Featured Photo Credit: @thealiendirector
For the past six years, Lady Ace Boogie has been spitting honest rhymes. Her lyrical candor, addressing identity and loss, has inspired listeners to rally behind societal, racial and LGBTQ issues.
In her latest album, That’s All For Now, this Michigan based emcee holds nothing back. The album’s seven tracks tackle sexuality, family, and everything in between.
Although Lady Ace Boogie is taking a hiatus after That’s All For Now, the album marks the beginning of other exciting projects for this hip hop artist.
See what Lady Ace Boogie had to say about the album, her upcoming projects and more!
When did you first get interested in music?
I wrote my first song when I was 10 years old back in 1996.
You grew up in Atlanta and are now based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Has living in those two places influenced your music?
I was born in Atlanta but I moved to West Virginia when I was 4, and stayed there for about 10 years and then moved to Ohio. I’ve been a part of the Grand Rapids Music Scene since 2013. Where I’m from and where I’ve been doesn’t really have much of an influence on my music. I have been told that I do not have a specific sound related to any particular region. Living in Grand Rapids has influenced my love for performing music, though. Due in part to the opportunities I’ve been given and the support I’ve received. I’ve been able to perform on many stages in front of sold out crowds. I do believe because of those opportunities it has influenced me to write music that connects with people more.
Who did you listen to growing up and has their music influenced your sound?
Growing up I listened to a lot of heavy metal, rock and roll, and country. Very little hip hop other than the music I got to hear on the radio. My dad used to play a lot of Motown as well. He had an 8 track tape player. I believe because I grew up listening to multiple genres, my music doesn’t really sound like the typical format that you hear in hip-hop.
What has it been like to be a woman in a male dominated genre?
Challenging. Being a part of a culture that you love but doesn’t love you back is exhausting. The fact that its 2020 and people still can’t admit that so much of hip-hop culture is misogynistic and homophobic is a problem in itself. It’s rooted pretty deeply. I do believe it has shifted a tad bit but not enough to claim progress. So being a queer and woman, you see where it can be challenging.
Congratulations on your new album, That’s All For Now! What was the writing process like for this project?
The writing process for this project was uninterrupted, and unfiltered. Every project I have dropped was during a time I was working 50+ hours a week on top of my music career, performing, and events schedule. I began writing when the pandemic first hit, so all of my events were cancelled. I had more time to focus on the sound.
Your music explores individuality, authenticity, and vulnerability. Why is it important to you to have those present in your writing and performing?
People connect with my music on a soul level. I have people who message me often and even come up to me in public to tell me how my music has saved their lives. That’s because I do not hold back. I have a responsibility to make that the standard.
One of the songs on your album, “Fight for Your Life” is about your father’s battle with cancer. What was it like to write that track? Was it cathartic?
I initially wrote the song for myself. I suffer from clinical depression and it got really bad at the beginning of the year. In addition, with everything going on in the world I just felt like I didn’t want to be here anymore. I had to get to the place where I wanted to live for ME and no one else. I had to fight for my life. When my father began to lose his battle with cancer I was going through old conversations of ours that I happened to record. What you hear at the end of the song was a conversation we were having about how he felt like he was going to get through it and keep being positive. So it felt right to add it to the song. My dad was a writer and a singer too, but we never got the chance to record together. I always thought I had time… but, that time ran out. So I’m grateful that I was able to put him on my record despite that.
If you could set fans up in the perfect environment to listen to the album, what do you imagine it looking like?
Definitely an intimate and safe space filled with positive energy; where they can hear every word, every part of the beat and be open to having a candid conversation in between each song.
How do you hope people feel after listening to your music?
Inspired, motivated, and connected.
This is your last album for the foreseeable future. Why did you choose to pause pursuing a solo career after 6 years?
This will be my last full body of work for now for a few different reasons. Being an independent artist with no team is very difficult. I have had to balance a lot with my career. In the past, I created projects that cost me thousands of dollars with little to no return. So, I want to focus on increasing my fan base and developing my brand. I won’t stop recording, because I need to continue to sharpen the saw with hopes to create something that will take off. But until I increase my online presence and get to a point to where I feel my current catalog has gotten the attention and play it deserves, I will focus on other areas of the music business. In essence it boils down to being more efficient and effective.
Can you tell us a little bit about your upcoming ventures, “Lady Ace Boogie Presents,” and Real-Time Cleaning?
“Lady Ace Boogie Presents” will serve two purposes.
1. I will work with artists to help them gain opportunities to be heard on stages and other media platforms. I’ve been able to do great things for myself as an artist and want to extend those opportunities to artists with potential who take their careers seriously.
2. I curate events and have a live music series titled ‘A Dope Ass Line Up’ that serves to connect musicians from multiple genres & different parts of the city/region to create synergy and to be exposed to each other’s fan bases.
Real-Time Cleaning is a cleaning business I launched which will help to reduce the spread of germs by providing efficient and effective restroom cleaning services in real-time for venues, bars, and local restaurants.
What is one quote that you have heard or that you go by that you want to ECHO out to the world?
“You’re beautiful, you’re magic, you’re wonderful, fantastic” – Lady Ace Boogie
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