SOL ACE (BIOGRAPHY) HIP-HOP / RAP / SOUL NEW YORK, NY "Set backs, poor choices, and being knocked down has lead to some of my best music...it inspires me." In the face of adversity, Rapper/MC Sol Ace has consistantly managed to draw from a multitude of life situations and translate them into an intriguing musical experience. In an era dominated by lyrical heavyweights, the Hempstead, NY native developed his niche at an early age. Starting out writing rhymes and recording himself with a karaoke machine, a young Sol Ace (at the time known as Ace Hardware) uncovered an outlet through which he would channel his every ambition, inner thought and emotion. By the time he was 14, young Ace grew a reputation as a hungry hip hop artist with genuine talent and a unique style. His newly found passion was accompanied by a growing desire for greatness, and an unshakeable determination to be recognized not only locally, but historically as one of hip hop's elite. After a period of various group attempts, Hardware's distinguished lyrical abiliy, flow, and track presence stood out amongst his peers and it became obvious that his potential was without limit. It was this potential that caught the attention of Loud/Sony Recording artist Lagato Shine, who took the promising artist under his wing. "Linking up wit Shine was the defining moment for me...like that's when music became much more than just recreation. Actually, it was the birth of my career in music." Presently, Sol Ace finds himself in an ideal situation, in which his destiny lies in his own hands. As co-founder of Last Run Entertainment, his company has secured distribution through The Orchard, who also distributes the likes of TVT Records, Wu Music Group and Babygrande Records amongst others. "The sky is the limit, and at this point we're still on the runway" The Sol Ace EP: Passion...Hunger...Sacrifice is Sol Ace's solo album debut. Up next Sol Ace will be releasing a joint venture album with label mate Lagato Shine in 2014. REVIEW: SOL ACE, SINCE U BEEN GONE SOL ACE, SINCE U BEEN GONE 29 APR, 2014 CHARLES SWEET With current hip hop transitioning into an amalgam of drill, pop and electro, there’s been a noticeable lack of anything resembling the foundation lain by the forefathers of rap decades ago; compositions rife with high quality rhymes with substance, with topics ranging from the socially conscious to remembrance of good times with your crew. Many question what’s to be done but the Hempstead, New York’s resident MC/Producer Sol Ace has an answer, and possibly the only real one at that: stop worrying about ‘bringing New York back’ and instead bring back the feel, the attitude and the raw essence of what made the Golden Era so great; top-notch production and quotable bars. A simple, yet effective riposte and evidence of this can be found on “Since U Been Gone”, the first single from his upcoming The Sol Ace EP: Passion…Hunger…Sacrifice. “Since U Been Gone” comes on with a choppy sample and Sol setting the scene with “It’s been a while/Good to see you…/” before launching into a chorus that rides the beat smoothly and what jumps out at me from the get-go is how well Sol Ace is able to nail home an authentic feel, especially during the midpoint of his verse where he spits “This ain’t candle lights and wine and dine/More like Black & Mild, Smirnoff rise and shine/It’s nine to 9, on my way to my 9 to 5”; these are the kinds of stories that we hold dear because we all understand the struggle of trying to pursue your dream while simultaneously struggling to make rent. There’s no question about Sol’s ability to tell a compelling story, and that arguably above everything else is why I dig this song so much. Sol Ace’s second verse on “Since U Been Gone” comes in like a 1-2 punch; whereas before he goes in-depth to narrate the hardships a young MC faces, the second time around he does away with all formality and goes directly for the jugular with piercing bars like “Emergency red lights go ‘Danger! Danger!’/ bullsh*t detected, I’m ‘bout to be infected/put the microphone down, you ain’t even check it”. I’m a big fan of old school nods and when Sol Ace broke out the reference to the classic Jay-Z song “Friend or Foe”, I knew he was for real. Overall, the song is solid as he stepped up to the mic and did his thing amicably. The beat was unpretentious and the scratch effect on the hook was the crowning jewel on what really is a preview of much greater things to come. The song did exactly what it was supposed to: have me looking forward to The Sol Ace EP: Passion…Hunger…Sacrifice when it drops. Review by: Charles Sweet Rating: 5 (out of 5 stars)