Ace X Rated

**Ace Diaz**, known professionally as **Ace X Rated,** is a Dominican-American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and male model. Ace is praised for his hard-hitting songwriting and fast and aggressive flow, rapping a lot about his experiences as a Dominican immigrant in America.

## Early Life

Ace Diaz was born to Jayla and Marco Diaz on March 9, 1987, born and raised in La Vega, Dominican Republic. Ace is the youngest of six siblings, with four brothers and one sister. At the age of nine, the Diaz family emigrated to Lomita, California. Ace was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of thirteen, and he struggled with learning English, though he became fluent by the age of eighteen. Ace graduated from high school and dived into different jobs to help support his family,

## Career

### Modelling and rap beginnings (2005 - 2009)

Ace worked two main jobs after graduating high school, working at a gym and at a movie theatre. Ace also entered the world of male modelling, working for a few different companies. Ace specialised in underwear and swimwear modelling, owing to his darker complexion and muscular build. Ace also began dating a fellow female mode, staying together up until 2008, where Ace says that she cheated on him with a female colleague and he broke off their relationship. Throughout 2006 and 2007, Ace wrote many different raps, mostly based on his experiences growing up in a poor immigrant family. Ace also participated in rap battles and competitions, winning a lot and making his mark in the California drag scene. In 2008 and 2009, he released three different mixtapes, uploading them online and selling physical copies out his car.

### Young Money and *Chains* (2010 - 2013)

Drake came across Ace's mixtapes in 2010 and brought them to the attention of Birdman and Lil Wayne, who saw raw talent in Ace and offered him a contract with Young Money Entertainment. At the end of 2010, Ace began working on his debut studio album, taking material from his earlier days and reworking it to fit his new album. He began working with fellow producers and rappers in the hip-hop community, meeting labelmate Nicky Risqué, and by the summer of 2010 they'd entered into a relationship. The album faced a few delays as Ace struggled with some personal issues and doubts, though he channelled those into his album, releasing another online exclusive mixtape in the meantime while he finished up the album as a way to keep his fans happy.

On December 2011, he released his debut single "Chains", which heavily samples Tina Arena's 1994 single of the same name. Ace showed Tina the song in person, scheduling a meet-up when she made a stop-over in Los Angeles, and Tina loved it and cleared the use of the sample, with Ace crediting her as a joint lead artist in return. "Chains" was a sleeper hit, peaking at number two on the charts after three months, finally peaking in March 2012. The album, also named *Chains*, finally was released on November 12, 2012. The album was a huge success, debuting at number one and called "the most anticipated release of the year". Ace released three more singles from the album, "Walking Away", "The Way You're Movin'", and "One Shot", the first two peaked at number eight and twelve respectively, whole "One Shot" became Ace's first chart-topping single. Ace also embarked on his first world tour - *The One Shot Experience* - throughout 2013.

### Continued success, marriage, and *Hellscape* (2014 - 2019)

Ace's debut album shot him into international fame, especially given how anticipated it had been, with Ace's early mixtapes as well as the rise in fame of his girlfriend Nicky Risqué putting a lot of attention on him. After his tour finished, Ace told the media that he'd take his time with his second album, feeling that the delay of his first album stemmed from just how burnt out and depressed he felt by trying to force himself to rush it out. In the meantime, Ace focused on various collaborations, including Becky G's "Por Favor" and Martin Garrix's "Your Number", coming out in 2014 and 2016 respectively. In 2015, Ace teamed up with Tyga, Lil Twist, and Busta Rhymes for "Nothing at All" for the *Creed* soundtrack. Ace also married his longtime girlfriend Nicky Risqué in 2016.

Ace began teasing his second studio album in June 2018, posting cryptic teasers online, all of which featured the word *Hellscape*, which Ace later confirmed as the title of the album. The lead single "Tambourine" featuring British rapper Skepta was released with no prior announcement on July 2, 2018, and debuted at number one the following week - becoming his second chart-topping single. The second single "Hellscape" was released on October 31, 2018 alongside the horror short film style music video, peaking at number thirteen on the Hot 100. "Money Maker" and "No Mercy" were released as the final two singles on December 10, 2018 and March 5, 2019, peaking at four and thirty-one respectively.

### Fatherhood and *Ace of Hearts* (2020 - present)

Ace and Nicky became parents in November 2018 when they brought twins - Hale Diaz and Gigi Diaz - into the world. Nicky announced that she'd be taking a hiatus from music for a while, with Ace announcing that once his tour was over he would also be taking a step back to focus on fatherhood. Unlike Nicky, who stayed away from public life until her return in 2023, Ace would still make guest appearances on red carpets and even record verses for albums, including Tinashe's single "Nothing Like You (Gimme Something)" which was released in 2021. Ace announced at the end of 2022 that his third studio album had been completed and would be released in 2023.

In March 2023, Ace began teasing a new single and a collaboration with Doja Cat, which eventually turned out to be titled "Outta This World". After spending the whole month of March releasing cryptic teasers and snippets, the full song finally premiered and was released on April 2, 2023. "Outta This World" debuted at number three on the Hot 100, and Ace's promise to reveal the album title is the song reached number one boosted the track to that very position, with *Ace of Hearts* being revealed as the title. In June 2023, Ace released the second single from the album - "I Know What You Want" featuring guest vocals from British singer Charli XCX, which ultimately peaked at number forty on the charts. *Ace of Hearts* was released on August 4, 2023, and the third single "Loud" featuring Bebe Rexha, Jack Harlow, Kid Cudi, and Saweetie was released four days later, peaking at number nine on the charts. Ace also announced his intention to embark on his third concert tour in 2024 to support the album.

## Artistry

Ace's primary output of music is hip-hop, rapping about his wealth, marriage, life experiences, mental health, and has a few songs about his beginnings as a Dominican immigrant in America, including his biggest hit "One Shot". Ace weaves his Dominican upbringing into his music, and occasionally will still rap in his first language of Spanish. Ace names his main influences as Daddy Yankee, Santana, Drake, Lil Wayne, and Tupac Shakur.

## Personal Life

Ace met Nicky Risqué at a Young Money party in 2011, and they began dating soon after. In March 2016, they got married, and in November 2018 Nicky gave birth to twins, a son named Hale and a daughter named Gigi. Ace has been open about his struggles with depression since he was a teenager, having survived a suicide attempt at seventeen and been put in a mental health facility. Ace says that his depression is part of why it took so long to release his debut album, and he says "from now on I take my career at my pace, if I put too much of a strain on myself, I could lose myself again."

## Concert Tours

**Headlining Tours**

* The One Shot Experience (2013)
* The Hellscape Tour (2018-19)
* TBA (2024)