The music video for Yungeen Ace’s latest single, ‘So Long’ is not just a metaphor but rather it’s a representation of what the young rapper has gone through in his life. He’s taken the punches and beaten the odds – including eight bullets less than a year ago, while he was protecting his friends. He’s only 21 years old but has lost family members, faced imprisonment, and felt the sting of poverty and hunger.
Rather than let it get him down however, Yungeen Ace has channelled his pain, rage and hope into uncompromising songs about his struggles – and victories – in order to lift the spirits of his listeners – to show them that there is a way out.
“Life I’m Livin’, his 2018 mixtape, firmly established Yungeen Ace as one of the most talented young rappers in the already heaving Florida rap scene. He’s a vocalist with a distinctive approach, and ‘So Long’ is both the sweetest and meanest record he’s released. It’s hip hop with its roots in Southern blues and gospel, and his performance is mesmerisingly intense.
The video is no less compelling. Directed by Christian Breslauer, it captures the brutality and beauty of Yungeen’s music, while showing him slogging it out in the boxing ring. The clip opens on a malicious somebody who is intent on harm; possibly Death himself – cackling away approaching a wonded man (Yungeen) who bleeds alone in the street. We flash to Yungeen in the ring, whose assailant is egged on by the evil figure from the start of the clip. Yungeen is victorious – but for how long? The end sees him exposing his wounds, whether they’re from the ring or from other assaults, it’s uncertain.
You can find Yungeen Ace online on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Spotify, and SoundCloud.
