Born September 19 in Dallas, TX, the oldest of four, Marquise Jenkins, now better known as Ace Virtuoso, knew he would grow up to be a professional athlete, but soon discovered that his love for entertainment would suppress all other urges. He began performing at school talent shows, dancing, and rapping, and by the age of 16 was getting his buzz. He was connected strongly to a group out of East Texas by the name of P.V.P. (Pleasant Ville Players). One of the leaders of the group, D Money had Ace debut on his album “Money Makes The World Go Round”. In 2015, Ace dropped “Hit Repeat” which would become the lead single on his 2016 album, entitled “Unprecedented”. A year later Ace was performing in shows across America, and his performance at the 93rd Annual Burning of Will Shuster’s Zozobra topped them all, which drew in a crowd of over 60,000 attendees.
October of 2018 saw Ace Virtuoso drop his latest EP entitled “A.V”, which is also the first of a trilogy which is set to complete itself in 2019, according to the artist. Ace came out hard for this release and really grabbed my attention. His lyrics and wordplay are good, and he has his own unique style that he pulls off very well.
I did not expect it to be near as good as it is. There is no weak song of the 7 on here. Something about his ruthless and raw delivery, combined with strong and clever lyrics showed me that Ace Virtuoso is true star material.
I’d take Ace over some of his so-called peers any day. Like I already said, his flow and aggressive delivery, and his thought provoking lyrics remind me very much of the early 90’s, if you disregard the cinematic soundscapes which bring him right into the modern world.
He is an awesome lyricist, with a lot to say, yet he maintains some strong mainstream appeal. Ace shows his great story-telling abilities and his Henny-stained voice, right from the space-age opening track, “Leave Earth” ft. Spiffy Davis.
By the time the wildfire flow of “Irun”, and then the melodic bedroom banger, “Down For Whatever” hits the turntable, you know that Ace is not afraid to speak about everything on his mind. He shares his feelings, thoughts and deepest emotions with us, and his charisma is undeniable. Combined with his supreme lyricism, you know that Ace Virtuoso will be a force in the rap game for many years. Ace has lots of moods to watch evolve as he raps on this EP.
He goes from emotional, to angry and euphoric, over the span of a few tracks. He can rap in a disturbing hardcore style but is also capable of making a deep, intelligent and melodic song too. On “Breeze” he leans back and lowdown, as he draws out his vowels to match the rhythm.
He instantly switches his flow up on “Throw It” ft. Roe Tarantino, where his bellowing delivery is consistently solid. Ace’s style grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go. “Lingo” will rock your speakers while you soak up the vivid imagery of Ace’s storytelling.
If you need to rattle the trunk. Look no further than the head nodding hypnotics of “Fuck3d Up” ft. Roe Tarantino and Spiffy Davis. The beat is insane and the flows are as unique as the beat.
On this EP, Ace Virtuoso finds the perfect balance between hard banging and flowing tracks, together with sounds that are just accessible enough to give him some mainstream light without compromising his intrinsic sound. No doubt, Ace will catch you off guard with this recording, as he runs alongside some of the best releases of the year with “A.V”.
Upcoming Shows/Events:
11/16 – Live @51West – Tempe AZ
11/18 – 3rd Annual Ace an Friends Dinner @ The Barrett Foundation – Albuquerque NM
11/19 – Turkey Give-Away – Texas & New Mexico
11/25 – Live @TheOtherSide – Denver CO
12/10 – Live @Music District Theatre – Las Vegas NV
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