AphroChic Magazine: Issue No. 12

SOUNDS
It Ain’t All Love: Ace Clark’s Tertiary Release Is
a Vision of Hip Hop All Grown Up
Once upon a time, Hip-Hop was a many layered thing. It had its
gangstas and its Ruff Ryders, conscious Afrikans and poets, choppers
and crooners, its Bad Boys and its empowered women. From sampled
R&B beats to jazz quartets, the wide world and deep history of Black
music could be heard behind nearly every verse. There seemed to be
room for every style and every story, and love stories were no exception.
But eras pass, and for a time it seemed like R&B powered reflections on
the soft sides and hard truths of relationships were part of the genre’s
past. Then came Ace Clark.
It Ain’t All Love, Clark’s 2022 release is an 8-track
exploration of the ups and downs of real relationships.
Missing the prideful facades and misogynist undertones
that are typically cited as characteristic of Hip-Hop and
Black men alike, Clark spends each track examining experiences
as if they were diamonds, holding each side
up to the light, hoping to see it a little more clearly. The
perspective isn’t perfect, and that, in part, is the point.
Mistakes, miscommunications, hurt feelings and bittersweet
memories all make appearances, with the artist’s
narrative voice landing on both the right and wrong side
of issues as the album moves from track to track.
Words by Bryan Mason
Images furnished by Ace Clark
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