Aceyalone is one of hip-hop’s unsung virtuosos. No longer. On the freestyle vet’s latest effort The Lonely Ones, every soul genre is freaked and every song is stunning. It’s still early, but for my money the Los Angeles-based rapper has made the hip-hop album of the year so far. I wrote about it for Metromix and Wired last week. School yourself!
Aceyalone, Aceyalone & the Lonely Ones
[Scott Thill, Metromix]
Compared to his past work, “The Lonely Ones” is a nearly flawless masterpiece of invention and revision. The kinetic “On the 1” and “Can’t Hold Back” hit hyperspace from the first note, as Aceyalone keeps pace without breaking a sweat. Even on tunes more dance and pop than purist hip-hop, such as the positively Wham!-like “What It Wuz” and Supremes-esque “Step Up,” Aceyalone effortlessly mind-melds with his backbeats like Spock on autopilot. Whether he’s stepping into Sly Stone’s formidable shoes on the conscientious stomp “Power to the People” or simply slaying boredom on the neo-swing of “Push n’ Pull,” Aceyalone has reinvigorated 21st century hip-hop by taking it back to the future. Classic. MORE @ METROMIX
Head-Trips From Aceyalone, Yonlu, More
[Scott Thill, Wired.com]
It’s still early, but until someone else comes along and beats him, Aceyalone’s sitting on the finest hip-hop release of 2009. Amping up hip-hop’s usually boring, derivative proceedings by mashing everything from ’50s doo-wop to ’70s funk through a lyrical flow and speed that is simply unmatched in the game today, the Los Angeles-based graduate of the pioneering Freestyle Fellowship has finally created his most experimental and accessible effort. Taste this hyperkinetic track, and its righteous sax sample, as an appetizer, then fill up on the rest of The Lonely Ones. You might stop hating hip-hop once you’re full. MORE @ WIRED
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