One of rap's most anticipated new kings has now positioned himself within reach of the music industry's listeners and luminaries. He arrives on the scene, by way of Staten Island, in the form of a quick-witted, dynamic young emcee by the name of Antonio Charneco III, aptly known as AC to the masses. At 22 years old, AC has already attained the popularity and successes that many artists wait years to achieve—as an artist, writer, and producer. Armed with cannonball-like rhymes that never cease to shock and astound listeners, as well as with support from the most solid names in the industry, it is already clear that AC can be regarded as a permanent fixture in the Hip Hop game.
Aside from maintaining dignitary status amongst mixtape DJs and fans, AC can be credited for having created a stir within the music industry this past year with the release of his controversial track, The Truth About The Industry, to national audiences. The Truth boldly confronts the debatable, yet ongoing practice of rhyme biting in Hip Hop which most emcees tend to shy away from addressing. "Hip Hop started with borrowing," states AC. "Everyone's guilty of it." The track hit national airwaves in a matter of hours from being recorded, and quickly snagged frequent rotation by America's hottest mix shows DJs, including DJ Khaled and DJ Spinbad. "I knew the concept was crazy, and it worked well with what's going on in Hip Hop right now," AC recollects. "I don't do things for gimmicks; I only write what I feel."
As for AC's background in the mixtape scene, he has firmly established his presence in the game and demonstrates time and again that, lyrically, he simply cannot disappoint. With features on over 300 mixtapes of heavyweights like DJ Envy (Hot 97), Big Mike, DJ L, and Tapemasters Inc, AC has earned himself a solid and devoted fan base. It has been, however, AC's constant support from Tapemasters Inc which has given him the countless opportunities to propel his career to greater levels. He recently released his anticipated self-titled solo debut, appropriately named This Is AC. Hosted by DJ Envy, This Is AC features tracks produced by the late J. Dilla, as well as some of the industry's most talented up-and-comers. The immense success of This Is AC now makes way for his upcoming sophomore project, titled This Is AC, Part II: Staten Lives, hosted by Big Mike, DJ Smallz, Mick Boogie, and DJ Skee.
In the early summer of 2006, AC released to the public a cultural music masterpiece that showcased his aptitude as a producer. This project was Twins — a compilation commemorating the Hip Hop lyrics of Christopher "Big Punisher" Rios and the music of salsa legend Hector Lavoe—declared a classic by publications including XXL, Scratch, and Latin music's magazine Bridgez. Tying together two very separate eras and musical genres, Twins encompasses the essence of Latino music in America, as well as New York City's Puerto Rican culture. AC, of Puerto Rican-American background, along with fellow producer Popular B debuted Twins at the 2006 Puerto Rican Day Parade on New York City's Fifth Avenue to directly introduce the project to its core audience. "Latino culture is blowing up in America and the Puerto Rican Day Parade is a celebration of that" proclaims AC. "It was time for someone to pay tribute to our heroes."
With new artists entering the Hip Hop scene every day, and repping the wide range cities from which they came, New York remains the city known for shaping the lives and, ultimately, the careers of many of the music industry's hall-of-famers. But while emerging from the most hype-free borough in New York City—Staten Island—AC forces audiences to take a fresh look at his borough, and at New York City as a whole. With his newest project subtitled Staten Lives, the Brooklyn-born, Staten Island-raised AC attributes his upbringing and life experiences in the borough to the successes he has experienced to date. Perhaps one of the most anticipated artists to emerge from Staten Island since members of the Wu-Tang Clan, AC is more than prepared to assume his position as the borough's newest ambassador of Hip Hop.
AC masters the maxim that relentless perseverance, not solely raw talent, is key in reaching levels of tenure and longevity in the entertainment business. Not one to back down from challenges, AC finds it necessary to literally thrive on them in order to attain measurable success in an ever-evolving industry. He possesses the workhorse mentality of some of the most influential figures in music, a characteristic that becomes increasingly harder to find amongst the newest wave of artists. "I'm in the studio 24/7," he exclaims. "I'm just trying to do what I do and stay on my grind."
The future for artist/writer/producer AC holds a multitude of opportunities to further contribute his unique talents to the music business, and fans and critics can expect him to continue to bypass what is typically achieved or expected from an up-and-comer. Described as "one of the brightest stars on the rise" by multi-platinum producer Kwamé, AC continues to keep listeners alert with eye-opening rhymes, and never resorting to clownish lyrical content. "I don't want to worry about anything other than the music."
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