Wall of Cred

West Coast rap hero looks backward to push things forward

Comments (0) By Jose Gonzalez Thursday, Mar 5 2009

Some rappers lean on Phil Spector-like gun shenanigans and run-ins with the law to boost their cred. Not so with Los Angeles spitter Aceyalone, who takes it back to where it belongs: the music.

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Born Eddie Hayes, the emcee was a member of the legendary Freestyle Fellowship and co-founder of Project Blowed, the influential SoCal open-mic collective that carried the torch for creative, distinctive rhyming in an era when gangsta claptrap rose to slightly monotonous prominence.

Acey's first two solo entries, All Balls Don't Bounce and A Book of Human Language, packed potent, focused punches. The rapper's latest offering, The Lonely Ones, features a collaboration with producer Bionik and acts as a tribute to ’60s R&B. The refreshing result finds Acey's nimble flow grooving with beats built from Spector's Wall of Sound, replete with catchy, melodic hooks.

The Valley boom-bap defenders of Blunt Club welcome the ’90s underground figurehead when he performs at Club Red.

Thu., March 5, 9 p.m., 2009