Ace Mack
Last week before I conducted this interview, I had the opportunity to witness UCLA Rapper Ace Mack and his hip-hop collective, Truuu Society (Ace, Hippie, Lyon, and Duantrel), perform for Nommo’s Black Wednesday event at Bruin Plaza. Even though I had heard of him before, it was my first time actually hearing the UCLA rapper, and needless to say, I was pretty impressed. I was not only astounded by the production quality and smooth flows on most of the tracks, but also by the cool and confident stage presence exuded by Ace and his crew.
This same calmness was apparent when I later met up with Ace, Hippie, and Lyon at their studio.
Interviewer: Rasheed Tulay
Nommo Staff
Where are you originally from?
ACE: I’m from Sacramento, California, and I am currently here in L.A. for school. I was torn between Berkeley and UCLA, but when I checked out the schools, I didn’t really vibe with Berkeley. I thought that UCLA had a better vibe for what I was trying to accomplish. People seem more down-to-earth, plus I met most of my crew here. I originally had a manager from Sacramento who introduced me to my teammate Lyon, and I met Hippie through Dauntrel. It’s funny how it just all came together.
What inspired you?
ACE: I started rapping and producing when I was nine. I didn’t really know what I was doing back then, just messing around with Cubase 5 and FL Studio, and eventually, things started clicking. My father was a rapper/producer as well who also had the name Ace Mack, so he kind of passed the torch to me.
I used to listen to a lot of legends; Nas and Outkast religiously. I, of course, grew up on Bay area music: Wu-Tang Clan, A Tribe Called Quest, and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. But that Nas album, “I Am,” is definitely one of the most influential albums. Back in 2010, I was studying a lot of Lil Wayne and Drake when he was killing the game, but now, I try to study all types of music and genres in order to diversify my sound.
How easy or difficult do you find it to balance the college life with your musical endeavors? Do you find it balanced or are you solely on the music grind for now?
ACE: It’s hard because when I first started I was working. I used to work 25 hours a week for financial aid. I definitely had to find ways to manage my time in order to record and to maintain good grades. My goal right now is to build a fan base. The responses I’ve received from the UCLA population has been amazing. I’ve performed around 11 times, and the turnout has been great. I actually have fans who make it to every show, and I’ve been getting interviews with the Daily Bruin and Bruin Radio. I’ve also made many connections with many other artists.
So your goal is to make a record label?
ACE: Yes. When I first got into college my goal was to have my own record label. That’s what I intend to do with my “Truuu Society” squad.
What Is Truuu Society, and who is it comprised of?
ACE: Truu Society is a collective group of individuals who are all on the music grind and have decided to meet up for a creative vision. We’re all brothers at the end of the day, and we have a similar mentality and commons goals for the music. We motivate each other to keep pushing regardless of whatever is going on. We all have the hunger to come up, plot, and stack music.
- We have Dauntrel Finn, our resident poet.
- Mercedes Hughes, a Singer from Texas.
- Hippie X, a rapper and producer from Los Angeles.
- Lyon, the Rapper/Producer from Detroit.
- Goldie, the rapper from San Francisco?
I dug the boom-bap, east coast sound on the track, “Black Hoodie Black Jeans.” Would you say the east coast scene more directly influences your sound? Or is your style based on more than one area?
ACE: I was definitely influenced by a variety of sounds; it really depends on the track and the beat. On “Black Hoodie Black Jeans,” I was basically venting about the Trayvon Martin case, and I was just gassing. Lyon just went off what I was going for, and it just worked out in that way.
What is your writing process?
ACE: It depends; I like to experiment. Lyon likes to go off the dome. I liked to sit down and map out how I want to hear it. How it comes out is exactly how I want it to sound. I don’t necessarily have to be under the influence when I write, but sometimes it helps. I tend to write a lot on my phone as well, gives me a better flow. I usually come up with a concept first with my crew, sometimes in the form of freestyles, and when we have a hook, the rest just forms naturally.
What are your goals, and where do you see yourself in 10 years?
ACE: Sitting on $25 mil.
When will you finally think you’ve made it?
ACE: I won’t consider myself “made” until everyone else in my crew has succeeded. Even though I like to acknowledge my current success in terms of shows and exposure, I’m always on the lookout for new opportunities to expose my crew’s music too. I’m going to try to put out a mixtape every quarter. My current fan base is at 20,000 and stacking more and more each day, but I’m nowhere where I want to be. My homie Lyon is from Detroit, got signed when he was twelve, but the deal fell through. He came out here shortly after and faced the common adversities most Black males face out here. It’s crazy to see his progression as an artist even getting into producing. I’m really trying to reach into my audience to see how they interpret my words.
What are your thoughts on the current rap game?
ACE: It’s about to be nasty in 2014. And I’m looking forward to it. I think it’s the time for hip-hop artists to start acting like hip-hop artists. The game has definitely become a lot more competitive since Kendrick dropped that “control” verse, and I can’t wait to be a part of it.
Hip-hop crews have always been prevalent in the scene, and have definitely become even more popular with Odd Future, TDE, and other artists. Are you guys attempting to follow in the same footsteps by having a label?
ACE: We’re trying to be like a mix of Motown and Wu-tang. All of our music is created in-house. We’re trying to put out real music for our fans. We’re trying to stay in the vein of hip-hop, which is why I say Wu-Tang.
LYON: A lot of the groups today aren’t really trying to promote the artistry of the culture, and we’re trying to bring that back.
ACE: My mixtape “The Ugly Truth” is coming out December 20th, along with Lyon’s tape “Jungle Fever,” Hippie’s tape “Hippie’s 7 Chambers,” and Mercedes Hughes’ tape with “Christmas Project.”
What programs or equipment do you use to produce?
LYON: I use everything, but produce primarily on FL Studio.
ACE: I grew up messing with Cubase 5, but use the programs Ableton, Logic, and FL Studio, depending on the type of sound I’m trying to go for.
Do you feel being able to produce allows you to develop a more coherent sound overall? I feel like producing and rapping is becoming hand in hand as most rappers are getting into producing and vice versa.
ACE: The producing helps with the flow, but what has really helped me was the engineering. My uncle used to engineer and worked for dudes like Raphael Saadiq, and I got some guidance from him, thankfully. It definitely helps for a more refined sound.
Do you have any goals outside of music?
ACE: Yeah I like to… give back to the community. I’ve used to do all kinds of community service. A couple years ago, I went to New Orleans to help renovate homes after Hurricane Katrina. I always think about how we can improve the current educational system, especially for Afrikan Americans seeing how a lot of inner city schools don’t have the resources or means to prepare a lot of kids. I hope to somehow emphasize the importance of the arts and music in school through music programs or something like that.
I would want my legacy for UCLA to be motivation, because I feel a lot of Black males on campus don’t have a voice.
Hippie: I think people should feel comfortable to pursue their dreams whether that is through school, poetry, or music. Don’t let anyone tell you can’t achieve that.