Ace Clark: It Ain’t All Love
Ace Clark’s Tertiary Release Is a Vision of Hip Hop All Grown Up
Images furnished by Ace Clark. Originally published in AphroChic magazine Issue 12, Summer 2023.
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.
The album’s opener, Hold You Down, is soberly romantic, depicting love with a happy ending while detailing the path it took to get there — from a hug he hopes will never end to recognizing the danger pride can pose to love. “Sometimes I’m the problem, sometimes I’m the solution,” he admits in a later track, Sometimes, which offers a male perspective on the things that can change in a relationship from day to day — suggesting that understanding is best when it goes both ways. “Sometimes I want a lazy day...” he muses, “Wanna be courted, afforded grace when I make mistakes...” From a different perspective, in Cold Blooded, he laments, “I’ll be more careful the next time, before I chase someone that ain’t mine.” Wherever he lands in a given song, it’s hard to fault the honesty of his narrative.
Adding to the appeal of the storytelling is the music that supports and uplifts the lyrics. Elements of soul, jazz, and R&B blend and mix to create a vibe that matches the subject matter perfectly. These aren’t club joints, this is music to vibe out to, let go, and enjoy the sounds that can happen when Hip-Hop speaks to the rest of Black music.
A concept album at heart, It Ain’t All Love is far from a throwback. Rather, looking forward, it paints a picture composed almost entirely of things we don’t often see: Black men in relationships with human feelings as well as sexual agendas; the coexistence of the acknowledgment that relationships aren’t always easy with the belief that love and happiness are more than fantasies; and the conviction that hip-hop can still speak affirmingly to the real, lived experiences of our people, without caricature or IG filters, to make the simple yet radical statement that Black life is life. In a world where we’re constantly told that love isn’t possible, doesn’t work or can’t exist between Black couples, it’s a moment of much-needed representation.
Listen to Ace Clark’s new album It Ain’t All Love in AphroChic’s Coffee House Vibes Playlist