T
o be introduced to the world by a respected name like DJ Khaled is a guaranteed attention grabber. Ace Hood linked up with the We the Best mogul earlier this year and things have been advancing at full speed ever since. With support from We the Best/Def Jam and production by The Runners, Ace’s first single “Cash Flow” featuring T-Pain is becoming a new Florida favorite. Tell me about your history as an artist. What made you interested in music? My whole inspiration comes from my family. My step-father was into music as well so I guess he kinda rubbed off on me. My real father was part of a band. Watching that and knowing that I could grow up one day and change Hip Hop and be that next dude really inspired me. How did you end up on We the Best Records? Me and Khaled met up at the station 99 Jamz. I wanted to perform at his birthday bash but it ended up being something further than that. He saw a certain goal with me. It’s always something about somebody when you meet ‘em that gives you that impression. Basically, he said he would listen to the song and once he listened to it he called my manager back that night and told him he wanted to hear me on a bigger record. He sent “I’m So Hood” over to me and I ripped it down and sent it to him the next day. A couple weeks later he was talking about signing me to We the Best Music. What’s it like working with Khaled? It’s a blessing. Working with one of the top DJs – if not the best DJ – that’s doing it right now. DJ Khaled has a lot of clout. It’s a lot of energy. It’s something new everyday. Khaled has great presence. I get hyped being around him; he’s a great guy. It’s great. Tell me about your distribution deal with Def Jam. We flew to New York. We had offers from Atlantic and a couple other labels. Once we met with Def Jam, I did a presentation for L.A. Reid with different songs that are gonna be on my album. He ran “Cash Flow” back five times, literally. He never does that for new artists. Once we did that, I stepped out of the room and twenty minutes later it’s We the Best/Def Jam. He told me, “Con-
gratulations. We’re making history.” Talk about some of the songs you have out now. The single I’m pushing right now is “Cash Flow” featuring T-Pain and Rick Ross. I got my mixtape joints with me riding on different beats and other people’s singles. I’m gonna be on Khaled’s first single. My second single is “Gutta.” But we’re just pushing “Cash Flow” right now. You shot the video for “Cash Flow.” How was that experience? Everything was super good. I’m blessed to be in my situation to be backed by the biggest dudes in the game. It’s a life changing experience. It was something new for me. The video is pretty big. It was Rick Ross, TPain, The Runners, DJ Christion, and Birdman came through. We shot it in Overtown. What are some of your favorite subjects to rap about? I’m versatile when it comes to music but I would say I’m addicted to hitting hard music. My slang and how I do things, I use the term gutter a lot because it represents me as a person and what I do, from my swag to anything. I would pretty much say street music, hood music, whether it’s whips, money, jewelry, or representing my hood. I can pretty much go any route. What’s your favorite lines from a verse? “Knock, knock, bang, bang, where the cash at? / If ya ain’t got it, leave ya dirty like a Tampax / ‘Cause I’m shooting at you ducks like Aflac / Then I foam in the suede black Maybach” Have you been getting used to the spotlight? Were you prepared for how fast things would move working with Khaled? Yeah, I was prepared for the situation. It’s like second nature. You know Khaled’s always gonna prep you before it’s time to do your thing. Being on the road is good. I’ve done a lot of things and learned a lot of things. You see how other people do it where they from, learn other languages, and all that other stuff. What’s the typical day like since signing with We the Best? I wake up early in the morning and check in with the DJs, basically let ‘em know I appreciate ‘em playing my record and stuff like that. Then from there, I may head to OZONE | 27