Masta Ace & Marco Polo / BOTW

Hailing from Brooklyn, New York, US, Masta Ace, a.k.a Duval Clear, is an American rap artist, originally finding fame as part of the Juice Crew in 1988.

Alongside Craig G, Kool G Rap and Big Daddy Kane, Marley Marl and Biz Markie, Masta Ace featured on their classic posse track, “The Symphony,” in 1988. Masta Ace then released his debut album two years later, titled “Take a Look Around,” on Motown’s hip hop label, Cold Chillin’ Records. This first album displayed Ace’s energetic rhymes, often dealing with sociopolitical issues in a tongue-in-cheek manner. The album featured the hit single, “Me and the Biz,” which included a popular video with its release.

In 1993, Ace returned, this time with his own crew, Masta Ace Incorporated, performing alongside Lord Digga and Paula Perry. Their album, “SlaughtaHouse,” synthesised a West Coast sound with an East Coast edge that made it stand out from the crowd, finding commercial success. The single, “Born To Roll” became a crossover hit, reaching number 23 in the Billboard Hot 100. Shortly after, Ace joined Special Ed and Buckshot, of Black Moon fame, for Spike Lee- arranged crew, Crooklyn Dodgers, who appeared in Lee’s film, “Crooklyn,” with Ace and co. achieving a number 60 single with the title track.

Their next record, 1995’s “Sittin’ On Chrome,” displayed a more polished sound, featuring the hit, “I.N.C. Ride” which sampled “For The Love of You” by the Isley Brothers. It would be six years before another Master Ace full length, although Masta Ace continued to perform and collaborate with other artists. 2001’s “Disposable Arts,” Masta Ace’s fourth album, became an Underground classic, peaking at number 90 in the Billboard R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart. The veteran rapper continued to release singles and albums throughout the 2000s, which continued to be received positively.

In 2012, still going strong in the rap game, Masta Ace released the MF Doom produced, “MA DOOM: Son of Yvonne,” an album dedicated to his mother, reinstating his talent. In 2016 he released the project The Falling Season another great concept record about himself starting high school. In 2018 he released A Breaukelen story with producer Marco Polo.

Masta Ace is one of the most consistent artists in Hip Hop – catch him live at Band On The Wall on Monday August 28th.