It's only right that Masta Ace and Marco Polo should pay tribute to Brooklyn. Ace, a veteran rhymer who began his career as part of Marley Marl's Juice Crew before going solo with classic albums like SlaughtaHouse and Disposable Arts, is from the borough, and Polo, a producer who has teamed up with some of the underground's finest MCs, recently moved to BK from Toronto.
To celebrate the upcoming release on Nov. 9 (via Fat Beats) of their joint album A Breukelen Story, Ace and Polo made a video for the song "Breukelen 'Brooklyn'," which features Smif-N-Wessun. For Ace, the track is all about the city's positives.
"This video/song is a celebration of the city I grew up in," he told Complex. "There are many songs about Brooklyn but so many have been in a negative light. This video shows the beauty and diversity of Brooklyn. The album concept is about Marco Polo moving to Brooklyn from Toronto. Breukelen is the Dutch spelling of Brooklyn. The Dutch brought the name with them in their migration to the new world. There is a parallel between the migration of the Dutch to the new world and Marco Polo moving from Toronto."
The unusual spelling of the borough's name, Ace continued, has some very old roots.
"This song is an ode to my birthplace.... Brooklyn... originally named Breukelen after the city in Holland... the video depicts the beauty and essence of my city and Director Parris Stewart captures it perfectly!"
Polo noted that it was important that the clip was shot in BK.
"Seeing the album pays homage to my journey from Toronto to Brooklyn it's only right we get it started with an ode to our favorite borough.....Brownsville x Bucktown x Toronto... 'Nostalgia' was filmed in BK so it's only right we take it back," he explained.
You can check out the premiere of the "Breukelen 'Brooklyn'" video above, and pre-order A Breukelen Story here. In addition to Smif-N-Wessun, the album features Pharoahe Monch, Pearl Gates, Styles P, Pav Bundy, Elzhi, Lil Fame, Trini Boy, Marlon Craft, and Ace's longtime group eMC.
