Ulpiano Sergio Reyes (born April 12, 1967), better known as Mellow Man Ace, is a

Cuban-American Cuban Americans ( es, cubanoestadounidenses or ''cubanoamericanos'') are Americans who trace their cultural heritage to Cuba regardless of phenotype or ethnic origin. The word may refer to someone born in the United States of Cuban descent or t ...

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

known for

bilingual Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers in the world's population. More than half of all Eu ...

delivery and

novelty Novelty (derived from Latin word ''novus'' for "new") is the quality of being new, or following from that, of being striking, original or unusual. Novelty may be the shared experience of a new cultural phenomenon or the subjective perception of an ...

rhymes. He was born in Cuba and moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

with his family at the age of four.

Early life and career

An Afro-Cuban rapper born in Cuba, Mellow Man Ace focused on lovers rap with a blend of urban hip hop and occasional bilingual delivery, and a heady gift for novelty rhymes. Born Ulpiano Sergio Reyes in 1967, he left Cuba with his family at the age of four and resettled in Los Angeles. His family moved to South Gate,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

at a very young age. His debut album '' Escape from Havana'' was released on

Capitol A capitol, named after the Capitoline Hill in Rome, is usually a legislative building where a legislature meets and makes laws for its respective political entity. Specific capitols include: * United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. * Numerou ...

on August 29, 1989, and featured production from the Dust Brothers and Def Jef. The single "

Mentirosa "Mentirosa" (lit. "''liar''" (female)) is a single by Mellow Man Ace from his debut album, ''Escape from Havana''. It was one of the first songs produced by Tony G, with scratches provided by Tony's fellow DJ at Los Angeles' KDAY radio station, Jul ...

" was released on March 9, 1990. It was his only hit single, peaking at Number 14 on ''Billboard'''s Hot 100 Chart, with Ace rapping over a crafty hook from the Santana songs " No One to Depend On" and " Evil Ways." His use of these songs got him into some legal trouble, as he had not obtained permission to sample Santana's songs, nor were any royalty fees paid to Santana before recording and releasing the track. Ace recorded one additional album, ''The Brother with Two Tongues'', before virtually retiring from the music scene, but 2000 saw the release of the album ''From the Darkness into the Light''. Next came the album '' Vengo a Cobrar''. It was released on June 8, 2004 on Dimelo Records. In 2006, he collaborated with his brother

Sen Dog Senen Reyes (born November 22, 1965), also known by his stage name Sen Dog, is a Cuban-American rapper and musician who is best known as a member of the rap group Cypress Hill and as the lead vocalist for the heavy metal band Powerflo. He has ...

of hip-hop group

Cypress Hill Cypress Hill is an American hip hop group from South Gate, California. They have sold over 20 million albums worldwide and have multi-platinum and platinum albums. They are considered to be among the main progenitors of West Coast and 1990 ...

, culminating in the album release '' Ghetto Therapy''. 2010 saw the release of the album ''Restoring Order''. In 2018, he released the single, "South Gate." He was the first Latino artist to have a hit bilingual single, and has been called "The Godfather of Latin Rap." He was also a founding member of the hip hop group

and member of the Latin Alliance project. Ace has a son named Cazal Organism who produces most of his more recent music, along with one daughter by the name of Havana Reyes.

Discography

;Studio albums *'' Escape from Havana'' (1989) *''

The Brother with Two Tongues ''The Brother With Two Tongues'' is a studio album by the American rapper Mellow Man Ace. It was released in 1992 via Capitol Records. The thirteen-track record featured guest appearances from Sen Dog Senen Reyes (born November 22, 1965), als ...

'' (1992) *''

From the Darkness into the Light ''From The Darkness Into The Light'' is the third studio album by American rapper Mellow Man Ace. It was released on July 18, 2000, via X-Ray Records. The twelve-track record featured guest appearances by Cypress Hill and Profound. Overview Mell ...

'' (2000) *'' Vengo a Cobrar'' (2004) *''Restoring Order'' (2010) ;Collaboration albums *'' Latin Alliance'' with Latin Alliance (1991) *'' Ghetto Therapy'' with Reyes Bros (2006) *''La Familia Vol. 1'' with Various Artists (2008) ;Charting singles

Filmography

* '' Only the Strong'' (1993) — Student rapper * ''Heroes of Latin Hip Hop'' (2002)

References

External links

Mellow Man Ace Interview on Dubcnn
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mellow Man Ace 1967 births Living people People from South Gate, California American people of Cuban descent Rappers from California Capitol Records artists Five percenters Hispanic and Latino American rappers Cypress Hill members 21st-century American rappers

Early life and career

Discography

Filmography

See also

References

External links