Masta Ace Forbes Interview

Paul Thompson:

In his nearly three decades in the hip-hop industry, Masta Ace has weathered every high and low-water mark, and lived to write about them all. The Brooklyn-bred rapper first appeared on The Symphony, the pivotal 1988 song that ingratiated him to the producer Marley Marl and led to a deal with Cold Chillin’ Records, which–as Ace is quick to point out–once rivaled Def Jam for prestige in the rap universe.

After his acclaimed solo debut, Take a Look Around, Ace spent the 1990s weaving his way through the independent and major label systems. He put out a pair of records on the Los Angeles-based indie outfit Delicious Vinyl. It broadened his fan base on the West Coast and the south, but left many in the five boroughs questioning where his loyalties lied. He hoped to shore up support back home by signing a new deal with the Atlantic subsidiary Big Beat Records, but when the record he spent two years crafting was rejected by executives, he gave up on rapping altogether.

Read the rest of the story and interview with Masta Ace via forbes