"I feel like once you get to know me or know of me, you might as well Get Used To Me because I’m not going anywhere. Just expect to hear good music and get to know me."

Philadelphia is a city deep rooted in rich Hip-Hop talent. From The Roots, Beanie Sigel, Eve, Cassidy, to Freeway, and of course The Fresh Prince, Will Smith, Philly is one of those cities that have always had a talented artist making moves in the music industry.

Enter Ace Jonez, a young ambitious emcee with the gift of gab and drive to become a star. Raised in the streets of Philadelphia, Ace Jonez has worked with well known artists like Hell Rell, Cannibus, Ray J, Lil Kim, and Jadakiss. With several mixtapes under his belt, Ace Jonez is currently working on his debut street album Get Used To Me, due later this fall.

Yo! Raps had the chance to speak with Ace about his upcoming album, growing up in Philly, and his musical influences.

Get Used To Me is the name of your upcoming street album. Give a little backstory on the title and what fans can expect from the upcoming release?

I mean the title is pretty much self-explanatory. I feel like once you get to know me or know of me, you might as well Get Used To Me because I’m not going anywhere. Just expect to hear good music and get to know me, once you’ve listened to it you’ll feel like you’ve known me for years!

Any special guest appearances for the album?

It’s a few big names we reached out to, but I don’t want to break the news until everything is finalized. For right now, I have my artist Jewelz Jonson and S.U.S appearing on it, and my man S.H.A.H Cypha. But you can definitely expect some major collaborations.

You have a good variety of feel good party/club as well as stellar street records. In your opinion, which style do you prefer to make more?

Believe it or not, I don’t really have a preference. I’m just happy with the response I get with whatever record it is. If I can make you dance or put you in a good mood from hearing one of my club records, cool. Or if you say you can relate to some of the things I talk about in my street records, that’s cool too! As long as the listener can vibe to it we good.

How important do you think variety is in Hip-Hop? I mean in this era, mainstream radio really only pushes one type of sound when back in the 90's you would've had a rich variety of party, gangsta, conscious, and political music. Where do you feel variety comes into play for artists in hip hop?

I mean, I think you still got your variety of music, not as much as we used to have, but it’s still there. Like you got your Beamer, Benz, or Bentley [Lloyd Banks], then you got tracks like O Let’s Do It [Wacka Flocka Flame], they not even on the same level, but they are probably two of the biggest requested records today. Mainstream radio has definitely taken over, and turned the art into a business

In your bio I read that The Notorious B.I.G.'s debut album Ready To Die was the first album you ever bought and thought you sat and studied the album's content and sound. How important was that album to your style today?

It was very important! I think it definitely helped me become the artist I am today. If you listen to Biggie’s lyrics you can hear the honesty in every bar, and his words were so vivid you can picture what he’s saying. So I made it a point to be truthful in my lyrics. I don’t have a Bentley, so you’ll never hear me say I’m in one. The aggressive material I write is from personal experience, so that album taught me to be truthful.

What was your favorite song from Ready To Die?

Honestly? I don’t think I can pick just one. A lot of the things he talked about on that album I can relate to, I’ve witnessed first hand, or somebody close to me had to witness it. So that album was like the soundtrack to my growing up. But if I really had to pick one, it would probably be Things Done Changed.

Besides The Notorious B.I.G, who were some of your major musical influences growing up and why?

I followed LL Cool J, and a little bit of Big L. They both had their own style with a story to tell. LL wasn’t scared to be different when he crossed over with I Need Love after his label told him not to, and it wound up being one of his biggest records. Big L was real witty, had clever word play, and his voice demanded your attention. There’s more but those are the two that stood out to me the most.

Growing up in Philadelphia had to be tough. Also coming up in Philly with such Hip-Hop talent signed and unsigned had to be tough but good for competitive spirit. What was it like pursing a career in hip hop with so much competition around you?

Like you said… it’s competitive, so you have to do things that make you stand out from the other artist. Like most of the newer artist did the whole battle thing, that’s cool, but that’s not my scene. So from them doing the battles and DVDs that help create their buzz throughout the city and on the Internet. I don’t do either or, so for me it was harder because I had to do it with just my music from the ground up with no DVD or battle buzz. But as you can see I’m used to challenges and I’m doing alright.

Speaking on the rich Hip-Hop culture in Philadelphia, what other regions (Detroit, NY, Chicago, Atlanta, LA) could you compare to the essence in Philadelphia?

I would say New York is pretty close. Philly is known for battle rap and aggressive lyricism, and New York is on the same page, just not as aggressive. So I would say you can compare the two in that category.

Do you have a favorite artist from Philly?

No, I don’t have a favorite, but I do respect all the artist that’s doing their thing! Everybody’s style is different, but we all come from the same background so and I can relate to all of them.

You've already rocked crowds with artists like Jadakiss and Lil Kim but today if you could choose any artist to work with who would it be and why?

I would have to say Jay-Z. Like he puts on a show for real! With the live band and the way he interacts with the crowd, I would love to perform in that type of atmosphere. You know once you open for Jay, it’s going to be about 20-30,000 in the crowd, and that means you’ve either made it or you doing something right! So I wouldn’t mind being an opener for Jay-Z.

I have to ask you about the current generation of Hip-Hop artists. Drake, J. Cole, Skyzoo, Big Sean, Fashawn and more seem to be slowly bringing the essence of the lyrical golden era of Hip-Hop back. Do you think that there is currently an artist out there signed or unsigned capable of taking Hip-Hop to the next level?

The music industry is constantly evolving, so everyday there is something new. Like some of the newer artists you’ve mentioned don’t really rap from a harsh perspective, so they’re making it cool to be lyrical and rap about positive things. I couldn’t talk about some of the things Drake talks about and he can’t talk about some of the things I talk about. You had your East Coast era, your West Coast era, your Crunk era, now you got your dancing, and next you’ll have your mainstream lyricist. As long as Hip-Hop is alive, we’ll always have that next big thing!

How has the response been for your current single Drinks On Me? We heard that the song was nominated at the prestigious 2010 Underground Music Awards…

It’s been great! I’ve been getting a lot of positive feedback from all over. I just got word that it’s being played in the UK and in Germany. And to be honest, this isn’t the record that I wanted to push, but my team felt it was the perfect choice and I guess they were right. As far as the nomination goes I’m excited, but whether I win or lose I’m just glad my talent was recognized.

Out of all the songs you've ever recorded, do you have an all-time favorite?

Nah, I don’t have a favorite. I think it’s impossible for me to pick one, because I try make my next record better than the last one. That’s why most times when I do a new track I might listen to it once or twice and that’s it. Because I know the next one is going to be way hotter!

I usually ask every artist this question because I get a different response every time but in your own words, define "Underground" and "Mainstream". For example, is a guy like Ice Cube who has a rich history in hip hop considered "Underground" now because he is signed to an independent label even though he has had "Mainstream" success on a major label?

I still consider Ice Cube to be mainstream, even though he’s independent now he still has the mainstream outlet. I think an underground artist is pretty much striving to get their music where it needs to be. We do whatever we can to get our music to the hands and ears of the right people, as to where mainstream artist has a hell of a machine behind them. In Ice Cube’s case if he independently sold 400,000 records, but still has his mainstream fan base he going make a nice come up.

Alright Ace, this has been a pleasure for me. Thanks for taking time out for Yo! Raps today. How can the people contact and stay up to date with you?

Of course you can follow me on Twitter @AceJonez, facebook.com/bagattijonez, myspace.com/acejonezonline, and my website www.Block2DaBooth.com is where you can get all the latest music and show/tour dates.

- By Eric Merriweather

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