Ace Hood

American rap artist Ace Hood, born Antoine McColister in Port St. Lucie, Florida, in 1988, initially aimed for a career in professional football, shifting his focus to music after a school injury ended his ambitions. He joined a local rap group called Dollaz and Dealz and released the single "M.O.E." in 2006, promoting himself through local talent shows and open mic nights. In 2007, a chance encounter with record producer and radio personality DJ Khaled led to McColister signing with Khaled's We the Best Music Group label. His debut album for the label, Gutta, reached number 2 on Billboard's Top Rap Albums chart and featured guest appearances from T-Pain and Rick Ross. Building on this early success, he followed up with Ruthless (2009) and Blood, Sweat & Tears (2011), which peaked at numbers 5 and 3, respectively, on the US R&B/Hip Hop Charts. In 2013, Ace Hood returned with Trials and Tribulations, a 14-track album that included the hit single "Bugatti", which sold over a million copies and debuted at number 4 on the Billboard 200. His follow up albums Mr. Hood (2020), M.I.N.D. (Memories Inside Never Die) (2022) and B.O.D.Y. (Build Or Destroy You) failed to gain much traction, however in 2024, his hit track "Bugatti" saw a resurgence, after resurfacing on social media platforms, hitting number 11.