Aceyalone

Sat June 28

Crystal Ballroom

They may not say so, but most artists get the sell-out tickle. After hearing Aceyalone's new opus, Love and Hate, I couldn't resist asking the legendary underground hiphop pioneer if he ever got the commercial jones.

"I'm really fighting for the acceptance not to be asked that question," he said earnestly. "I try to give a little bit of everything a few people like this song, and a few like that one. Then it's balanced: love and hate."

Reflecting on inevitable changes, he noted, "You exchange fans for other fans," continuing, "Does that take away from anything you ever did? Do I not grow as a person? Do people not understand financial responsibility? For an artist with integrity, it's a trap."

Whether through Freestyle Fellowship and Project Blowed collaborations or solo, Aceyalone graces dozens of songs with his insightful lyrical gymnastics, and he's acquired hardcore fans in the process. Some of those fans aren't feeling the changes present on Love and Hate.

"A lot of the pressure is from the fans," he says, "I love them dearly, but I think a lot of them aren't truly loyal. You should be able to follow an artist, understand their mind state, dig their words, and dig into a lot of aspects of their personality."

Aceyalone says his original plan for Love and Hate was to create a double-concept album. He scrapped the idea, but the yin and yang are still present throughout the diverse record. One anti-commercial theme is "giving hiphop back to the common man." He says it's been taken away because the scene is "based on imagery, and based on possession of money. I haven't carved my image to something that's commercially viable, I've just been myself: the common man, the common MC."