ACE HOOD! (You gotta say it with some ice in your mouth for it to sound right)

The Florida rapper is back and better than ever, delivering this whopping 29 track album called “Trust The Process II: Undefeated.” Much like the NBA team that coined the phrase, Ace Hood’s career has went though quite the journey — one that has had a couple of rough patches these last couple of months. Well today is a new day, which means Ace has yet another opportunity sneak his way into rap’s elite.

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TOP 5

 

5. CHOSEN

I swear on everything that Ace Hood morphed into both XXXTENTACION and Kanye on this song.

In my humbling opinion, “Chosen” sounds like an unorthodox club hit. It has several breakdowns on the beat, and it seems like Hood focused solely on delivering nothing but appealing bars. Initially, I felt like the loosey goosey nature of the song was a bit off-kilter for him, but as it went on and on, I felt like it fit him more and more. That is what I call in-Game adjustments.

 

 

4. BEAST MODE

Uh oh, it looks like Ace Hood has created yet another dope ass flow. I give it less than 2 hours before Tory Lanez steals it.

“Beast Mode” contains the most relaxed version of Ace Hood I’ve ever heard. It seems like every single bar he delivers over the outer spacish instrumental is laid down stress free, and his punchlines come out so effortlessly throughout. It almost reminds me of the musical version of Aaron Rodgers speech in which he reminded the Packers fans that even though they lost their first two games of the season, relax, we’ll go back to our winning ways next week.

 

 

3. 3 BLESS

“3 Bless” features a version of Ace Hood that is ready to do some time for rap murder.

Over this dark instrumental that has both trap vibes and this waviness to it, Ace Hood slays, showing the world that the flow everyone raps with today was created by him. As for his content, it’s nothing less than motivational, as he talks about the importance of making it to the top for his family’s sake. The track is the ultimate theme song to this album, as it never lets up in ferocity.

 

 

2. UNDEFEATED

Hood is definitely NOT undefeated… I’ve seen a couple L’s he took in his career (including when his watch fell apart on the red carpet of the BET awards.).

“Undefeated” is the first single off the album, and it is a banger that combines some emotional production with a few inspirational words from our hero. As expected, his lyrics are on point, and his flow is unbelievable on the track. But most importantly, the song will make you want to root for Ace to succeed.

Yo Ace, I’m I’ll-Advised too! How bout you join us on our podcast!

 

 

1. RIGHT ON

“Right On” reigns supreme. Powered by this instrumental that gives off this rebellious feel through its jazziness and heavy-hitting drumming, Ace shows the world that he can get political, providing us with astute wisdom that is both thought-provoking and reasonable. What makes the track even more impressive is the wordplay and slippery flow he utilizes to get his words out. It almost feels like he’s navigating through the song like he was dating the beat and now they are happily married with kids.

If we get a remix to “Ye vs. The People” that features Ace Hood, I got Ace in a four game sweep.

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SONG BY SONG BREAKDOWN

1. INTRO (EARTH’S STRONG) (N/A)

2. 80’S BABY (3.9/5)

3 BLESS (5/5)

4. UNDEFEATED (5/5)

5. BEAST MODE (INTERLUDE)

6. BEAST MODE (5/5)

7. CHOSEN (4.8/5)

8. RIGHT ON (5/5)

9. FWEA (4/5)

10. LIVE, LOVE, SHINE (4.5/5)

11. EYE (3.9/5)

12. NOBODY PANIC (4.2/5)

13. ELEMENT (4.5/5)

14. TANGO (4.8/5)

15. ACE HOOD – SPEAKS (INTERLUDE) (N/A)

16. BE CALM (4.1/5)

17. DEVIL GET OFF ME (4/5)

18. A ROSE (3.8/5)

19. CAN’T KEEP RUNNING (4.3/5)

20. TESTIFY (4.6/5)

21. KEEP IT THE SAME (4.7/5)

22. WHEN YOU WAKE (4/5)

23. BAG PLAY (3.8/5)

24. ACE HOOD – QUESTIONS (INTERLUDE) (N/A)

25. REAL UNTIL THE END (INTERLUDE) (N/A)

26. GUESS WHO (4.3/5)

27. THEY SAID (4.2/5)

28. EACH OTHER (4.5/5)

29. OUTRO (NEW BEGINNINGS)

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OVERALL RATING

(C+)

 

This album is unbelievably solid! There’s no question that Ace put his blood, sweat and tears into every track he created, and best believe, as a listener, you can feel it. More than anything, I believe he paid attention to every single element of each song that he made, approaching them like a coach that wanted to stick to his game plan despite the many different changes the beats might have given him.

29 tracks is long as hell. it’s impossible to appreciate every single one like you want to, so take my top 5 with a grain of salt. With that being said, when it comes to how he approaches each song, Ace is consistent, giving us the same energy, same determination to be great, and similar trunk rattling instrumentals. I don’t recommend you staying away from this album simply due to its length.

Do you remember when Ace Hood first came out? He relied so heavily on the stars of rap to help build his fanbase. Believe it or not, there are only two features on this long ass album, and they are Scotty ATL and some dude named Slim Diesel. Just like you, I love big time collaborations on albums, but for someone like Ace, I think veering away from linking up with those cats translated to this hungrier version of himself that seems a lot more humble.

Where things go from here for Ace is unknown, but what I do know is that he deserves to be regarded as one of raps most talented artists. For these last couple of projects, people seemed to disregard just how powerful music has become, ignoring the fact that he touches on topics such as his downfall, determination to be great, family, politics, and ultimate rise to the top whenever he gets the chance to. It’s truly inspirational music, and I think it’s safe to say that our committee needs to give this guy another stab at reaching rap relevancy.