His most recent (and reportedly final) solo album, A Long Hot Summer, gained considerable acclaim in 2004. He is currently in the hip hop group eMC, with Punchline, Wordsworth and Stricklin. They have a page at http://www.myspace.com/emcthegroup.
In the early stages of his career, Masta Ace was very energetic (cf. "Jeep Ass Niguh", where, tongue-in-cheek, he taunts police officers for their knee-jerk predisposition to harass black youth on city streets.) He also recorded material with a six-member supporting entourage, Masta Ace Incorporated. In light of his newly claimed status as a veteran, he has gravitated toward an earnest, matter-of-fact plainspokenness in the new millennium. Many of the songs that have lent newfound heft to his reputation are simple, no-nonsense rumination on feelings and facts of urban American life, including "Soda and Soap", "Brooklyn Masala" (which highlights a budding romance between Ace and a lovely but reserved Pakistani Hindu immigrant), and "Beautiful".
1988-1994
Ace made his recording debut as Master Ace on the classic hip-hop posse-cut "The Symphony", along with fellow Juice Crew members Craig G, Kool G Rap, and Big Daddy Kane, released on Marley Marl's In Control album. In Control also featured two lesser known Ace tracks "Keep Your Eyes on the Prize" and "Simon Says". His first solo single, "Together" b/w "Letter to the Better", was released in 1989. He released his debut album, Take A Look Around, through Marl's Cold Chillin' label in 1990, featuring production from Marl and DJ Mister Cee. The album featured two minor hit singles in "Music Man" and "Me & The Biz", a track in which he impersonates fellow Juice Crew member Biz Markie. During the few years between his debut and his sophomore album, Ace began having bitter feelings toward the commercial state of hip hop music, feelings which ruled the content on his second release, 1993's Slaughtahouse, with the loose concept of the album seeing Ace taking the fake "gangsta emcees" to his "Slaughtahouse". The album featured Ace's new crew, Masta Ace Incorporated, which included Eyceurokk, Lord Digga, Paula Perry and R&B vocalist Leschea. The album sold moderately well, fueled by the singles "SlaughtaHouse", "Saturday Nite Live", "Style Wars" and "Jeep Ass Niguh". "Jeep" featured an unlisted remix titled "Born to Roll", which became a smash crossover single in 1994, peaking at #23 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Also in '94, Ace became a member of a temporary crew called the Crooklyn Dodgers, along with rap vet Special Ed and Black Moon's Buckshot, and recorded the title track for the soundtrack to Spike Lee's film Crooklyn. The song became Ace's second Hot 100 hit in 1994, peaking at #60 on the chart.
1995-2000
Ace furthered his mainstream appeal in 1995, with his radio-friendly Sittin' On Chrome album. This effort was also released with the Masta Ace Incorporated crew, now also known as The I.N.C. The album was Ace's most commercially successful release, breaking into the Top 20 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart. Sittin' On Chrome included "Born to Roll", as well as two other Hot 100 hit singles, "The I.N.C. Ride" and "Sittin' on Chrome". In 1996, Ace split up with the I.N.C. crew and was largely missing from the hip hop scene over the next five years, save for a number of random vinyl singles. During his vinyl days, he bounced from a number of labels, releasing his "Cars" single on Tape Kingz Records, his "Yeah Yeah Yeah" and "NFL" singles on the Union Label, his "NY Confidential" single on Replay Records, his "Express Delivery" single on Three Sixty Records, his "Spread It Out/Hellbound" single on Yosumi Records, his "Conflict" single on Mona Records, his "Ghetto Like" single on Fat Beats, his "So Now U A MC" single on Bad Magic Records, and his "Brooklyn Blocks" single on Buckshot's Duck Down Records.
2001-present
Ace's "Ghetto Like" single led to a misunderstanding with an underground emcee named Boogieman, who released a somewhat similar single titled "Ghetto Life" not long before. He thought that Ace was "biting" his track and released a dis song toward Ace titled "Just You Wait". The dis led to a rap battle between the two at a Lyricist Lounge event, a battle that was won by Boogieman. Ace later claimed that he delivered his rhymes off the top of his head, while Boog was rapping previously written lyrics, a topic which he discusses on his scathing retaliation track "Acknowledge", aimed at Boogieman and the underground rap group the High & Mighty. "Acknowledge" was included on his fourth full length album, Disposable Arts, released in late 2001 through JCOR Records, six long years after his successful Sittin' On Chrome album. Disposable Arts became one of the most acclaimed underground hip-hop releases of 2001, beloved for its pure hip hop style and clever album concept, which served as a fictional story, chronicling Ace's time spent at a satirical rap school named the Institute of Disposable Arts. JCOR Records folded soon after the release, leaving it out-of-print, until being re-released in 2005 on Ace's self-established M3 label. The album closer, "No Regrets", led many fans to believe that it would be Ace's final album, because of the line "I don't know if it's the end, but yo, it might be". Ace killed the rumors by returning in 2004 with his fifth album A Long Hot Summer, another highly acclaimed effort. The story concept, similar to that on his last release, served as a prelude to the story told on Disposable Arts, chronicling the "Long Hot Summer" that led to his character's incarceration at the beginning of the Disposable Arts album. Rumors once again spread about a retirement, which were again killed, when Ace announced the formation of his new rap crew named eMC, including himself, Punchline, Wordsworth and his protege Stricklin. The crew plans to release a group album sometime in 2007.
Openness to collaborations
In large part, the creative company Masta Ace keeps is comprised of underground performers with whom he has developed a personal rapport. He commonly acknowledges his fan base outside of the United States, which is considerably larger than within, as in the final seconds of his song "Good Ol' Love". He has shown an openness to working with foreign-based producers, including Koolade of Croatia and DJ Serious of Canada. He also performed a guest rap for the British Acid jazz group Young Disciples for their debut album.
In Scandinavia, he recorded "What Is It" with Norwegian veteran producer Tommy Tee in 2003, for the soundtrack to the car racing game "Midnight Club 2", which also was featured on several European mixtapes.
Within the United States, he has worked with Jean Grae, 9th Wonder of Little Brother, DJ Spinna, DJ Premier, RJD2, Pete Rock, Domingo, Ali Shaheed Muhammad of A Tribe Called Quest, and Kno of Cunninlynguists. Q-Tip enlisted him as a contributor to the original Crooklyn Dodgers track in 1992. The track spawned a follow-up in 1995, with a third projected for 2006, but neither Ace nor the other original contributors, Special Ed and the bellicose Buckshot (of Black Moon and Boot Camp Clik), were involved with them. Instead, the second Crooklyn Dodgers track was produced by DJ Premier and involved O.C., Chubb Rock and Jeru the Damaja, where the planned third installment is said to involve Mos Def, Jean Grae, and Memphis Bleek, with production courtesy of 9th Wonder.
By extending largesse to younger MCs even as he has been careful to solidify connections with the rap game's old guard, he has amassed a list of collaborators numbering over 60. The most notable of his collaborators have been Eminem (who has expressed ongoing admiration for his skills), Common (on the track "Claimin' Respect" as part of a trio called Boulevard Connection), Guru of Gang Starr, Edo G (the third member of Boulevard Connection, from Boston), Jean Grae, Saukrates, Young Zee, Big Noyd, Cella Dwellas, King Tee, Tonedeff, Rah Digga, Strick, Das Efx, Greg Nice and the Beatnuts. He devotes several lines of the track "No Regrets" to express goodwill and thanksgiving to the artists he has worked with, calling these opportunities some of the most valued blessings of his career.
The I.N.C. Ride
Masta Ace Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's the ride y'all, come on we're goin on a ride
It's the ride y'all, come on I know you wanna ride
It's the ride y'all, come on we're goin on a ride
It's the ride y'lla, it's the I.N.C. Ride
Verse One:
R to the I, D to the E, check out how we the I.N.C.
Get more Biz than Markie as I spark thee
mike like lightnin, that's frightenin, I'm hypin
niggaz up, cuz they don't know the score
Ooooh here comes the roar, knock on your door
I wonder who it is and who could it be
Ain't nobody but the I.N.C.
Wit mo' Soul than the Train I'm a reign
With 808 beats that hit big like Kane
Daddy, caddy, Coup DeVille, chill
Jump in my ride and slide down the hill
To see if we catch dem kids talking that was talkin that mess
And tryin to impress, never the lesstheless, yo
I gotta let em know they can't find us, so get behind us
Cause we cruise in the I.N.C. Ride
Chorus
(Incorpate the I-N-C into a flow) -- 4X
From the East side, to the West side
From the North side, to the South side
From the East side, to the West side
From the North side, to the South side
Verse Two:
Ain't nobody but the A (o-kay)
And I'm not the one you wanna play (don't play)
I'm flat like a cap on a can of flat black
Let me snap back break a nigee down with my rap
Cause this is how we do
Who is the crew coming through with the brand new
As we flex and get fly, you cry
The roof is on fire but my name ain't Left Eye
Punks be all up on it like a Charlotte Hornet
but they full of Chicago Bull-shit cuz they don't want it
Ooooh, don't let me sing, I'm peaking
I'm freakin, get in that ass like a G-String
And that you don't need
We'll be blowin up like that movie Speed indeed you're on a ride
Chorus
(Incorpate the I-N-C into a flow) -- 4X
From the East side, to the West side
From the North side, to the South side
From the East side, to the West side
From the North side, to the South side
You're in a Lexus, or Blazer
You're in a Beamer, or a Benz
You're in a Corvette, or a Nissan
You're in a Sidekick, wit your friends
You're in a Caddy, a Landcruiser
a Range Rover, a Mustang
You're in a Burban with ten woofers
Then your system, it must bang
From the East, to the West
From the North, to the South
From the East, to the West
From the North, to the South
From the East, to the West
From the North, to the South
From the East, to the West
From the North, to the South
the I.N.C. Ride
The lyrics of Masta Ace's The I.N.C. Ride are all about representing the I.N.C. crew while taking a ride. The chorus invites listeners to join in on the ride, while the verses consist of Masta Ace bragging about his rap skills and the power and influence of the I.N.C. crew. He boasts about their ability to intimidate others, their superior swag, and their impeccable music.
In the first verse, Masta Ace introduces himself and the I.N.C. crew, claiming that they are even more popular than Biz Markie. He then describes his prowess on the mic and his ability to hype up his listeners. He talks about his luxurious car and his desire to catch those who try to challenge him, proving that the I.N.C. always comes out on top. The second verse is about Masta Ace's dominance in the rap game and his ability to shut down his opponents. He compares himself to a Charlotte Hornet and states that he is an unstoppable force. He then goes on to list different types of cars that people might be riding in, emphasizing that no matter what kind of car they are in, they can still join in on the I.N.C. ride.
Overall, the lyrics of The I.N.C. Ride are all about celebrating the I.N.C. crew, their influence, and their love for rap music. Masta Ace's verses are filled with braggadocio and confidence, while the chorus is an invitation for listeners to join in the fun.
Line by Line Meaning
It's the ride y'all, come on we're goin on a ride
Let's go on a ride
It's the ride y'all, come on I know you wanna ride
I know you want to ride with us
It's the ride y'all, come on we're goin on a ride
We are heading on a ride
It's the ride y'lla, it's the I.N.C. Ride
This is the I.N.C. Ride and we're taking you along
R to the I, D to the E, check out how we the I.N.C.
Look at how we represent the I.N.C.
Get more Biz than Markie as I spark thee
We are more productive than Biz Markie and I'm hyping everyone up with my performance
mike like lightnin, that's frightenin, I'm hypin
My mike skills are electrifying and I'm hyping everyone up
niggaz up, cuz they don't know the score
We're hyping everyone up because they don't know what's going on
Ooooh here comes the roar, knock on your door
We're making a big entrance and knocking on your door
I wonder who it is and who could it be
I'm wondering who's at the door
Ain't nobody but the I.N.C.
It's just us, the I.N.C.
Wit mo' Soul than the Train I'm a reign
We have more soul than a train and we are going to rule
With 808 beats that hit big like Kane
Our music has bass so big like Big Daddy Kane's
Daddy, caddy, Coup DeVille, chill
We're riding in style with our Cadillac, Coup DeVille, so let's relax
Jump in my ride and slide down the hill
Hop in the car and enjoy the ride down the hill
To see if we catch dem kids talking that was talkin that mess
We're looking to see if we catch some troublemakers who were up to no good
And tryin to impress, never the lesstheless, yo
They were trying to impress but nonetheless, we will not tolerate it
I gotta let em know they can't find us, so get behind us
We let them know they cannot mess with us and they should follow us instead
Cause we cruise in the I.N.C. Ride
We ride in the I.N.C. car
Ain't nobody but the A (o-kay)
It's just me, the A (alright)
And I'm not the one you wanna play (don't play)
And I'm not someone to mess with
I'm flat like a cap on a can of flat black
My rhymes are simple and straightforward
Let me snap back break a nigee down with my rap
I'll take someone down with my powerful rhymes
Cause this is how we do
This is our style and how we operate
Who is the crew coming through with the brand new
We are the crew with the fresh and new style
As we flex and get fly, you cry
As we show off and impress, you're left in awe
The roof is on fire but my name ain't Left Eye
The party is getting hot but I'm not causing any trouble like Left Eye did
Punks be all up on it like a Charlotte Hornet
Punks are trying to jump on our style like Charlotte Hornets basketball team
but they full of Chicago Bull-shit cuz they don't want it
But they're just full of nonsense as they don't even want to battle
Ooooh, don't let me sing, I'm peaking
Don't let me get too hyped up and start singing because I'm reaching my peak
I'm freakin, get in that ass like a G-String
I'm feeling crazy and intense, getting in their faces like a G-string underwear
And that you don't need
But you don't need that kind of intensity in your life
We'll be blowin up like that movie Speed indeed you're on a ride
We will be blowing up and becoming famous just like the movie Speed and you are part of our ride
You're in a Lexus, or Blazer
You might be riding in a luxurious car like a Lexus or a sporty one like a Blazer
You're in a Beamer, or a Benz
You might be driving a fancy car like a BMW or a Mercedes-Benz
You're in a Corvette, or a Nissan
You might be cruising in a sports car like a Corvette or practical car like a Nissan
You're in a Sidekick, wit your friends
You might be rolling with your homies in a fun car like Suzuki Sidekick
You're in a Caddy, a Landcruiser
You could be driving a classic Cadillac or a rugged Land Cruiser SUV
a Range Rover, a Mustang
You might be driving an all-terrain luxury SUV like Range Rover or a classic muscle car like a Mustang
You're in a Burban with ten woofers
You're riding in a Suburban SUV with ten powerful subwoofers blasting music
Then your system, it must bang
Your sound system must be powerful and loud
From the East, to the West
We are going through every part of the country from East to West
From the North, to the South
We are covering every direction from North to South
the I.N.C. Ride
This is the I.N.C. ride we are taking
Contributed by Henry Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Nasa Walker
A song for everyone. Wish we could all just cruise the strip again when life was much simpler. No phones or cameras, just friends.
kilamanjaro Mountain
PROTXS EMF HEALTH true
Alvin Taji-Deen
I feel you bruh
Lavar J
Yes sir!!! Those were days!
rteyuertut wtryhwhu wtgh swxz
Those days are long gone my dude, but they will live on in these videos.
Respect Seasoning
There was alot of shootings and work put in on the cruise also tho lol
Donyell McGee
The music, the cars, the beautiful women, & the 90's. We'll never see this again; NEVER!
Stephen Reese
Look up the noland road covid cruise in independence, MO. We saw this again THIS YEAR on the grandest level in history.
Mario Gallego
Facts bro
BimmerE46
Yessir you got that right