Ace Hood's Ruthless: A Review

After making XXL's Freshmen of 09 - a list of ten emcees the magazine considers the most promising rookies in rap, and a high profile co-sign from Terror Squad member turned Def Jam South President, DJ Khaled, the 21 year old Floridian Ace Hood has a lot to prove. Intent on becoming the Sunshine State's next big star, behind Rick Ross, Flo Rida, Pitbull, Trina and Trick Daddy, the youngster dropped his debut Gutta less than eight months ago. It sold poorly and met with mixed reviews. But taking a cue from the industry's most successful artists, Ace Hood is back, seemingly unfazed, with his sophomore album Ruthless, which much like its predecessor Gutta, Ruthless enjoys grade-A production from popular beat smiths such as The Runners and The Dream, as well as A-list guest stars, such as Akon, T-Pain, Rick Ross, Ludacris and Birdman, among others.

He is less "ruthless" than eager, even overeager, for acceptance, acclaim, and fame. That is not a bad thing, especially if you consider his youth. Indeed, his zeal and energizing gruff flow sometimes bolsters his songs when his lyrics fail, such as when he is simply outclassed by a cameo king like Ludacris (who demolishes Born an OG with an intense triple-time flow), or when he gets mired in cliché. Indeed, much of the album is clichéd: songs like Champion featuring both Akon and T-Pain, the Rick Ross featuring Get Money, as well as Loco Wit the Cake, and Champion, while catchy, typify most new hip-hop records these days. But Ace Hood's vocals, which sound vaguely like a non-nasal, irritable Lil Wayne, do leave an impression: Champion is an Ace Hood song featuring Akon and T-Pain, not the other way around.

Ruthless is not as well constructed an album as, say, Maino's If Tomorrow Comes(see review) or Bobby Ray's B.O.B vs. Bobby Ray mixtape (see review); in fact, it is more mixtape than album. But then, with relatively uninspired subject matter, it is unlikely that track sequencing, skit inclusion, or even the addition of notable mixtape tracks or recent collaborations, would make much of a difference. It is shorter than its predecessor is which is good because the rather redundant subject matter means less is indeed more.

It is not a poor album, by any stretch of the imagination; on the contrary, it is a solid listen. It simply lacks imagination. If Ace Hood's third album is less of a regional effort and displays broader artistic ambitions, then he has a real shot at becoming Florida's next national hip-hop star.

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