All Balls Don't Bounce
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| All Balls Don't Bounce | |||||
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| Studio album by Aceyalone | |||||
| Released | October 24, 1995 | ||||
| Recorded | 1994-1995 at Kitchen Sync Studios; Hollywood Sound Recorders, Hollywood, CA |
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| Genre | Hip Hop | ||||
| Length | 61:46 | ||||
| Label | Capitol Records | ||||
| Producer | The Nonce Punish Vic Hop Chillin Villin Empire Mumbles Aceyalone Fat Jack |
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| Professional reviews | |||||
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| Aceyalone chronology | |||||
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All Balls Don't Bounce is the debut solo album by Los Angeles rapper Aceyalone, released in October 1995 on Capitol Records. The album followed the break-up of Aceyalone's former group, Freestyle Fellowship, who parted ways after the release of their influential 1993 album Innercity Griots. Acey's standout performance on Innercity Griots landed him a solo deal with Capitol, but, due to the album's unspectacular sales, the rapper was dropped from the label after releasing only one album. All Balls was left out of print for a number of years, until being re-released on February 24, 2004 on Project Blowed Records. All Balls Don't Bounce Revisited featured a bonus disc with fourteen rare songs, including a number of remixes and previously unreleased tracks.
Highly acclaimed and influential over the California underground scene, the album was praised, almost solely, for its highly literate and creative lyricism. Though not commercially successful, All Balls received rave reviews from many sources. All Music Guide gave the album a perfect 5 Star rating, and writer Steve Huey stated:
- "The breakout MC from the woefully underappreciated Freestyle Fellowship, Aceyalone emerged as the godfather of the L.A. underground scene with his 1995 solo debut, All Balls Don't Bounce. A spectacular lyrical milestone, All Balls was overlooked at the time, and later slipped quietly out of print. Which is extremely unfortunate, since Aceyalone is one of the greatest lyricists the West Coast has ever produced, twisting his fluid rhymes around and off the beat with the improvisational assurance of Rakim. What's more, his subject matter goes beyond the battle rhymes that most mike virtuosos hone their technique with. He's cerebral and philosophical, yet bursting with confidence at the same time, which lends a definite sense of excitement to his literate wordplay. His lyrics aren't just long strings of ten-cent words — they're an important part of the songs' rhythmic drive, and he knows when to leave empty space in his lines to keep the groove flowing smoothly."[1]
Aceyalone's lyrical performance on All Balls established him as one of the more popular underground rappers in Los Angeles. At a time most California Hip Hop artists were focusing on pessimistic Gangsta rap, he instead focused on innovative lyricism, crafting tracks with detailed storytelling and extreme braggadocio. While the majority of the album is a solo showcase, Aceyalone recruited a close group of emcees for guest appearances, which are provided by Freestyle Fellowship members Mikah 9 and P.E.A.C.E., Change of Rhythm and Abstract Rude. Aceyalone, Mikah 9 and Abstract Rude would later form the trio Haiku D'Etat.
The album's production is provided by The Nonce, Punish, Vic Hop, Chillin Villin Empire, Mumbles and Fat Jack. The sparse beats were seemingly outshined by the lyrics. All Music Guide describes:
- "The production on All Balls Don't Bounce is solid if unspectacular, usually spare and jazzy, with lots of piano/keyboard samples and some fitting nods to the abstract side of hard bop. If it's occasionally geared to spotlight the lyrics, that's only logical."
The production work did receive some acclaim, RapReviews.com writer Steve Juon stated in his album review:
- "The production is as diverse as Acey's rap, with everyone from Punish to Vic Hop to Mumbles and Fat Jack handling the duties. While the styles range from the slow snapping poetry slam jazz of "Makeba" to the upliftingly fluid harmonies of "Keep it True" featuring Abstract Rude & Change of Rhythm, each beat feels perfectly chosen for the impact of Acey's verbals to be amplified beyond the limits that had previously been conceived for hip-hop."[2]
The album produced two singles, "Mic Check" and "The Greatest Show on Earth". Both singles were commercially unsuccessful, failing to reach any Billboard singles chart. Music videos were shot for the tracks "Mic Check", "Knownots" and "I Think", which were all included as enhanced features on All Balls Don't Bounce Revisited.
Contents |
[edit] Track listing
| # | Title | Producer(s) | Performer (s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "All Balls" | The Nonce | Aceyalone |
| 2 | "Anywhere You Go" | Punish | Aceyalone |
| 3 | "Deep and Wide" | Vic Hop | Aceyalone, Abstract Rude |
| 4 | "Mr. Outsider" | The Nonce | Aceyalone |
| 5 | "Annalillia?" | The Nonce | Aceyalone |
| 6 | "Knownots" | Vic Hop | Aceyalone, Abstract Rude, Mikah 9 |
| 7 | "Arhythamaticulas" | Chillin Villin Empire | Aceyalone |
| 8 | "The Greatest Show on Earth" | Mumbles | Aceyalone |
| 9 | "Mic Check" | Vic Hop | Aceyalone |
| 10 | "Call it Cali" | Punish | *Instrumental* |
| 11 | "Headaches and Woes" | Punish | Aceyalone |
| 12 | "I Think" | Aceyalone | Aceyalone |
| 13 | "Makeba" | Mumbles | Aceyalone |
| 14 | "B-Boy Kingdom" | Fat Jack | Aceyalone, Abstract Rude, Mikah 9, P.E.A.C.E. |
| 15 | "Keep it True" | Fat Jack | Aceyalone, Abstract Rude, Change of Rhythm |
[edit] Bonus disc
| # | Title | Producer(s) | Performer (s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "All Balls Intro" | The Nonce | Aceyalone |
| 2 | "Universal Soldier" | Riddlore, Fish, C.V.E. | Aceyalone |
| 3 | "Headaches and Woes Intro" | Aceyalone | *Interlude* |
| 4 | "Headaches and Woes (Remix)" | Fat Jack | Aceyalone |
| 5 | "The Greatest Show on Earth (Remix)" | Fat Jack | Aceyalone |
| 6 | "The Greatest Show on Earth (Remix)" | Bar 9 | Aceyalone |
| 7 | "Mic Check (Remix)" | Kemo | Aceyalone |
| 8 | "Show Your Right" | Fat Jack | Aceyalone |
| 9 | "The Nobodys" | Fat Jack | Aceyalone |
| 10 | "They Don't Know" | Underground Railroad | Aceyalone |
| 11 | "Feet Up on the Table" | DJ Homicide | Aceyalone, Riddlore, Vic Hop, Ellay Khule, NGA Fish, Mark the Murderah, Abstract Rude |
| 12 | "TweakendZ" | Vic Hop, Aceyalone | Aceyalone |
| 13 | "I Dream" | O-Roc, Aceyalone | Aceyalone |
| 14 | "Believe in Your Self" | Fat Jack | Aceyalone |
[edit] Album singles
| Single information |
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| "Mic Check" |
"The Greatest Show on Earth"
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[edit] References
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