Ace Hood Reflects on Life's Obstacles on 'To Whom It May Concern'

After cutting ties with DJ Khaled's We The Best Music Group, Ace Hood gets introspective on his new song "To Whom It May Concern," the first single from his aptly titled forthcoming mixtape, Trust the Process. Check out XXL's exclusive premiere of the track for yourself below.

Featuring deeply personal lyrics and piano keys that sound like a new beginning, "To Whom It May Concern" serves as both Ace Hood's personal exorcism and a PSA to fans who've rocked with him from the start.

"Living on the edge and plotting on the plans/Nothing without God nothing without my fans," Ace raps on the track before touching on his departure from DJ Khaled's We The Best imprint. "Sorry for my absence, hope y'all understand/No more We the Best, but Khaled still my man/Critics want the beef but I'm not feeding in/My loyalty don't stop if we don't speak again."

"I think 'To Whom It May Concern' is more of a self-reflective record for me," Ace tells XXL of the new track. "It’s a letter not only to my fans, my past and to whomever it may concern; I think it’s also a letter to myself overcoming what I’ve gone through. I didn’t know that’s what it’d be as I was recording it but people say that anytime you feel something or go through something, whatever it is in life, to always write it down.

"Subconsciously I think this is what I did when recording the record without even thinking about it. I think at the time of recording, 'To Whom It May Concern' was a part of my healing process. It talks about the obstacles I’ve been dealing with and how now I’m ready to move on and move forward."

Dealing with obstacles and moving forward are two ideas that align perfectly with the title of his mixtape, Trust the Process. The phrase itself was popularized by former Philadelphia 76ers owner, Sam Hinkie, who made a series of risky moves in order to secure longterm success for his organization. After years of setbacks and perceived illogical moves, the basketball team—after enduring injuries and gradually adding a few potential all stars to their roster—will look to move forward during the 2017-2018 NBA season. So will Ace Hood.

To help him with that goal, Ace enlisted the help of his fellow Floridian, producer Foreign Tech, who's worked with some of the biggest names in the industry.

"Foreign Tech produced the track," Ace reveals. "He’s a very creative young producer out of Florida. He produced Bryson Tiller’s 'Exchange' record that I liked. Really talented and I think he’s going to be one of the best [producers] in the game."

Trust the Process, due out Aug. 21, will be Ace's first project since last year's Starvation 5 mixtape, and it will precede the release of his first album since 2013's Trials and Tribulations. The mixtapes and subsequent album will be a long time coming for Ace, who's promising to remain true while taking his art to another level.

"Expect nothing but realness, evolution, authenticity and great music from me on this project at the highest of levels," the rapper says of his next project. "There’s party records, records that are going to connect to the soul and a full body of work that touches on so many relatable emotions that you’ll get lit, laugh, cry and experience good times listening to this. People can also expect to hear me in an elevated way.

"Don’t get it wrong, I haven’t changed completely, I’ve just fine tuned who I am a bit. In terms of producers, I worked on the entire project with Foreign Tech. We worked day to day on this project. In terms of other producers and collabs, I have a few things cookin’ that will be revealed on Aug. 21."

Sounds like Ace has big plans for the rest of 2017. Check out "To Whom It May Concern" and the trailers for his Trust the Process mixtape below.

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