*bumps jeep ass nigguh in honor of the mastas retirement*

[smartass]

anyone else hear that ace is calling it quits after a long hot summer? it will be sad to see him go. one of the most consistent and underrated rappers of all time. he should get the rights to the album he did for big beat, or start realeasing lost tapes, cause i know he had alot of material from after he was locked down.

[DJ_Jay_Deee]

Word. H eis fucking consistent, so many years in the game but still continued to release dope tracks. Not many old school cats can do that.

[CHEF_RAEKWON]

he is not retiring...

[smartass]

he is not retiring...

As Hip-Hop retirements increasingly appear to be promotion or an alternative to falling off, Masta Ace, a 16-year veteran, has revealed that he will hang up his microphone after the release of his album, Long Hot Summer.

The new album, Ace's fifth, will be released on August 3 and will mark the end of an illustrious and a remarkably consistent career.

Unlike other veterans, Ace said he wasn't forced into retirement either by an apathetic fanbase of lack of lust for the rap game.

"Before I even finished recording this record, I kinda had it in my mind, that this'd be the last one for me," Ace told AllHipHop.com. "It had nothing to do with [sales], it's just time for me to apply myself behind the scenes and we have this new label, M3. I want to get it off the ground, and I can't really do that if I'm running around touring and recording and being an artist doing interviews. Now it gets to the point where I can get behind the scenes are really get this engine going."

In the past five years, Ace has helped cultivate artists like Jean Grae, Punch & Words, and ToneDeff in ways only an elder statesman could.

Furthermore, in the 90's, his crew Masta Ace Inc. included popular rappers like Lord Digga, Paula Perry and even featured a young rapper named Stimuli.

In the 80's, Ace was a member of Marly Marl's Juice crew, a group of elite rappers that included Kool G Rap, Biz Markie, Craig G., Big Daddy Kane, Roxanne Shante and others.

He said after many years in the forefront, he would let others attract the fans while he managed his fledgling company.

"My goal is to be the guy behind the scenes on some big records that come out in the future. I look at MTV and see this kid Eamon, and I see Milk D [of Audio 2], as the guy behind it. The only difference [with that is], I'm not gonna be in the video, I'm not gonna be on stage," Ace said.

Long Hot Summer will be the first release on Masta Ace's M3 label. The album features Jean Grae, Beatnuts, and Ed O.G. combined with production from 9th Wonder, DJ Spinna, and others.

While rappers like Jay-Z and Master P have left and returned, Ace said that wouldn't be the case with him. He said the curtain was closing fast.

He affirmed, "Once I'm done, I'm done."

*chalks up another one*

edit-it just dawned on me. g rap is the only mc left in the game to never fall off, now that ace is retiring.

[Ras Kass' Toothpick]

edit-it just dawned on me. g rap is the only mc left in the game to never fall off, now that ace is retiring.

Do you mean the only rapper from the '80s that released an album recently?  Cause C.L. Smooth and Rakim have never fell off.

[Leggy Hendrix]

its a shame but at the same time A Long Hot Summer is definitely a good way to go...

[CHEF_RAEKWON]

hes not "retiring" trust me

[pappy]

hes not "retiring" trust me

\why should we trust you

[Leggy Hendrix]

hes not "retiring" trust me

\why should we trust you

thats what i was thinkin...