During a recent interview with Downtown Weekly, ‘The Godfather of Latin Rap’ Mellow Man Ace gave a brief analysis on his rise in hip-hop, his upcoming performance with hip-hop pioneers on October 1st, and what he thinks of rap today.
Mellow Man Ace gives his thoughts on his 29-year-career saying “it’s a long journey, it’s been an amazing journey, I live in the journey.” he said. “If you stick around long enough, you get back in style, and I’ve done that twice already.”
Mellow also talks about his come up in the rap game. “My biggest break early on came when DJ Muggs of Cypress Hill at the time took me up to Delicious Vinyl Studios.” he said. “We kicked down the door, as for myself I always looked at Public Enemy as an example of leadership, and I always said to myself, ‘if Public Enemy could say that they’re proud to be black, it should be okay for me to say that I’m proud to be an African-Black man of Latino descent as well.’”
His take on everyday life is what caught my eye, he loves the art and the work that he puts in is still remarkable. “I don’t take none of it lightly man, I wake up everyday with the same hunger and passion that I had when I started [doing] hip-hop.” he said.
He lives in the moment, continuously working to produce the same level of quality produced 29 years ago. “Let’s get it today because tomorrow is not promised.” he said. “Get it done today so that if you’re not here tomorrow people can see what you left behind.”
He also expressed his thoughts on the current state of hip hop compared to back then. “Hip-hop is awesome right now, especially when you think of kids like Joey Bada$$…dudes like Action Bronson and other guys that are doing hip-hop correctly, I think hip-hop is just fine.” he said.
However, he also expresses his frustration toward mainstream media. “I don’t like the lack of media attention it gets, there’s not a leveled playing field, especially at mainstream media. They won’t give these [underground] kids the right shine.” he said.
He also covered a popular topic of discussion when he said that new artist coming into the game should research what they’re doing because it will make them a better artist in that particular realm.
Mellow Man Ace is not just a rapper, it’s transcended from that into something more. He also gives back to his community. He helps the youth and tries to uplift them showing them a brighter future if they stick to something, also feeding the homeless at Gladys Park alongside rapper/activist General Jeff. ‘Jail Guitar Doors’ is a company founded by Mr. Wayne Kramer who gives guitars to inmates and then Mellow Man and a group of others go in, visit the jails and perform for them. The ‘Kids Come First Celebrity Golf Tournament’ and the ‘Providence Saint Joseph’s Golf Tournament’ are a couple of projects he’s currently involved in.
Mellow Man Ace also helped out and gave us his advice for new rappers trying to get into the game:
1) “Take a look at your surroundings, take a look at your family struggle and look at what your family requires of you, because a lot of kids will wake up with a dream and not necessarily have the means to achieve that.”
2) “It’s okay to be a fan, not everyone can do heart surgery”
3) “Be careful who you’re choosing into your circle and the things you’re doing for them because they may not necessarily be willing to do them for you when the tables turn.”
4) ”Choose carefully a unit that not only looks out for your best interest, but also contributes to that.”
5) “Make sure when you make it that your team eats, that’s when the longevity comes because there’s more power in numbers than there is in one person.”
6) “Foundational structure built on rock, not sand is vital.”
7) “You don’t even have to worry about ‘how?’, just live your life, search for what you’re looking for and all the pieces will come.”
Sitting with him and his son, Cazal Organism, was unique as it brought the experience and the new blood in the game alongside each other. Cazal Organism has been doing music since he was 14 and with his samples and original music, he’s one of the artists to look into.
Mellow Man Ace has been working on putting on more shows and will be sharing the stage with the likes of DJ Quik, Suga Free, Luniz and others on October 1st, at El Compadre restaurant in Downtown Los Angeles. KDAY will be broadcasting live as KDAY’s Tha Goodfellas and the one and only Candyman host a show filled with back-to-back headliners. Doors open at 3, tickets are selling quickly so make sure get them soon.
