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Escape from Havana

From Wikipedia - Reading time: 7 min
Escape From Havana
Studio album by
Mellow Man Ace
ReleasedAugust 29, 1989 (1989-08-29)
Genre
Length54:29
LabelCapitol
Producer
Mellow Man Ace chronology
Escape From Havana
(1989) 		The Brother with Two Tongues
(1992)
Singles from Escape from Havana
  1. "Rhyme Fighter"
    Released: 1989
  2. "Mentirosa"
    Released: March 9, 1990
  3. "If You Were Mine"
    Released: 1990

Escape from Havana is the debut album by the American rapper Mellow Man Ace.[1][2] It was released on August 29, 1989, by Capitol Records. The album was produced by the Dust Brothers, Tony G, Def Jef, DJ Muggs, and Johnny Rivers. Escape from Havana peaked at number 69 on the Billboard 200 and spawned three singles: "Rhyme Fighter", "Mentirosa" and "If You Were Mine".

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
The Philadelphia Inquirer[4]
RapReviews7.5/10[5]

Escape from Havana garnered positive reviews from music critics who praised the production and lyrics for being a great mix of East Coast and Latin-flavored styles. A writer for People praised the language duality of Ace's lyrical flow, noting his Spanish delivery as being the better language, concluding with, "But it's when he drops into the loving tongue that his music becomes truly distinctive and exciting. Muy bien, Mellow Man."[6] The Philadelphia Inquirer opined that "Mellow Man languishes a tad too long on the ballads—though 'B-Boy in Love' is tolerable—and hits hardest with the Hispanic-pride 'Rap Guanco' and the B-movie homage 'Hip Hop Creature'."[4]

In a retrospective review, Alex Henderson of AllMusic praised the album's amalgam of hardcore tracks and mainstream love ballads that showcase Ace's ability as a bilingual rapper, concluding that "Ace, like a lot of rappers, spends too much time boasting about his microphone skills. Nonetheless, Escape From Havana is an individualistic, risk-taking work that's well worth hearing."[3] Matt Jost of RapReviews said that despite following late '80s hip-hop trends he praised Tony G and the Dust Brothers for their creative use of samples and Ace's lyrical delivery for crafting an album that's less exploitive of Latin culture and more inventive in its given genre, saying that "Pop or hip-hop, Mellow Man Ace was willing (and able) to cater to almost everyone except the gangsta segment. He could pen love songs, he could take a lyrical approach, he could be goofy, he could battle, and he managed to find different forms of expression depending on theme or track."[5]

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Hip Hop Creature"Dust Brothers4:01
2."Mentirosa"Tony G4:20
3."Rhyme Fighter"Tony G5:12
4."If You Were Mine"Matt Dike & Michael Ross4:41
5."River Cubano"DJ Muggs4:26
6."Rap Guanco"Tony G4:27
7."Mas Pingon"Matt Dike & Michael Ross5:17
8."Gettin' Stupid"Johnny Rivers4:53
9."Talkapella"
3:56
10."B-Boy In Love"Tony G4:40
11."En La Casa"Def Jef4:11
12."Enquenteran Amor"Matt Dike & Michael Ross5:09
Notes
  • "If You Were Mine" features uncredited vocals by Sen Dog.

Samples

[edit]

Charts

[edit]
Chart (1990) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[7] 69
US Latin Pop Albums (Billboard)[8] 7
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[9] 47

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Grein, Paul (30 July 1989). "Pop Eye". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 71.
  2. ^ Roberts, John Storm (1999). The Latin Tinge: The Impact of Latin American Music on the United States. Oxford University Press. pp. 233–234.
  3. ^ a b Henderson, Alex. "Escape from Havana Mellow Man Ace". AllMusic. Archived from the original on January 18, 2013. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
  4. ^ a b Moon, Tom (Sep 24, 1989). "New Recordings". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 10H.
  5. ^ a b Jost, Matt (May 30, 2006). "Mellow Man Ace Escape from Havana". RapReviews. Archived from the original on July 8, 2017. Retrieved May 18, 2014.
  6. ^ "Picks and Pans Review: Escape from Havana". People. Meredith Corporation. October 23, 1989. Archived from the original on September 26, 2015. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
  7. ^ "Mellow Man Ace Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
  8. ^ "Mellow Man Ace Chart History (Latin Pop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
  9. ^ "Mellow Man Ace Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
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