in every hole-in-the-wall spot, tryin’ to be on every flyer, and tryin’ to be in every club, I was that same cat. My grind was no different from others. It’s just that I wasn’t on like that. Usually the traditional way for an artist to get put on is that in the beginning he may have a little buzz. A lot of people feel like, “Oh, [Ace Hood] didn’t have that buzz in the beginning. Where did he come from?” But people have got to know that my grind was the same. My buzz wasn’t as big, but I’ve always been a dope artist. You just gotta know how to push yourself as an artist. I just feel like I was at the right place at the right time. That’s all it was. I wouldn’t say my situation is any different, I just feel that this music shit is meant to be. I’m meant to be Ace Hood. I’m meant to have these hit records I have today. I’m meant to be one of the biggest thangs that’s poppin’ right now as a new artist. It ain’t luck, it ain’t nothing like that. It’s just God’s will.
What do you think about the recent controversy about Rick Ross and how important do you think it is as an artist to live the life you rap about? I think it’s very important to spit the life that you’re living. But Rick Ross is deeper than rap. That’s my brother and they’re trying to break us up and make false statements about him. It’s definitely deeper than rap with that whole situation. It’s so important to live what you’re rapping about, which is what all of us do. All of us definitely live what we’re rapping about. It’s what we seen, what we heard, and what we’ve been through. Florida rap has been hot for the last couple of years. What can you add to keep the momentum going? I’m the future of this whole movement. I’m a young nigga in the game right now that’s
go with the hook. Then all I did was add that “knock, knock, bang, bang” to it. T-Pain put his swag to it. The big boss [Rick Ross] dropped his verse on it and it became the hit record it is today. You had a whole lot of cameos in the video. How did it feel to have so many people come out and support you on your first video? Aw, man, it was big. It doesn’t happen like that for many artists. Especially first time artists, they don’t get to shoot videos that big. Being that I had so many cameos and so many people that co-signed my situation, I’m definitely happy. It was a hot day but very exciting, because, of course, it was my first video. I wouldn’t wanna be anywhere else. I’m just happy to be in this situation. What’s the biggest change in your life since hooking up with Khaled? A lot of people respect me more. People definitely respect me for the music I’m putting out. Ain’t too many changes that changed me industry wise, but life wise, it changed my entire life. It put me in a position to never have to worry again. So, this music shit has definitely changed my life for the better. I’m definitely seeing a lot more money, more brown paper bags, and a lot more women, man. Everything goes up once you become somebody.
“I’m backed by the biggest cats in the game[so] the only thing that can happen is growth. I’m that new high energy young, gutter cat that’s bouncing around in the club, black flag swingin’. Those are the people I do it for, the younger generation that’s coming up. All those wild cats and wild females who are in the streets.”
Do you feel that it’s more pressure on you to prove yourself as an artist because you have a big name cosigning you? Because of those people you mentioned who don’t know about the grind you put in, do you feel like you have something to prove? Of course you’ve always gotta prove yourself. Khaled is DJ Khaled; they know him for what he do. So they’ve gotta know Ace Hood for what he does. Selling yourself to people is so important. Of course, I have to always prove myself. That’s why when people hear my music, they’re like, “You’re so aggressive on your records.” I’m not even aggressive, I’m just so high energy cause I feel like I can’t slack up or sleep while another nigga is getting it in. So, I feel like every hour, every minute, I’ve gotta let a nigga know that I’m going hard. I’m always proving myself, no matter what. Fifteen years from now, once I become that huge artist, that’s when you ain’t got to prove yourself. But being a new artist, you’ve got to do everything possible to prove yourself. That’s why I do everything; I do the unthinkable. You’ve got other artists that’s gonna go in the club and chill, but I’ma grab the mic and stand on the bar and we gonna rock. We gon’ get it in wherever we can get it in. If we got a crowd outside, we gon’ get it in outside. That’s what’s gonna set Ace Hood apart. We’ve gotta prove to the people that we’re as street as we say we are, I’m as gutter as I say I am. Every time I see you in a video online, it’s like you’re ready to spit at the drop of a dime. Is that something that’s important you, letting people know that you’re ready to rap at anytime? To be honest, I ain’t in it to just rap, I’m in it to take over the game. Just for people that feel like I can’t take it there, that’s why I do it. People need to see stuff like that. People need to understand that I really go hard like that. I really take my music seriously. It’s not a job. I don’t wake and be like, “I gotta write a new rap.” I wake up with 16 [bars], I go to sleep with 16. It’s what I do. It’s not my job, it’s my life.
52 // OZONE MAG
giving it to them uncut and raw. A lot of niggas respect my situation cause I’m a young nigga getting it in. I represent and do this music for the people. I’m the youngest cat doing it. One thing that’s great about me is that I’m backed by the biggest cats in the game. And with that said, I have no choice but to be one of the biggest niggas in the game because I’m backed by the biggest. The only thing that can happen is growth. I’m that new high energy young, gutter cat that’s bouncing around. That’s how you see them young niggas bouncing around in the club, black flag swingin’. Those are the people I do it for, the younger generation that’s coming up. All those wild cats and wild females who are in the streets, that’s who I’m doing it for. I’m just that new breed of the movement, I’m the future of what’s going to happen. You got your Jeezys, your Weezys, and T-Pains, and I’m that new future generation. There’s a Biggie and ‘Pac of every [generation]. I’m capable of being that next Jeezy, next Weezy, that next Kanye West or that next Jay-Z in my era. How did your first single “Cash Flow” come about? “Cash Flow” was a huge record. Big ups to the Runners; they created that beat. The Runners sent over a blank beat, so basically, we just told them the concept and where we wanted to
What have you been spending all that new brown paper bag money on? Pretty much anything. Anything I couldn’t get [before]. I’m just looking out for folks who provided for me when I was down. I kinda splurge with the money in a good way; make sure moms is good. But I gotta touch that [car] lot, and touch that jewelry every now and then. And I’m spending towards my own project, growing as an artist and trying to invest in myself. What can we expect from your album, Gutta? You can expect a classic album. It’s going be one the biggest albums this year, I promise you that. It’s definitely anticipated. It’s definitely an album for the people, an album for the streets. One thing about me and my music, we ain’t on that young music. My music is versatile. Older people can listen to it. My music is gon’ represent those on welfare, those who are stressing, my music represents all that. It just represents me as a person. That’s what “gutter” represents to me. It represents being at the bottom, coming from nothing to something, that’s what “gutta” means to me. That’s why I called it Gutta. When Khaled says “We The Best” what does that mean to you? “We The Best,” man. That means you, me, everybody’s the best at what they do. We The Best is not only the [label], we are the best, meaning exactly how it sounds. There’s really no way to explain it, other than the words speaking for themself. Whatever you do, and you know you’re the best at it, you’re the best. I’m the best at what I do and Khaled’s the best at what he does. //