Everything Changes

Most of my posts are way overdue, but this one really should’ve been put up a long time ago. Not because I’m putting up any fairly recent material, but just because this artist really deserves a mention since we love talking about emceeing and mic skills on this site. I'm talking about Aceyalone, a West Coast backpacker favorite, and a founding member of the seminal LA underground group Freestyle Fellowship. To me, what makes Acey stand out is not his flow, but his lyrics. He’s one of those artists that critics like to call “literate emcees” (is everyone else illiterate?), but what I think they’re getting at are his poetic flows and very deliberate lyricism.

[MP3] Aceyalone :: Wants Vs. Needs
[MP3] Aceyalone :: Everything Changes (feat. Mystic) [highly recommended]
I'm not usually a big fan of hip hop songs with R&B hooks, but somehow "Everything Changes" pulls this off not just well, but Mystic's voice really brings the power of this song to a whole new level. Not only does it have a great hook, but his lyrical prowess truly shines in this verse where he contemplates getting back with an ex:

So I just kept rhyming
I caught her eye again
Next thing you know she was hollering let’s try again
But I wasn’t buying in
Didn’t want to lie again
Love was in the frying pan
Baby, it’s done

But she started hanging out
And started being seen
Seeing things different
Said she wasn’t being mean
Yeah, if I let her in
Then I let her win
But I’m a veteran what’s better than a friend

Maybe she was an angel
But she’s in disguise
And I just didn’t see the God-light in her eyes
Or maybe I should I walk away
And cut all the ties
Stay on the rise
Leave love left where love dies

We were youngsters
But we’re older now
But the world is a little more colder now
And I’m just trying to get it all off my shoulder now
Baby, you can hold it down
I’ll see you in the wind

|bruce banner|