Steve 'Flash' JuonTo date one of the few times Yungeen Ace was discussed on this site was in an article about the death of Julio Foolio. Ace and Foolio were not friends. Far from it. The two Jacksonville rappers had no love for each other whatsoever and were very public about it. For better or worse though the group song “Who I Smoke” he was featured on talking about the beef helped propel his name both locally and nationally, and Ace is also infamous for surviving multiple attempts on his life dating to at least 2018. Things seem to have calmed down a bit since Foolio’s passing, and since he has a young son now (seen on the cover of “Forgotten Star“) I’m grateful for that. I wish Foolio was still here too but it is what it is. That’s not say his MUSIC has calmed down though.
“Bust that nigga shit, for the pussy nigga who tried to ho me
Niggaz know I’m with the shit, hit his bitch and killed his homie”
Ace dubs himself “worser than the devil – I’m past evil” on “Blood Splatter.” Exaggeration is a part of the game, and you’re not going to stand out from the crowd by saying “I’m an average amount of evil that you’re used to.” I can write this off as a standard amount of bragging except for the nagging fact there are already too many bodies in the ground. It’s not just Jacksonville. It’s Memphis. It’s Detroit. It’s Houston. It’s South Central. Anywhere a rapper’s star can rise it can fall just as fast when beefs on wax explode into real life violence. Yungeen Ace is not the cause of the problem nor to blame for the problem, he’s just a part of the unending cycle. On “Hardest Thing Ever” he sounds like he’s ready to break it.
“Look what you have done, broken me
I’m smilin, but deep inside, I’m empty
Fightin depression, I’m defeated
Fightin to hold on, but it ain’t easy”
The line “I think I was more happier when I wasn’t able” stuck with me. Yungeen Ace isn’t a trapper, he’s trapped, both by the lifestyle and the need to perpetuate a macho image to sell his music. Even though he knows the pitfalls that come with it all that doesn’t stop him from going back to it on “Shots Fired.” He says he’s trying to “calm down” in the intro, yet it plays out like an Instagram live stream where somebody is venting for an audience, and in that kind of echo chamber people are only going to encourage you to be MORE dramatic not less.
Every once in a while the thoughtful Ace sneaks through on songs like the Prodxazavy, Meralless & Tetraotb produced “Heart Burning.” Sure it’s borderline emo and just as pitch corrected as you’d expect, but I appreciate Ace taking the time to stop and reflect on things. At only 2:13 it’s not a long song but it’s a powerful moment out of the 38 minutes here.
“I been searchin for a while
Been tryin to go and find out who I am
I been tryin to prove them wrong
All them voices inside my head that’s sayin I can’t”
Selfishly this is the Ace I want more of on “Forgotten Star.” I’m far from expecting him to turn over a new leaf and be a conscious or political rapper, but I do like hearing from an emcee who is actually relatable as a human being. Ace has anxiety and self-doubt just like the rest of us, and as a father to a young man, he’ll do well to communicate that same honesty to his seed. If any of us can escape the cycle of negativity in this world it’s only through being truthful with ourselves and each other. Julio Foolio did not escape that cycle in Jacksonville but Yungeen Ace just might.