Aisa Khan Sampson-Spencer (born 1 April 1992), known professionally as Merky ACE, is a British grime MC, rapper, songwriter and record producer from Lewisham, South London. He was a founding member of the grime collective Family Tree, and later Tizzy Gang, with whom he is still a part of. He also produces beats under the pseudonym Splurt Diablo.[2] His debut album, Blue Battlefield, was released on 3 April 2011.
Merky ACE | |
|---|---|
 Merky ACE in 2017. | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Aisa Sampson[1] |
| Also known as | Splurt Diablo |
| Born | 1 April 1992 Peckham, London, England |
| Origin | Lewisham, London, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Labels |
|
| Website | merkyace |
Career
editMerky ACE first came to prominence on the UK underground scene as part of grime's "new wave" in 2011.[3] In the same year he independently released his acclaimed Blue Battlefield mixtape and followed it up with the Catch Up EP in the same year.[4][5] In 2012, Merky ACE recorded features for Dizzee Rascal's Dirtee TV 2 mixtape which was released on Christmas of that year.[6] In 2013, he released two mixtapes - All or Nothing and Play Your Position - through grime label NoHatsNoHoods.[7][8][9]
In 2014, Merky ACE was signed to Dizzee Rascal's label Dirtee Stank.[10] Merky ACE's first project on the label Peak Levels EP was released on 17 July 2015.[11] In late 2015, Merky ACE formed a new crew, Tizzy Gang alongside Tre Mission and Cadell; following this news, Family Tree disbanded shortly after in early 2016.[12][13]
Merky was a joint executive producer of Tizzy Gang's debut collaborative album, Opps Next Door Vol. 1, which was released on 16 June 2017. He provided vocals for fifteen of the album's twenty tracks, and produced many of its tracks under his Splurt Diablo alias. The album's release was celebrated with a launch party at Relentless No. 5 in London.
His debut solo album, War Is Normal, was released on 11 May 2018. The album features the singles "TDF", "Black Hawk Down", and "Out of Order", which were released on 9 March, 16 March, and 23 March 2018 respectively. The first two of these tracks had previously premiered on his SoundCloud in 2016, as had "Ruff's the New Buff", "Crash Bang Sound", and "What's the Program?".
On 5 June 2020, Merky marked his first collaboration with fellow grime MC Capo Lee with a joint project, the Clash of the Pagans EP.[14]
Discography
editAlbums
edit| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Opps Next Door (with Tizzy Gang) |
|
| War is Normal |
|
Compilation albums
edit| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Best of Merky ACE |
|
Mixtapes
edit| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Headtop Turner |
|
| Watch Me Leave Scars |
|
| NWO: New World Order |
|
| Normal |
|
| Who's Merky? |
|
| Grime |
|
| The Ones That Didn't Make It |
|
| Blue Battlefield |
|
| All Or Nothing |
|
| Play Your Position |
|
EPs
edit| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Shinobi (with Splurt Diablo) |
|
| The Recycle Bin |
|
| Catch Up |
|
| Peak Levels |
|
| GOAT (Greatest of All Time) (with MIK) |
|
| Catch Up Vol. 2 |
|
| Catch Up Vol. 3 |
|
| Personality Cult |
|
| Catch Up Vol. 4 |
|
| Clash of the Pagans (with Capo Lee) |
|
Singles
edit| Year | Title | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | "Blue Battle Kiwi" | Non-album singles |
| "Greaze" | ||
| 2011 | "Shutdown" (with MIK) | |
| 2012 | "Eff Tizzy" | All Or Nothing |
| "3 CDs Freestyle" | Non-album single | |
| 2015 | "Cuss Match" | Peak Levels EP |
| "El Peñol" | Catch Up Vol. 2 | |
| "Polyphonic Ringtone" | Catch Up Vol. 3 | |
| 2017 | "Old Skool Roadman Jacket" (with Tizzy Gang) |
Opps Next Door Vol. 1 |
| "Shekel" (with Tizzy Gang) | ||
| "Opps Next Door" (with Tizzy Gang) | ||
| "Our Queen" | Personality Cult EP | |
| "Ragu" (featuring Southside JB and Ko-Kane) | ||
| 2018 | "TDF" | War is Normal |
| "Black Hawk Down" | ||
| "Out of Order" | ||
| 2019 | "Look Like Loubz" | Non-album single |
As Splurt Diablo
editMixtapes and compilations
edit| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Extra Terrestrial - The Splurt Diablo Anthology |
|
| All About the Melanin |
|
| /s |
|
| Blacc |
|
EPs
edit| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Vomit |
|
| Vomit Vol. 2 |
|
| Vomit Vol. 3 |
|
| J3 |
|
| Throwbacks |
|
| Cyborg Justice |
|
| Fatigue |
|
| CCTV Celeb |
|
| Hara-Kiri |
|
| Space Madness |
|
| Amped / Irn Bru |
|
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Jme featuring Merky ACE - "Live" | UK Music Video Awards Best Hip Hop / Grime / Rap Video | Won | [16] |
References
edit- ^ "ACE Repertory". Archived from the original on 12 October 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
- ^ "Merk Diablo? Splurty Ace? Who's Who? - Radar Radio - Radar Radio". Archived from the original on 10 August 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
- ^ "Merky Ace: Grime's New Prince | MTV IGGY". mtviggy.com. Archived from the original on 5 October 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
- ^ "Wrap Up And Watch Out: Merky Ace | MTV UK". mtv.co.uk. Archived from the original on 1 October 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
- ^ "Merky Ace - Catch Up EP (Advert & Tracklisting) - Hit The Floor". hitthefloor.com. Archived from the original on 1 October 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
- ^ "Download: Dizzee Rascal's 'Dirtee TV Vol. 2' Mixtape | Prefix". prefixmag.com. Archived from the original on 1 October 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
- ^ "Grime up-and-comer Merky Ace wants All or Nothing on new full-length - FACT Magazine: Music News, New Music". factmag.com. Archived from the original on 1 October 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
- ^ "Sonic Router | A Natural Balance: Talking Merky Ace's Second Album, Play Your Position". sonicrouter.com. Archived from the original on 1 October 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
- ^ "Merky ACE - Play Your Position [Mixtape Premiere] - EARMILK". Earmilk. Archived from the original on 2 October 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
- ^ "Premiere: Merky Ace Makes His Dirtee Stank Debut With "Cuss Match" (Prod. By Footsie) | Complex UK". uk.complex.com. Archived from the original on 6 January 2016. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
- ^ "MERKY ACE - "CUSS MATCH" (OFFICIAL VIDEO) | MUSIC VIDEO PREMIERES | NOISEY". noisey.vice.com. Archived from the original on 4 October 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
- ^ "The Lowdown: In the Studio with...Tizzy Gang - SBTV". Archived from the original on 20 May 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
- ^ [1][permanent dead link]
- ^ "Clash of the Pagans". bandcamp. 5 June 2020.
- ^ "Premiere: Splurt Diablo - Irn Bru [Blood Frenzy] | Insert". Archived from the original on 23 October 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
- ^ Paine, Andre (6 November 2020). "UK Music Video Awards 2020 Winners Revealed". Music Week. Retrieved 7 November 2020.