Aceyalone & RJD2 - Magnificent City - CD

Label: Project Blowed / Decon
Genre: Hip-Hop
Format: CD

One underground legend and one rising star cross paths to create one of the year's most eagerly awaited albums! The new album from Aceyalone, produced by the equally legendary and talented Dead Ringer himself, Rjd2.

One of HipHop's most influential and well-respected MCs, Aceyalone earned a name for himself with his era-defining debut with the Freestyle Fellowship and followed with classic solo releases such as All Balls Don't Bounce and A Book Of Human Language. Conceptual and thought provoking, Acey manages to keep on the forefront of his art, while his repertoire shines high in the pantheon of emcees.

Again, Rjd2, who crept from the shadows to seize the spotlight from mainstream HipHop in the 90s, is the perfect match for Acey. Having worked together on Aceyalone's last album, Love and Hate the chemistry was undeniable and a full album together was only a matter of time. "To me, Acey and his crew were like the west coast Organized Konfusion in the mid 90's," notes RJ. "I always had a ton of respect for him, and of course, those are the kind of people you want to work with."

Magnificent City is the meeting of two of HipHop's most influential figures. Like Batman and Robin or Starsky and Hutch, this is more than just a collaboration. An L.A. rapper and a Philly producer, pushing the boundaries of HipHop. Ambitious like a concept album yet without any of the elitism, Magnificent City is a complex record, which unwinds a variety of moods over its 14 tracks.

From the west-coast funk-infused opening track "All For You" through the cinematic close of "A Beautiful Mine", the album is truly a journey through a complex myriad of soundscapes, beats and melodies coupled with intelligent vocal spits, thought-provoking and poetic metaphors - indeed like a complex and intricate futuristic city. The lead single "Fire" is a straight party cut and has both AC and RJ in top-form combining catchy rhymes with big production. Tracks like "Supahero" also keep the album on the up-tempo vibe and provide the perfect backdrop for Ace One to kick his smoothe-out lyrics to all his female fans.

Says RJ: "When any rapper works with one producer, there is so much that can happen that is almost impossible with multiple people doing your production work. Working on the whole album gave me the chance to stretch out, and put a little more variety into the record." Not satisfied with just being the mystery man behind the boards, RJ steps out further with vocal contributions on "Here & Now". "Creating Magnificent City was one of my best experiences to date", says Aceyalone. "RJ captures musically what I attempt to create lyrically."