“Quit playing games you rocking with a trill one” Ace Rico’s lyric plays as a mission statement as well as a catchy bar from a chorus in his latest bubbling single “Playing Games”. Staying trill is truly a motto for Ace Rico, the artist originally from Memphis Tennessee who eventually relocated to GA in a city called Baxley,GA. One quick sweep through his Soundcloud details an artist on the rise, freestyles, singles and one off tracks fill his page “Playing Games” which takes the 90s sample “Shorty Swing My Way” by KP & Envi, which Bryson Tiller and J Cole also sampled for “Exchange” & “Deja Vu”, gets a 3rd reincarnation and another smooth flip with vocals and a chorus on the same level as Tiller & Cole’s takes on the instrumental. Sound quality slightly lacks but further instills the essence of the grind and independent hustle of an artist who said “Making Music Is What I Love to do I Hope to Have My Own Record Label And Many Platinum and Diamond plaques While Making a difference in the world” the only direction is up, and Ace Rico already shows Master P level focus and vision.
The single “Throwed” continues the run of catchy singles and also a return of studio quality, another great example of Rico’s radio ready sound and professionalism. His 2018 album I Gotta Go In is another dive into DIY culture and definitive hustle, with hard hitting tracks, flows, and lyrics he continues his grind on I Gotta Go In. “Throwed” appears on his second 2018 release the album Trill Vibes a 6 song EP that touches on a multitude of topics and subject matter. Rico continues the uphill struggle of independent artist on “Believe In Me”, he states he’s “got a love for this music I can’t explain” another blunt truth spit over a filtered soulful slowed down sample laced with heavy 808s and hard hitting trap drums, an honest vibe that matches the emotion of the lyrics. It is obvious that Ace Rico is dedicated to the craft and willing to jump into the deep end to reach his dreams, accepting all the ups and downs that come with the journey, Rico raps “reach for the sky lil homie reach for the sky and no matter what you do don’t let your dreams die” the mindset every true artist has, this bar is not only advice to the listener but also a mantra for Ace.
Rico’s ear for production is top notch as well, the soundscapes on Trill Vibes are lush, soulful, and intoxicating. He manages to combine grit and truth in lyrics with finesse and eloquence in instrumentals. “Yo Love” has jazzy guitar riffs weave in and out over top a deep low end baseline driven by a tamed drum pattern and smooth snaps in place of snares. All and all Ace Rico is an artist to look out for, any Hip Hop fan who streams his 2 projects on Spotify will quickly become a devoted fan, as grind and vision is infectious Rico’s fan base is likely to mirror his ambitions, any person reaching for a goal and focused on attaining it is bound to keep his music on repeat.
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