''From The Darkness Into The Light'' is the third studio album by American rapper

Mellow Man Ace Ulpiano Sergio Reyes (born April 12, 1967), better known as Mellow Man Ace, is a Cuban-American rapper known for bilingual delivery and novelty rhymes. He was born in Cuba and moved to Los Angeles with his family at the age of four. Early life ...

. It was released on July 18, 2000, via X-Ray Records. The twelve-track record featured guest appearances by

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 ...

and Profound.

Overview

Mellow Man Ace scored a major crossover hit with 1989's "Mentirosa" but, by 1993, the

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

-born rapper was without a record deal. Released in 2000, ''From the Darkness Into the Light'' was his first album since 1992's '' The Brother With Two Tongues''. Eight years is a long time for an MC to go without a new album—especially when you consider how much hip-hop trends can change from one year to the next. But Ace, who was 33 when this CD came out, has no problem changing with the times and delivering an excellent album that is mindful of 2000's rap tastes. A revitalized Ace divides the disc into a Dark Side and a Light Side, which might lead one to assume that he is dividing his time between

hardcore rap Hardcore hip hop (also hardcore rap) is a genre of hip hop music that developed through the East Coast hip hop scene in the 1980s. Pioneered by such artists as Run-DMC, Schoolly D, Boogie Down Productions and Public Enemy, it is generally char ...

and

pop-rap Pop rap (also known as pop hip-hop, hip pop, melodic hip-hop or melodic rap) is a genre of music fusing the rhythm-based lyricism of hip hop music with pop music's preference for melodious vocals and catchy tunes. This genre gained mainstrea ...

like he did in the past. But that isn't the case. Enlisting such producers as

DJ Muggs Lawrence Muggerud (born January 28, 1968), professionally known by his stage name DJ Muggs, is an American DJ, audio engineer and record producer. He is a member of Cypress Hill, a member of the trip hop band Cross My Heart Hope To Die and the l ...

(of

and

7A3 The 7A3 was an American hip hop group based out of Los Angeles, California, United States, which released one album in 1988 called ''Coolin' in Cali''. It was originally composed of brothers Brett and Sean Bouldin, and DJ Muggs, who later achie ...

fame) and Tony G., Ace avoids pop-rap—this release doesn't offer anything as commercial as "Mentirosa"—and sticks to hardcore rap. Truth be told, the Dark Side and Light Side are equally hard-hitting. The album has a consistently serious tone; Ace tackles a lot of social issues (everything from urban violence to child pornography), and he speaks candidly and openly about the fact that he went from fame to obscurity. Regrettably, ''From the Darkness Into the Light'' wasn't the major commercial comeback he was no doubt hoping for—the album received very little attention. But that doesn't make it any less compelling.

Track listing

Personnel

* Bruce Gowdy - recording, engineering, mixing * Chuck Wright - artwork * Kevin Smith - engineering * Marco Torres - photography * Mike Mireau - mastering * Lawrence Muggered - production, recording, mixing * Ulpiano Sergio Reyes - main artist, production

References

{{Authority control 2000 albums Mellow Man Ace albums Albums produced by DJ Muggs