Masta Ace, Emc
The Crocodile
07/10/2014 08:00 PM PDT
$13 Adv
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Supporting Acts: Xperience, Afrok, Fleeta Partee, VintageDOPE, DJ Iceman
Masta Ace
Masta Ace has always managed to remain current and totally classic in the exact same breath. In his 1988 lyrical debut, he took a stand along side Big Daddy Kane, Kool G. Rap and Craig G on hip hop's most important posse cut, 'The Symphony'. His first full length album, the Marley Marl produced Take A Look Around (1990), established the rookie emcee as a sophisticated voice from the ghetto.
Slaughtahouse (1993) was an ingenious conversation with hip hop, as Ace and his incorporated crew took on the entire gangsta rap genre. In 1995, his Sittin' On Chrome LP unified American car culture as a celebration of rims and rides and rap music. Then after a 6 year hiatus, Ace caught the world off guard with the epic
Disposable Arts (2001). This classic theme album, complete with plot, main characters and score, played like a feature film on wax. A Long Hot Summer, (2004), was the prequel to Disposable Arts. These two "flicks", were connected, and although Ace was the only actual recurring character, the storylines blended together in a well thought out arrangement.
In 2004 he announced that "…Summer" would be his fifth and final solo album. It seems that he was planning a unique and different way to continue making contributions to Hip Hop. Ace has teamed up with Wordsworth, Punchline and Stricklin to form the new group EMC. All three were featured heavily on his last two releases and the chemistry that resulted was undeniable. The album, "The Show" will be released this summer on M3 Records, an upstart independent label formed by Ace and his partners "Filthy Rich" and "DJ Rob".
Emc
Penalty Entertainment signs Hip-Hop supergroup eMC
February 4, 2014, NY, NY; Penalty Entertainment is pleased to announce the signing of supergroup eMC.
Comprised of four spectacular lyricists, eMC is: the legendary Brooklyn bred Juice Crew member Masta Ace,
the Midwest phenom Stricklin and the widely respected "Lyricist Lounge" duo Punchline & Wordsworth.
Masta Ace emerged onto the scene with the legendary Juice Crew and has since gone on to release
records through both independent and major systems. With an extensive body of work under his belt, he
tours relentlessly throughout the world. Punchline and Wordsworth were both integral in the success of
the groundbreaking MTV program "The Lyricist Lounge Show" and have since continued to release music
independently. Completing the group is the Milwaukee born and raised emcee "Stricklin" who established
a name for himself in the late 90's while signed to Tommy Boy Records.
eMC's initial alliance developed in early 2005 with the aptly titled track "Four Brothers". Making it's way
onto the internet before even being properly mixed, the song built quite a buzz and talk of a collaborative
project eventually lead to the official establishment of the group.
Now in 2014, eMC is taking their music to the next level with the help of the newly founded partnership
between Penalty Entertainment and Sony RED distribution. An EP is expected to release this April with
a full-length album following in the summer. The CEO of Penalty Neil Levine had this to say about their
latest signing "I'm honored to be working with eMC. These guys are amazing lyricists and true to the art
form. Masta Ace, Stricklin, Punchline and Wordsworth are hip hop to the core."
eMC Member Masta Ace was quoted saying this about the new venture:
"I see this signing as a real turning point in the direction of underground hip hop and how it will be viewed
by the masses. We now have the freedom to continue to make the music our fans want, but with the help
of Penalty Records, we have a platform for exposure to a larger audience."
Great rhymes plus great beats equals great music! This is the formula that any Hip Hop artist truly dedicated to their craft should choose to live by. The Hip Hop world is constantly looking for a breath of fresh air. Well Hip Hop fans need to look no further. Take a deep breath inhale and become intoxicated by the sounds of the Super Group eMC!
Formed in 2007, eMC is comprised of four spectacular lyricists: the Milwaukee, born phenom Stricklin, the widely respected NYC duo and Lyricist Lounge MCs Punchline & Wordsworth, and the legendary Brooklyn bred, former Juice Crew member Masta Ace.
The Wisconsin native Stricklin made noise in the late 90's when he was signed to Tommy Boy Records and was featured on several of their releases. Punch & Words released an EP in 2000 and were both integral in the success of the groundbreaking MTV program "The Lyricist Lounge Show". Wordsworth would later release a solo LP in 2004 entitled Mirror Music. These three rhyme spitters obviously caught the ear of Masta Ace because he featured all of them on his last two classics 2001's Disposable Arts and 2004's A Long Hot Summer.
What makes this group so special is that it was basically formed at the request of the fans. Having toured extensively with Ace since 2001, Stricklin, Punchline, and Wordsworth all became very close and realized how natural it was to be on stage together. The fans recognized this chemistry as well and often asked if there was a group album planned in the future. Well in 2008 that question was answered emphatically when the quartet released their critically acclaimed debut album "The Show" on M3/Traffic Entertainment.
"The Show" was an instant classic among Hip Hop purists around the world and established eMC as being among the elite in the now trendy Supergroup phenomenon. After three years of heavy touring from 2006-2008, the group's members branched off to re-establish their solo careers. Punchline released his powerful debut "Underground Superstar" with Germany's own DJ Soul Clap in 2012. In June of 2012, the brilliant Wordsworth dropped his second solo effort "The Photo Album". Masta Ace teamed up with Rap veteran EdoG in 2009 to release "Arts & Entertainment" followed by an album dedicated to his late mother "Son of Yvonne" exclusively over MF DOOM beats in 2012.
Now finally, the Four Brothers are back with new music. Their new ep "The Turning Point" is set to be released on M3/Penalty Entertainment/Sony Red in the spring of 2014. Prompted by a phone call from Penalty Entertainment's CEO Neil Levine, this six song offering takes the listener through the group members' decision to do a new album after almost 6 years. Reminiscent of John Belushi's character in The Blues Brothers, Masta Ace calls each group member one by one asking if they are interested in getting the group back together. The ep serves as a precursor to their full length LP scheduled to be released later this year.
The lead off single "Charly Murphie", which has very little to do with the famous actor/comedian brother of Eddie Murphy, features Agallah Don Bishop (8-Off the Assassin) and stands as eMC's reaction to the current trend of radio friendly songs titled after famous people. Masta Ace explains, "There are so many of these songs out there named after famous people and most of them aren't good. Charlie Murphy produced by Detroit's own 14KT, epitomizes the hardcore, aggressive, punch in the nose mentality which is a stark contrast to those other songs. Who are you taking in a fight Justin Bieber or Charlie Murphy?"
The "Charly Murphie" single and video hit the internet on Itunes in early April and are part of a brilliantly produced ep full of stand out songs including "Stay Busy" produced by and featuring talented new comer Pav Bundy, "Verified" featuring the Birmingham, England female sensation, Lady Leshurr and the the title track "Turning Point" featuring east coast crooner Range Da Messenga and produced by the UK's own Quincey Tones.
This ep will have eMC's core fans salivating for the full length which will consist of 12-14 additional tracks. Their first tour rolls out this May to Europe and the group expects to tour in the states, Canada and possibly Australia before the end of the year.
Venue Information
The Crocodile
2200 2nd Ave
Seattle, WA 98121
http://thecrocodile.com/index.html