Mellow Man Ace

Born Ulpiano Sergio Reyes in Cuba in 1967, Mellow Man Ace left the island with his family at four and grew up in Los Angeles, later settling in South Gate. His rhymes mix lovers rap and urban hip hop with bilingual delivery and a gift for novelty rhymes.

His debut, Escape from Havana, came out on Capitol on 29 August 1989, with production from the Dust Brothers and Def Jef. Its single "Mentirosa", released in March 1990, was his only hit, reaching number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 with a hook built from Santana's "No One to Depend On" and "Evil Ways". Those samples were used without permission or royalties, which led to legal trouble. After The Brother with Two Tongues he largely stepped back, returning with From the Darkness into the Light in 2000. Vengo a Cobrar followed on Dimelo Records in June 2004, and Ghetto Therapy, made with his brother Sen Dog of Cypress Hill, appeared in 2006. Restoring Order came out in 2010, and he released the single "South Gate" in 2018.