Aceyalone Albums (8)
What The Critics Say
Following their reggae flavored collaboration Lightning Strikes, The Lonely Ones finds cutting-edge rapper Aceyalone and producer Bionik absorbing Motown, soul, and doo wop, creating a dressed-up, jump-jive style of hip-hop that's so vibrant, it's like that Afrika Bambaataa and James Brown cut "Unity" but written by Smokey Robinson with production from Fatboy Slim. So distinct it'll wreck any mixtape it lands on, the brilliant "What It Was" puts a whole new spin on the "back in the day" cut with '60s background vocals and a fingersnap beat. The very Supremes "Step Up" with Treasure Davis is equal shares b-boy and beehive while the raised fist "Power to the People" features a Chambers Brothers-styled backbeat as it protests "The TV got me like Poltergeist" like it was Gil Scott-Heron for the Urban Outfitters crowd. If it all sounds too contrived and clever, but everything here sounds surprisingly natural, leaving only the 33 minute playing time and the lack of liner notes -- where did all these horns come from? -- as things to complain about. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
As more and more great rappers find the underground is the perfect place to camp -- for the respect and freedom, if not the royalties and pay-offs -- records like Aceyalone's Love & Hate will, fortunately, become a more common occurrence. Released on Project Blowed, an open-mic night that gradually morphed into a winning record label, the album is a simple, straight-ahead match of excellent MC with great producers. Four of the best tracks come from PMD, front-loaded and featuring big-pimpin' beats and a clutch of cutting, digital effects. Def Jux's RJD2 contributes fractured, glittering productions to "Lost Your Mind" and "Takeoff," and the same label's El-P drops by to produce and drop rhymes over the dense, apocalyptic "City of Shit." Aceyalone also rises to the challenge on another high-profile underground soundclash, "Lights Out" featuring Antipop Consortium, picking up and casting off a dozen vocal pseudonyms in a single verse. His rhymes are among the best of his career, and he covers a lot of ground over 15 cuts; nearly every time he makes a record, he makes it clear that rap music has so much possibility that's never dreamed of by most on a major label. Whether he's trading licks with Oakland hero Casual on a hard-hitting jam ("Let Me Hear Sumn"), or talking directly to the listener, recounting a depressing, mood-of-the-country conversation during an airline flight ("Ms. Amerikka"), he makes it clear that, when it comes to the West Coast ten years on from the G-funk era, Aceyalone means much more than Snoop Dogg. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
'Accepted Eclectic'
Release Date 3/6/2001
Tracks 16
Label Ground Control
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What The Critics Say
By the time Aceyalone recorded his third solo album, he was recognized as a founding father of the L.A. underground. In an era dominated by gangsta rap, he'd posited an alternative based on intellectual lyrics and virtuosic microphone technique, and his work -- both solo and with Freestyle Fellowship -- helped inspire future crews to return to hip-hop's basic elements. Acey stuck around via a series of independent side projects and underground supergroup collaborations, and finally returned to his solo career with 2001's excellent Accepted Eclectic. For all his lyrical talent, Aceyalone has sometimes been plagued by erratic production, and Accepted Eclectic -- despite a few cheap-sounding drum machines in spots -- takes steps to remedy that situation with a stronger, funkier set of beats. It also backs off the overambitious concept of A Book of Human Language, instead simply letting Aceyalone's winning personality shine through. He's his usual reflective self on the excellent "I Never Knew," about how you have to experience the bad to appreciate the good, and "I Can't Complain," where he's grateful just to have his basic needs met. But there are plenty of exciting moments as well. "Rappers Rappers Rappers" and "Golden Mic" are showcases for his tremendous wordplay and rapid-fire rhyming skills, respectively, and the shifting classical samples of the title track make it one of the best productions in his catalog. "Master Your High" samples Slick Rick's "Hey Young World" as the basis for a witty riff on overindulgent kids who haven't learned to hold their liquor or drugs. Those are just the top highlights on a strikingly consistent album that's packed with imaginative, smooth-flowing rhymes, and a simple joy in creating them. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
'Who Framed the A-Team?'
Release Date 10/3/2000
Tracks 10
Label Meanstreet
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What The Critics Say
Patterning themselves after the '80s TV show The A-Team, underground hip-hop titans Aceyalone and Abstract Rude teamed up to record Who Framed the A-Team? as a swipe at mainstream hip-hop. The concept of the album is that real, hardcore underground hip-hop was such a novelty in the year 2000 that its creators were forced to go underground. Set amidst spare, jazzy beats, the pair attacks hip-hop materialism in "Doin' the Most for the Coast" and dismisses major-label deals in "Acey the Face Man." The mixture of the two MCs, the smooth polished Aceyalone and the rougher, harder-voiced Abstract Rude, works beautifully, especially since both are skilled rappers and lyricists. The production is, as with all other Aceyalone albums, minimal, emphasizing the lyrics while providing only the barest accompaniment with an occasional sample to provide a hint of melody. The A-Team concept sometimes wears thin as the album goes along, but there is enough engaging material to make it an overall success. If the album has a flaw, it is that the lack of lyrical depth and sometimes workmanlike beats will limit the album's appeal to already converted underground hip-hop fans, and it's definitely true that, while the album is entertaining, it's hardly the place to begin with to discover Aceyalone or Abstract Rude's talents. Though the concept and spare beats will probably alienate some mainstream hip-hop fans, Who Framed the A-Team? will please fans of underground hip-hop. ~ Victor W. Valdivia, All Music Guide
'A Book of Human Language'
Release Date 4/14/1998
Tracks 20
Label Project Blowed
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What The Critics Say
A hip-hop concept album with a rather broad concept: the main thread seems to be that the song titles all begin with "The" ("The March," "The Vision," "The Hunt," etc.). If A Book of Human Language's 20 tracks drag somewhat at times -- and are weighed down by a bit too much THC-induced profundity -- this is easily forgiven, since it is a relief to hear a rapper rap about something other than his own greatness. Aceyalone wins major points for even trying to tackle weighty topics like life, death, time, and language. The production is organic and rich, but just ragged enough to sound honest. Add in a spoken word excerpt from "Jabberwocky," exceedingly deft rhyming, and a hip-hop answer to Pink Floyd's "Time" ("The Grandfather Clock"), and you have a quite ambitious and pleasing package. ~ Bill Cassel, All Music Guide
'All Balls Don't Bounce'
Release Date 10/24/1995
Tracks 15
Label Capitol
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What The Critics Say
The breakout MC from the woefully underappreciated Freestyle Fellowship, Aceyalone emerged as the godfather of the L.A. underground scene with his 1995 solo debut, All Balls Don't Bounce. A spectacular lyrical milestone, All Balls was overlooked at the time, and later slipped quietly out of print. Which is extremely unfortunate, since Aceyalone is one of the greatest lyricists the West Coast has ever produced, twisting his fluid rhymes around and off the beat with the improvisational assurance of Rakim. What's more, his subject matter goes beyond the battle rhymes that most mike virtuosos hone their technique with. He's cerebral and philosophical, yet bursting with confidence at the same time, which lends a definite sense of excitement to his literate wordplay. His lyrics aren't just long strings of ten-cent words -- they're an important part of the songs' rhythmic drive, and he knows when to leave empty space in his lines to keep the groove flowing smoothly. The production on All Balls Don't Bounce is solid if unspectacular, usually spare and jazzy, with lots of piano/keyboard samples and some fitting nods to the abstract side of hard bop. If it's occasionally geared to spotlight the lyrics, that's only logical, especially when the results are as daring as "Arythamaticulas." Lead single "Mic Check" and "All Balls" are textbook MC showcases, as is "Knownots," a tag-team track with future Haiku d'Etat cohorts Mikah 9 and Abstract Rude. On the vibraphone-driven jazz-rap cuts "The Greatest Show on Earth" and "Headaches & Woes," Acey lays down some of the most rhythmically sophisticated, complex rhymes since the Native Tongues. His positive attitude toward women is more than just political correctness; he's nothing less than enraptured by them. In "Annalillia," he can't resist being shot down repeatedly by a fascinating and independent woman, and in "Makeba," he tries to win back a favorite ex-girlfriend who left without warning. It all adds up to a singular debut from a major talent. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
