SOW: Takeoff by Aceyalone

August 08, 2003 | 0 Comments

The Artist: Aceyalone
The Song: Takeoff
The Album: Love and Hate
Released 2003

I’m here to tell you hip hop is alive and well. About a month ago I went and saw Prince Paul, Eyedea and Aceyalone. I was blown away. Prince Paul was entertaining, but his terrific albums don’t translate into a show easily. Eyedea was amazing. This guy has real skill, step aside Eminem. His beats were a bit average, but he made up for that with his rapid-fire rhymes and crazy energy. If you like Saul Williams and poetry slam style raps you’ll love him.

Which brings me to Aceyalone, this week’s artist. I’d been in to him since I heard him on one of my all time favorite hip hop songs, “When the Sun Took a Day off and the Moon Stood Still” by Freestyle Fellowship, from Beneath The Surface, which is a great album everyone into hip hop should own.

I’ve always loved his style and his unique way of storytelling, and with his new album, Love and Hate, he’s added some quality production (great beats and samples) and more of a get down and party feel to his intelligent and thought-provoking lyrical style. This is the kind of hip hop I like the most; a good balance between beats and rhymes, that makes you move and think at the same time.

I chose “Takeoff” as the Song of The Week not only because I feel like it’s a great track that encompasses what Aceyalone does well, but it also has a killer sample that took me way back. Anyone else know where it came from? Give a listen. I’ll send a brand spankin’ new copy of Love and Hate to the first person to comment with the artist and name of the song Aceyalone samples on “Takeoff”.

Recommended if you like: Freestyle Fellowship, Black Star, Common, Aesop Rock, Ugly Duckling, Dilated Peoples, Black Eyed Peas

Filed under: Song of The Week