A Long Hot Summer [PA] [Digipak] * by Masta Ace

Pros: Masta Ace with plenty of great lyrics. Very good production.

Cons: Annoying skits.

The Bottom Line: Masta Ace proves that he can do no wrong on this 5th solo album, dropping another piece of classic Hip Hop.

Review: Masta Ace is a genuine legend of the Hip Hop game. A member of 80’s supergroup Marly Marl's Juice crew, founder of Masta Ace Inc, and the man behind 4 great solo Hip Hop albums, has decided to call it day with this album being his last. ...

Pros: Soulful production, soulful rhymes.

Cons: It's his last album.

The Bottom Line: A brilliant end to a brilliant career.

Review: Masta Ace is no doubt one of the most unfairly-criminally-completely -ridiculously overlooked emcees of all time. This man is a legend, releasing brilliant albums as Masta Ace Incorporated such as Slaughtahouse and Sittin' On Chrome. ...

Pros: So Far... The Best Album of 2004... Hands down...

Cons: All the peeps who think Madvillainy is #1 will be swallowing my shaft after this...

The Bottom Line: If you don't own this album when it comes out and claim to be a hip-hop fan... stab yourself in the lungs with a ballpoint pen...

Review: Basically it's like this... 2004 has been a whack year for hip-hop. Yeah, I'm sure you noticed. Bunch of bullshit came out this year which has honestly made me sick. Yeah, you got your tight albums and your crap, and a few albums have gotten nice ...

Pros: Solid songs, great lyrics, good guest, nice concept.

Cons: Copies Disposeable Arts a little too closely.

The Bottom Line: The album feels like Masta Ace sat down and said, “this worked well on DA, how can I do it again on the new joint?”

Review: While far too many rap acts nowadays gauge their “artistic creativity” by how well they can reinvent some previous artists’ concepts and sounds, Brooklyn emcee Masta Ace has always been recognized as one of the genre’s most ...

Pros: Masta Ace bows out of the hip-hop game with a bang.

Cons: A slow track or two prevent a "perfect" goodbye, it's sad to see Ace retire.

The Bottom Line: Yo. Ace is dope. This album is worth buying. That is all.

Review: 2004 hasn't been the greatest year for hip-hop. Not yet at least. At the beginning of the year, there was much optimism that the upcoming twelve months would bring some spectacular music — something memorable and truly worth unadulterated praise. ...

Pros: Mostly on-point storytelling; very captivating listen; smooth production

Cons: A tad ordinary and/or forgettable at times

The Bottom Line: needs to go get sunburned!

Review: With creativity, depth, meaning and relevance becoming more and more like a revolving door in the music industry, hip-hop is quickly increasing its pace on the path to becoming a disposable art. The things that would’ve gotten hung in effigy and set ...

Pros: Rhymes and production are complete and well-done

Cons: Skit quantity and some unexciting tracks

The Bottom Line: Aces may be rare, but you have a select few in every deck that you should always use.

Review: The lowly paranoia of an artist who swims through the underground subliminally is a depressing case. The game doesn’t always incorporate recognition for every artist, and Masta Ace thinks no one appreciates his distinction. He’s calm yet extracts ...