12.23.2019

Video: Yungeen Ace – “Trials & Tribulations”

The Cinematic Music Group Signee Explores the Circle of Life in the Ambitious Follow-Up to His “Blame It On The Streets” Video

Critical Praise:

“Already, he feels incapable of mediocrity and when the fire flashes – we freeze.” – Passion of the Weiss

“As a young rapper from the talent hotbed that is Florida, Yungeen Ace has found a way to stick out, slowly building a name for himself through his work.” – XXL

“The pain in Ace’s voice is palpable but is paired with some surprising positivity in the lyrics throughout.” – Elevator Mag

“Yungeen Ace borrows melodies from fellow Floridian Kodak Black, meshing his sound with that of NBA YoungBoy’s to tackle a vibe of his own.” – HotNewHipHop

The Video:

Yungeen Ace uses his supernatural sense of melody to make powerfully affecting trap music. Exploring the intersection of tragedy and triumph, Ace shares “Trials & Tribulations,” a new music video. His first new track since the release of his Step Harder mixtape, “Trials & Tribulations” is a nakedly emotional trap ballad that takes stock of the highs and lows of Ace’s life, from his rise to fame to his loss of his close friends: “I done made a million dollars doin’ different things/Therefore, don’t compare me cause I am not the same/People only come around for all the money and the fame/They all say I’m actin’ different they the ones who changed.”

Building on the themes of Ace’s “Blame It On The Streets” video, which dramatized the struggle of families dealing with the criminal justice system, the video for “Trials & Tribulations” is a visceral look at the life-and-death ramifications of street culture. Most of the action takes place in a hospital, where one man is fighting for his life after suffering gunshot wounds, and a woman is struggling through childbirth–as one life is lost, another enters the world to begin the cycle anew. Directed by Terrius Mykel, “Trials & Tribulations” is a product of Ace’s beyond-his-years wisdom, borne from enduring painful loss at the hands of the streets, and exhibits a glimmer of hope for future generations: if Ace can escape his terrible circumstances, so can others.

With a soaring drawl that can find the melodic heart of any instrumental, Ace unites all aspects of his persona on Step Harder, reconciling the troubled teenager of “Freestyle“ (6.2 million YouTube views) with the ice-cold soldier evident in songs like “Top Killa,“ and the devoted partner he plays in romantic ballads like “I’m In Love.” Released in November, the full-length boasts the buzzing single “Bad Bitch” (Remix), which features an appearance from Blac Youngsta, the video single “Bando,” which earned a cover feature and top placement on YouTube’s Clout Rising playlist, “Brand New,” with Stunna4Vegas and the emotional title track, which earned over 8 million views on its action-packed music video.

The 21-year-old rapper offered a behind-the-scenes look at his turbulent life and career in the Through The Pain documentary, directed by Adam Ben of Cinematic TV. Featuring additional appearances from Lil Durk, Boosie, Dej Loaf, and NoCap, Step Harder is available to purchase and stream on all platforms via Cinematic Music Group.

Watch “Trials & Tribulations”: https://youtu.be/bUPlIVYsH6Q

Buy/Stream Step Harder: http://yungeenace.ffm.to/stepharder

Step Harder tracklist:
1. Melvin Baby
2. Step Harder
3. Freestyle
4. Bad Bitch (feat. Blac Youngsta) [Remix] 5. Aggravated (feat. Lil Durk)
6. Bando
7. In Love (feat. Dej Loaf)
8. Come Get Me
9. Up with Who (feat. Boosie Badazz)
10. Blame It on the Streets
11. Like a Soldier
12. Use Me
13. Brand New (feat. Stunna 4 Vegas)
14. Make Me Feel
15. Top Killa
16. Streets Diary (feat. NoCap)

Please contact Michelle or Erin for more info.

The Background:

Yungeen Ace has built his massive following by standing alone. At 21, the artist born Keyanta Bullard describes his city of Jacksonville as “a jungle.” Originally a Chicagoan, he moved to Duval County, Florida as a child with no friends. Despite 11 brothers, Ace learned fast that if he wanted to survive, he could only rely on himself. “It’s hard out here. Everything we do, we gotta fight for it. We’ve got to go above and beyond just to make it. The surroundings are crazy. It’s a creep city. Nobody is for you out here, so you have to be really for yourself.” In 2019, the Cinematic Music Group signee shared Step Harder, his latest project, which featured appearances from Lil Durk, Boosie, and more.

About Cinematic Music Group

Cinematic Music Group (CMG) is a multidisciplinary record label, management and creative studio founded in Brooklyn, NY in 2007 by CEO Jonnyshipes. Originally founded as a hip-hop-focused indie label, CMG quickly grew into a multidimensional media company, working with artists of all genres and creating world-class video content.

Armed with a passion for artist development, Jonnyshipes aspired to create an environment that would give his artists total creative control to express their artistic visions. CMG’s artist-first reputation proved instrumental in recruiting early signees like Sean Kingston, Nipsey Hussle, Big K.R.I.T., and Joey Bada$$. Since then, Shipes has discovered and launched the careers of artists such as Flipp Dinero, Luh Kel, Yungeen Ace, Xanman, JayDaYoungan, among others, and Cinematic became the home for veteran artists like T-Pain and Cam’ron.

As Cinematic heads towards its 13th anniversary, it continues to be one of the industry’s premier independent labels, praised for its unwavering dedication to its artists, the team’s work ethic, craftsmanship, and talent, and its singular devotion to creating superior sounds.