Slaughtahouse

iTunes Review

Masta Ace had the singular misfortune to sign to the legendary Cold Chillin’ label just as it was succumbing to a series of financial misfortunes. As a result he never attained the iconic status of his better-known labelmates Big Daddy Kane and Biz Markie, yet he was still able to establish himself as one of the most distinctive and incisive MC’s of his generation. Slaughtahouse is something of a concept album dedicated to criticizing the excesses of mainstream hip-hop, the cartoonishly violent personas assumed by some popular gangsta rappers, and the hypocrisies of the music industries. With his fluid cadences and visceral imagery Ace crafted odes to the greatness of his borough (“Style Wars”), reflected on the pointlessness and cyclical nature of black-on-black violence (“The Mad Wunz”) and reveled in the simple joys of his own virtuosity on the mic (“Saturday Nite Live”). Ahead of his time in every respect, Masta Ace’s deft lyricism, down-to-earth demeanor, and canny understanding of the ambiguities of everyday life make Slaughtahouse one of the finest hip-hop albums of the early ‘90s.