It’s been just over a year since Masta Ace & Marco Polo teamed up to release their collaborative album together, A Breukelen Story. The Fat Beats Records album was named one of Ambrosia For Heads‘ Top Albums Of 2018. The conceptual ode to Brooklyn seamlessly balances out two stories. One, told through skits and interludes, is of producer Marco Polo’s journey of moving from Toronto, Ontario to pursue his music career. This is set against Masta Ace sharing his own experience of growing up in the ever-evolving borough through his deft rhymes. A Breukelen Story stands up well among both artists’ best work. Now one year removed from the release, the duo are gearing up to re-release the album as a deluxe edition with new remixes included, and have dropped a new music video for the first remixed track.

Directed by Deck97, the new video is for the song “Sunken Place (Remix).” It features the original vocals from Masta Ace and guest feature from longtime affiliate Pav Bundy, with a new beat produced by Marco Polo. The song title is a reference to Jordan Peele’s 2017 Horror film Get Out, in which “the sunken place” is a form of hypnosis used to separate the consciousness of the black victim’s mind from their body, allowing the antagonists of the film to take control. The imagery of the film mirrors real-life slavery, but “the sunken place” is also a metaphor for how marginalized groups are still oppressed and silenced today, with social norms allowing white people to control the narrative. Masta Ace & Marco Polo’s video takes the real life version of this and puts it at the forefront.

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The “Sunken Place (Remix)” video cuts between various protests against discrimination, ranging from marches and rallies to the more recent kneeling at football games. Having been making music for over 30 years, Masta Ace uses his verses to comment. “A thousand on the shirt, 600 on the shoes / Followed in the stores and we wanted on the news / Look at who they choose for the face of a criminal,” he raps. “Slants in they views and the hate is subliminal”

As for the song itself, the original version, released last year, has an eerie vocal loop in the beat that feels distant and “sunken.” For the remixed version, Marco Polo instead uses a light piano that sounds much more intimate and gives the song a reflective and uplifting personality. Masta Ace can be seen in the video rapping in a Brooklyn staircase, as images subtly referencing his wordplay cut across the screen, and Pav Bundy is also in the video singing the hook, with war imagery around him enhancing his call to action.

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While this is the first remixed track to be released off of the deluxe edition, the original version of A Breukelen Story had four previous music videos and singles released, including “Brooklyn” featuring Smif-n-Wessun, the Pharoahe Monch-assisted “Fight Song,” the album’s opening track “Kings,” and the most recent display of braggadocio, “Get Shot.” The deluxe edition of A Breukelen Story, featuring four all new songs, can be pre-ordered here.

At AFH TV, there are several interviews with Masta Ace and Marco Polo. We are currently offering free 7-day trial subscriptions.

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Press image provided by Masta Ace & Marco Polo.