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 ...

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 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 world' ...

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 U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

at a very young age. His debut album ''

Escape from Havana ''Escape from Havana'' is the debut album by rapper Mellow Man Ace. It was released on August 29, 1989 by Capitol Records. Production for the album was contributed by the Dust Brothers, Tony G, Def Jef, DJ Muggs and Johnny Rivers. The album receiv ...

'' 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. * Numerous ...

on August 29, 1989, and featured production from

the Dust Brothers The Dust Brothers are a pair of songwriters and producers consisting of E.Z. Mike ( Michael Simpson) and King Gizmo ( John King). They are famous for the sample-based music they produced in the 1980s and 1990s, and specifically for their work o ...

and

Def Jef Def Jef is the stage name of Jeffrey Fortson (born September 27, 1970), an American alternative hip hop musician and rapper of the late 1980s and early 1990s. He was born in Harlem, New York City. His debut album was 1989's '' Just a Poet wi ...

. The single " Mentirosa" 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 Santana may refer to: Transportation * Volkswagen Santana, an automobile * Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles * Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer Boats * Santana 20, an American sailboat design by W. D. Sch ...

songs "

No One to Depend On "No One to Depend On" is a song by Latin rock band Santana, from their 1971 album, ''Santana III''. The main melody of the song is taken from "Spanish Grease", first recorded by Willie Bobo in 1965. It was written by Mike Carabello, Coke Escov ...

" and "

Evil Ways "Evil Ways" is a song made famous by Mexican-American rock band Santana from their 1969 self-titled debut album. It was written by Clarence "Sonny" Henry and originally recorded by jazz percussionist Willie Bobo on his 1967 album ''Bobo Motio ...

." 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 ''Latin Alliance'' is the self-titled studio album by a one-off collaboration of Latino-American hip hop recording artists under Latin Alliance brand. The group was formed in 1989 and released their one and only album in 1991 via Virgin Records. I ...

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 *''

'' (1989) *'' The Brother with Two Tongues'' (1992) *'' From the Darkness into the Light'' (2000) *'' Vengo a Cobrar'' (2004) *''Restoring Order'' (2010) ;Collaboration albums *''

'' 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