2.28.2024
Video: Masta Ace & Marco Polo – “P.P.E.“
The Rapper-Producer Duo Take a Microscope to Economic and Social Issues on the Latest Video From Richmond Hill, the Duo’s Second Collaborative Album
Featuring Guest Spots From Inspectah Deck, Blu, Coast Contra, Che Noir, and More, Richmond Hill is Out Now via Fat Beats
Critical Praise:
“Rap legend Masta Ace is well over 30 years in the hip-hop game, but he’s still finding new wells of inspiration to tap into. The latest is the production of Canadian hip-hop beat maker Marco Polo” – UPROXX
The Video:
Masta Ace and Marco Polo are working class heroes, making their living off beats and rhymes, but never removing themselves from the neighborhoods they call home. Closely examining the issues tearing their community apart, Ace & Polo share “P.P.E.,” the latest music video from their Richmond Hill album. Blessed by Marco Polo’s nursery rhyme pianos and rattling snares, the instrumental for “P.P.E.” gets a thematic heft from its sampled chant: “Junkies, pushers, everywhere/Poor people everywhere.” Wielding his incisive pen, Masta Ace aims to diagnose our sick society, lamenting the hard world that chews up and spits out those who don’t have the means to protect themselves, and oppresses those who try to stand up for what’s right: “I wanna live in some place that’s not a disgrace/They gave chase and that man got shot in the face/Bow/Why can’t we live like them over there?/Poor guys try to rise, they give us the chair.”
Directed by Ezru Gonzalez and shot by cinematographer @Aridaios, the video for “P.P.E.” follows Ace and Marco as they explore the less-tourist friendly neighborhoods of their home borough of Brooklyn. They take note of the residents (human and feline) who are just trying to survive, even returning to the famous stoop from the cover of Ace’s classic 2004 album A Long Hot Summer. “P.P.E.” follows the similarly high-concept video for “Jordan Theory,” another Richmond Hill highlight, and the lead single “Life Music” ft. Speech (of Arrested Development), Stricklin, and E Smitty, which dropped late in 2023.
Released on digital platforms and on vinyl in January, Richmond Hill is the second full-length collaboration between producer Marco Polo and rapper Masta Ace. Following up their acclaimed 2018 album A Bruekelen Story, the 18-track (including skits) Richmond Hill is a cinematic journey that about how hip-hop can change a life, exploring how the past echoes through the present. Welcoming guest appearances from notable names from all eras of rap history, including Inspectah Deck, Coast Contra, Blu, Che Noir, Speech of Arrested Development, Masta Ace’s longtime collaborators Stricklin and Wordsworth, and many more, Richmond Hill is available to stream on all digital platforms and to purchase on vinyl via Fat Beats.
Watch “P.P.E.”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRd-3PU_zt8
Buy Richmond Hill on vinyl: https://www.fatbeats.com/products/masta-ace-marco-polo-richmond-hill
Stream Richmond Hill: https://fatbeats.lnk.to/richmond-hill
Richmond Hill tracklist:
- December 26th (skit)
- Brooklyn Heights
- Certified ft. Coast Contra
- Cartunes (skit)
- Hero ft. Inspectah Deck
- Life Music ft. Stricklin, E Smitty & Speech (Arrested Development)
- Below The Clouds ft. Blu
- St. Roberts (skit)
- Heat Of The Moment ft. Pav Bundy
- Jordan Theory
- Money Problems ft. Che Noir
- Scarborough (skit)
- P.P.E.
- Outside In ft. C-Red & E Smitty
- Connections
- Plant Based
- December 25th (skit)
- All I Want ft. Wordsworth
Please contact Michelle or Kevin for more info.
The Background:
Richmond Hill is the second collaborative album by the unlikely compadres of Marco Polo and Masta Ace, who each cut unique paths through the music industry to wind up where they are today. First emerging as a member of the legendary Juice Crew, Masta Ace is one of rap’s most gifted lyricists, releasing acclaimed albums in multiple decades, including 1995’s Sittin On Chrome, 2001’s Disposable Arts, and 2004’s A Long Hot Summer. The Brownsville, Brooklyn native has collaborated with everyone in the game, from MF DOOM to Eminem to Wu-Tang Clan, and dozens more across the globe. Ace has kept active for decades, performing a Tiny Desk Concert for NPR in 2018 and writing a hip-hop musical, currently in the read-through stage and aiming for a debut performance in Early 2024.
Since moving to Brooklyn from Toronto in the early 2000s, Marco Polo has established himself as one of the most sought-after producers in the New York underground scene. He has produced for some of the most legendary names in hip-hop, including Scarface, Rakim, Pharaohe Monch, Talib Kweli, Kool G Rap, and many more. He released his debut LP Port Authority in 2007, earning his first of two Juno Award nominations. Marco’s production is a fixture of film and television–most notably, he composed the theme music for the Brooklyn Nets, played during each of their local broadcasts.
Photo credit: @mrwattson
Links:
Masta Ace & Marco Polo: spotify | tiktok
Masta Ace: linktree | instagram | spotify | apple
Marco Polo: linktree | instagram | spotify | apple
“P.P.E.”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRd-3PU_zt8
“Jordan Theory”: https://youtu.be/ygVz6Gft8ys
Richmond Hill: https://fatbeats.lnk.to/richmond-hill
“Life Music” ft. Speech, Stricklin & E. Smitty: https://soulspazm.ffm.to/life-music
Buy tickets for the “Richmond Hill Tour”: http://mastaace.com/events