- Code:
Masta Ace & Marco Polo - A Breukelen Story
Label.........................: Fat Beats
Genre.........................: Hip-Hop
StoreDate.....................: Nov-09-2018
Source........................: CDDA
Grabber.......................: Exact Audio Copy (Secure Mode)
Encoding Scheme...............: Lame 3.98.4 V0 VBR Joint-Stereo
Size..........................: 89.33 MB
Total Playing Time............: 54:54
Release Notes:
Thanks GCP NOiR SO for supporting the artists.
Hi FTD! :)
The problem with hip-hop... shit nothing at all / It's an artform that
ranges and it changes it evolves / It's not always for the better, but
be patient with it yall / For our time will come and the wicked will
fall.
---
On 2007’s “Nostalgia,” a memorable track off Marco Polo’s album, Port
Authority, chemistry between Polo and guest MC Masta Ace is easily heard
and felt. What was a quick one-off collab was not only a reminder of
Masta Ace’s timelessness, but it was also the impetus for a larger, more
fleshed out concept between the Toronto beatsmith Polo and the legendary
MC. The pair since formed a duo and the result is a powerfully
evenhanded project, A Breukelen Story.
In 2018 we find hip-hop’s storied journeyman, Masta Ace, at the helm of
another sharp, tightly wrought project. He’s traversed hip-hop’s
ever-changing landscape for nearly three decades, navigating different
eras while expanding his already extensive catalogue. From his formative
work with the legendary Juice Crew, to a bombastically renowned stint
with Delicious Vinyl, it’s hard to find a more humble master of ceremony
than Ace—even harder is finding another figure whose work is equally
embraced on both coasts, East and West, as well as abroad.
Despite amassing 7 solo albums, 5 collaborative projects and countless
additional one-offs, Ace is still trying to show and prove, still moving
the needle forward for himself, his fans, and his career. Says Ace: “My
goal on A Breukelen Story was to do more lyrical stuff. I’ve done a lot
of concept songs, and a lot of topical records, but I made a point to
put a couple straight rhyming joints on here to remind dudes I can still
do this.”
“I met Masta Ace for the first time while interning at Cutting Room
studios in Manhattan,” says Marco Polo, longtime Canadian producer whose
exploration of samples and boom-bap aesthetics certainly suite his
moniker. “Ace came in for a session in the studio years and I introduced
myself and gave him a beat CD.” While Polo was a young intern on the
rise, he quickly worked the situation to his advantage, eventually
producing for giants he grew up admiring— Kool G Rap, Large Professor,
Scarface, Sean Price, Black Thought, Talib Kweli, to name a few.
Polo is not new to forming quality collabs with others in the art form,
with notable stints on the aforementioned Port Authority as well as it’s
follow up, PA2, and others like 2016’s work with young MC, A-F-R-O,
fittingly titled A-F-R-O Polo. Yet out of Polo’s previous collaborative
efforts, this one stands out and is a bit more special, according to
Polo: “Ace does not like to write random songs, its usually conceptual
and topical,” he says. “But we do have some straight spitting joints on
A Breukelen Story which is what makes this album possibly the most
diverse of all of my collaborative albums.”
The random meeting and a beat CD resultantly birthed A Breukelen Story,
a collaborative release between the venerable veteran and an incredibly
detailed and prolific producer. 14 tracks with pronounced guests
(Pharoahe Monch on “The Fight Song” for example) all strewn together
through Ace’s signature skits and interludes that frame the music and
while telling the story of Polo manifesting his vision of being an NY
transplant via Toronto while pursuing his dream of being a renowned
record producer. Other guests range from younger MCs like Marlon Craft
to spry OGs like Lil Fame (of M.O.P.), to Smif ‘n’ Wessun, to Styles P
(of the Lox) Polo’s pastiche style boom-bap is the drum-driven
centerpiece that perfectly couches Masta Ace’s thoughtful stanzas and
vivid storytelling for this effusive Brooklyn narrative.
Tracklisting
01. Kings 3:08
02. Dad's Talk (Skit) 0:46
03. Breukelen "Brooklyn" (Feat. Smif 'N' Wessun) 4:05
04. Get Shot 3:36
05. Still Lover Her (Feat. Pearl Gates) 4:35
06. Man Law (Feat. Styles P) 4:22
07. You & I 3:10
08. Gotta Go (Skit) 0:38
09. Sunken Place (Feat. Pav Bundy) 3:56
10. Corporal Punishment (Feat. Elzhi) 3:23
11. Landlord Of The Flies (Skit) 0:41
12. Count Em Up (Feat. Lil Fame Of M.O.P.) 3:49
13. American Me 3:14
14. The Cutting Room (Skit) 0:45
15. God Bodies (Feat. Trini Boy) 3:06
16. Wanna Be (Feat. Marlon Craft) 4:17
17. Three (Feat. EMC) 2:47
18. Fight Song (Feat. Pharoahe Monch) 3:47
19. Mom's Talk (Skit) 0:49
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