sites (i.e. Napster, iTunes, etc.)

Discuss

Lord Digga = Tim Dog..............the team enforcer/bully.

I love that line........"I'm turnin' heads like a handicapped prostitute."Saturday Night Live iz my shit.

DirtyBeatGuy · November 2005

Sittin' On Chrome has to has to be one of my favorite beats - if you play the instrumental it freaks people out that have no idea what it is - they always think it's something on G-stone or K & D related. On a side note - anyone else have the dbl Lp on silver vinyl? I got it at a flea market years ago and haven't seen another.

Both albums are personal favs. Masta Ase is on my starting five.

I really want that silver edition LP. I've only seen a photo of it. Was it promo only or limited edition.

Not sure - I think it's a promo - I'll look when I get home. I've never seen another one. I wonder what the deal is with it...

mannybolone · November 2005

I'm pretty sure I had that chromed out copy at some point but I just checked my stacks and I have the plain black vinyl. I wonder if I traded it out at some point but yeah, I definitely remember seeing those back in the day.

Frequency · November 2005

got 2 tracks on his next album droppin in the spring. cop that!

freq

Mongo_Slade · November 2005

I really want that silver edition LP. I've only seen a photo of it. Was it promo only or limited edition.

I think it was commercial-- mine's chromed and doesn't have any promo marks or cut-outs.

I've always thought that album was a bag of shit, other than the title cut. Maybe it deserves another listen.

DJ_Enki · November 2005

personally, I thought Ace tried to milk the whole jeep-beat shit too much here. Like, we get it, "Born to Roll" was a big hit for you.

Ace copped to this in an interview I did with him back when Disposable Arts was about to drop:

Did you feel pressured to reproduce (the success of "Born To Roll")?[/b]

There was major pressure from the label when I was working on the Sittin' on Chrome album to try to duplicate it-almost to try to chase that song, which has never been my M.O. I've always been like, "That was that, and let's move on from there." But they came to the conclusion that this is what I should do, and I was in agreement like, "If you guys really feel like we've got a platinum record if I do this, let's go for it. Let's make an album that caters to the car culture that has just discovered me. If you guys feel like you can take it to that level, then I'm cool with that." I knew I'd hear some drama from my original fans like, "Ah, it wasn't about all of this, blah blah blah." I mean, the car thing was me regardless. That wasn't fake, that was really me. I was just never the type of artist to embrace it and do a whole project based on that. I'd do a song, but???Sittin' on Chrome, I tell everybody that was the compromise album???. That was more of a contrived album, an album that was made from my brain instead of from my heart. It was a calculated, "OK, 'Born to Roll' was about cars and it blew up. Let's do another joint with the same sort of synthesized sound and make it about cars, too." That's how that song was born, as opposed to, "Let me listen to some tracks and find tracks that inspire me lyrically to write a song and just make that song and not think about who it's for, how it should do on radio, who should like it, who shouldn't." Too much thinking.

I also asked him kind of a throwaway question about the Biz puppet and ended up getting a pretty heartfelt answer about why he hated that puppet and what it stood for:

Do you know how ego trip magazine got a hold of the Biz puppet from your video?[/b]

I just found out how they got it. I used to be managed by Empire management, which is the same management that handles Gangstarr, Premier, and Guru. Upon leaving Empire, when they weren't managing me anymore, the doll was in their office. Sacha Jenkins told me that his girlfriend was working up there, and she told him the puppet was there. It was getting abused on the regular-artists coming in and punching it, the nose was falling off, it was a mess. They were about to move offices and were gonna throw it away. And he was like, "Naw, that's a part of hip-hop history! That puppet has some value." So he rescued it and refurbished it and basically staked his claim on it. I wasn't looking for it. For me, at the time, that doll was representative of labels putting their influence on your music. [Me and The Biz] was never my idea or anything that I wanted to do. I went along with it.

The song, or the video?[/b]

Both. I didn't want that as a single. Warner Brothers basically said, "This is the single we want to go with. If we don't get this as the first single, then we don't know if there'll be a second single." They laid it out there like that. What am I gonna say? I pretty much felt powerless about the whole situation, so I went along with it. I just didn't feel like that song was representative of the songs on my album. It was kind of a humorous, fun, light song, and I didn't have any other songs like that, and I was like, "You're gonna put this out, and it doesn't even represent the album." But I didn't have much say, so they started to run with it. At first they wanted Biz in the video, and I'm like, "Well Biz is not on the song," and they didn't even know that! I don't even know who came up with the idea of doing the puppet thing. It was a thing I went along with, but around the way, I'm getting jokes! [Clowning voice]"What's up with the puppet, man? That's kinda corny, yo, what's the deal with that?" I got major jokes because of that. When I didn't have to see the puppet ever again, I didn't want to see it again. But now, it's come full circle and I can appreciate the fact that I've gone past that and that's just one chapter in my career. But at the time, I felt like that was gonna sum my whole career up-I was always gonna be known as the cat with the puppet. Luckily enough I was able to make other marks in my career beyond that, so it didn't really blemish my career they way I thought it would. And now I want the puppet! Now I want to bring it on tour with me. I can't bring it on tour because it's on loan at a museum in Washington or Seattle-some hip-hop museum. I really wanted to bring the puppet on tour with me, but the puppet's already engaged! He's got work already. The puppet's on tour. I'll have my manager call his, and we'll see if we can get it done.

mannybolone · November 2005

I really want that silver edition LP. I've only seen a photo of it. Was it promo only or limited edition.

I think it was commercial-- mine's chromed and doesn't have any promo marks or cut-outs.

I've always thought that album was a bag of shit, other than the title cut. Maybe it deserves another listen.

M.A.: There's a few good songs on there - sleeper hits. I wouldn't call it a bag of shit, but it's not an album I listen to today and get all nostalgic over.

Mongo_Slade · November 2005

I really want that silver edition LP. I've only seen a photo of it. Was it promo only or limited edition.

I think it was commercial-- mine's chromed and doesn't have any promo marks or cut-outs.

I've always thought that album was a bag of shit, other than the title cut. Maybe it deserves another listen.

M.A.: There's a few good songs on there - sleeper hits. I wouldn't call it a bag of shit, but it's not an album I listen to today and get all nostalgic over.

Yeah, I probably just overreacted when it came out b/c I liked Slaughtahouse so much. I wasn't mad at dude for wanting to sell records, I just thought it was a really weak effort.

The chrome vinyl is actually annoying as fuck because it weighs about 300 grams-- so heavy it's tough to even mix with.

pcmr · November 2005

- as consistent a sound as you could hope for. Ace's lyricism isn't the illest shit ever but I dug his attitude

There is a whole discussion to be had on MastaAce's flow and career.
He has extremely rich rhyme structure, on point flow and delivery. His commentary is always moderated but gets to the point. And has released extremely solid concept albums repeatdedly. But even with JUICE and his slight exposuretime(music man, born to roll) he has never blown up and now is barely recognized. The man just keeps on coming back (last 2 albums are stellar) you always hear the same stuff (underappreciated rapper, huge influence to many, still keeping it real)but no reaction nothing comes out of it. Consistent excellence with no scope whatsoever.

He's a rapper in Limbo for the past 20years and its a shame.
Saw him in store(great guy, but the road seemed to have him beatup) and he killed the show. Hopefully his time under the sun will come but its getting late

prof_rockwell · November 2005

On a side note - anyone else have the dbl Lp on silver vinyl? I got it at a flea market years ago and haven't seen another.

technically it's 'chrome' vinyl, and yeah, I beleive it was promo only. I only got it cause I was doing the hip hop show at my college radio when it came out.

batmon · November 2005

I really want that silver edition LP. I've only seen a photo of it. Was it promo only or limited edition.

I think it was commercial-- mine's chromed and doesn't have any promo marks or cut-outs.

I've always thought that album was a bag of shit, other than the title cut. Maybe it deserves another listen.

edith head · November 2005

yeah, I have to say: Slaughtahouse is one of the most underrated classics of the early '90s, one of the first major anti-gangsta albums but without coming off too didactic or "underground as fuck".

i agree. thanks for reminding me cuz it's about time to listen to this album again.

"waitin at a red light kentucky fried chicken and Low End Theory tape in bass crazy kickin and..."

memories

Scott · November 2005

Does anyone know if the same artist did both the "Short Dog's in the House" and "Sittin on Chrome" album covers? They always struck me as really similar.

Mongo_Slade · November 2005

Does anyone know if the same artist did both the "Short Dog's in the House" and "Sittin on Chrome" album covers? They always struck me as really similar.

Different artists. I think Ace was actually trying to bite the cornball awfulness of Snoop's "Doggystyle" cover to cash in.

tiger_blurp · November 2005

The Sittin on Chrome cover was done by a dude named Kid Style from Houston, if I recall correctly. I think he used to hook-up shirts air-brush style at Sharpstown back in the day, but there are people from Houston with a better memory than me that can verify or deny this.

Dunno who did the $hort cover, but I don't think it's same dude.

Young_Phonics · November 2005

Huge Co-sign on those two albums. Maybe it's a cali-thing but I remember enjoying Sittin' On Chrome a bit more. I guess it was the concept that had me digging it (The Skit of dudes calling Ace's house and asking for "Tyrone" was great..)

HankScorpio · November 2005

Slaughtahouse is a great album, it's nice to see that it's available again. DJ Enki - thanks for posting the interview snippets, that was a great read.

flatblackplastic · November 2005

Sittin' On Chrome has to has to be one of my favorite beats - if you play the instrumental it freaks people out that have no idea what it is - they always think it's something on G-stone or K & D related. On a side note - anyone else have the dbl Lp on silver vinyl? I got it at a flea market years ago and haven't seen another.

yes promo only, same cover as the retail version though. i actually have an extra of one of the records, bit scratched up though. it was on my wall for a long time.

Planet · November 2005

Sittin' On Chrome has to has to be one of my favorite beats - if you play the instrumental it freaks people out that have no idea what it is - they always think it's something on G-stone or K & D related. On a side note - anyone else have the dbl Lp on silver vinyl? I got it at a flea market years ago and haven't seen another.

yes promo only, same cover as the retail version though. i actually have an extra of one of the records, bit scratched up though. it was on my wall for a long time.

Delicious Vinyl will eventually reissue that one. It's just a matter of time since they have practically reissued their entire catalog. Nice clear vinyl version though. Seen it plenty of times but never picked it up.

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Masta Ace Inc.

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