Artist: Ace Hood, Killer Mike
Song: “Greatness”
Album: M.I.N.D.
Label: Hood Nation / EMPIRE
Genre: Rap, Hip Hop
Florida rapper Ace Hood is already a platinum-certified artist. He was the first signing to DJ Khaled‘s We the Best Music, and has already appeared on a number of Billboard charts. But, if you’re not an avid follower of mainstream rap (like myself), he may be a new name to you. Let this be your introduction to him. Since going independent, Ace has continued to release singles and mixtapes, and recently released his excellent new album M.I.N.D..
Thanks to my previous listening to Run the Jewels, Spotify dropped the track “Greatness” into my release radar, as it features the great Killer Mike. I’m very happy I gave the track a chance, as it’s a burner. Hood recounts his struggles with a fearless honesty )”You’re either dying for your dream or living for the gun”); covering the aspirations he strived for (“reaching out for something may never, may never be”), and calling out the people that stood in his way. His soulful delivery doesn’t shy away from emotion, but is certainly no “emo rap”. While Hood’s verses are more introspective, Killer Mike uses his time to reflect on the external forces that make a struggle like Hood’s so real (“The world will laugh at you, shame on you and embarrass you. And the police will do it too if they’re harassing you).
It’s powerful and deserves to be checked out. Do so in our Check This 2022 Playlist (now on Apple Music as well).
The Indy Review 