| Aceyalone | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Birth name |
Edwin Maximilian Hayes Jr. |
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Born |
September 30, 1970 |
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Genre |
|
|
Occupation(s) |
Rapper |
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Years active |
1991-present |
|
Label |
Capitol Records (1994-1996) |
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Associated acts |
The A-Team, Abstract Rude, Freestyle Fellowship, Haiku D'Etat, Myka 9, Mystik Journeymen, The Nonce, RJD2 |
Edwin Maximilian Hayes Jr. (born September 30, 1970), better known by his stage name Aceyalone, is an American rapper from Los Angeles, California. He is a member of Freestyle Fellowship, Haiku D'Etat, and The A-Team, and a co-founder of Project Blowed. Aceyalone is best known for his role in evolving alternative hip hop on the West Coast at a time when the scene was dominated by gangsta rap.
Following the releases of the Freestyle Fellowship albums To Whom It May Concern... and Innercity Griots, Aceyalone emerged as the star member of the group and signed a solo artist deal with Capitol Records in 1994. Aceyalone's debut solo album, All Balls Don't Bounce, was released in 1995 to positive reviews from critics, but its limited commercial success led to him being dropped by the label. He returned three years later with the album A Book of Human Language, a collaboration with producer Mumbles, which was a dark concept album released on the Project Blowed label. His third solo album, Accepted Eclectic, was released in 2001, followed by another five solo albums released throughout the 2000s. His recent work has combined different genres with hip hop music; Lightning Strikes (2007) with reggae, Aceyalone & the Lonely Ones (2009) with doo-wop, Leanin' on Slick (2013) with 1960s style-R&B, and Action (2015) with electronic music. All four albums were produced almost entirely by record producer Bionik. In 2016, he collaborated with funk-jazz band Slippers on the space-themed album Mars.
Aceyalone has been noted for his innovative lyrical style and content. He and other members of the Freestyle Fellowship were noted for their rejection of the gangsta rap trend in West Coast hip hop, and they developed strong critiques of hip hop music's commercialization and glorification of violence.
Discography[]
Studio albums[]
- 1995: All Balls Don't Bounce
- 1998: A Book of Human Language
- 2001: Accepted Eclectic
- 2002: Hip Hop and the World We Live In
- 2003: Love & Hate
- 2006: Magnificent City
- 2007: Lightning Strikes
- 2009: Aceyalone & the Lonely Ones
- 2013: Leanin' on Slick
- 2015: Action
Collaboration albums[]
- 2016: Mars (with Slippers)