If you have had your ears anywhere close to the street within the last six years, you can hear DJ Khaled influence with artists like Plies, Rick Ross, Flo Rida, and T-Pain; all owing some of their success to the Miami music staple. It shouldn’t have surprised anyone when Def Jam ‘Listennn’ed and gave Khaled his own imprint, We The Best Records. His first move, go back to South Florida to sign an ambitious MC, Ace Hood, to add fresh blood to the Florida movement and start his label off on the right foot.Ace Hood, a young Broward county rapper went from rapping at Khaled’s Birthday Bash to getting on the path (his upcoming debut is titled Gutta on We The Best/Def Jam) to hopefully seeing his name alongside some of the aforementioned stars from the Sunshine State. Only time may tell, but his confidence, along with seemly statewide support have Ace Hood primed to be the next rap batter up.AllHipHop.com: Ace Hood is a pretty catchy name. How did you come up with the moniker?Ace Hood: Basically, first it was Ace, ace always represents one, you feel me, pretty much where I went with it, Ace represents one, I always felt like I was an Army by myself. I always felt like I could hold myself down in any situation. I am a man of my own so me being from the hood and me being from the streets that’s basically what I did, I Just attached hood to it. So I just came up with Ace Hood.AllHipHop.com: What gives Ace Hood his inspiration?Ace Hood: One of my inspirations of course is my Mom, she inspired me to do what I do feel me, being that she was a hard worker, working three or four jobs just to survive she was a hard working woman. As far as the inspirations with the music I had a couple of people I listened to coming up of course I listened to the Trick’s and stuff coming from my area, like the TI’s.AllHipHop.com: That was a bold move, performing in front of Khaled on the street. What was your thought process behind that, and did you think a deal could come with it?Ace Hood: I wasn’t even in that situation to get a deal; I was just there to actually perform at his birthday bash. I had no intentions in my head; my mind was basically focused on it. I mean I was like second guessing like, “Yo I was going to get a deal and what if this or that or what if he was going to sign me,” or anything like that. I had a couple thoughts like that on my mind but I had no intentions on getting a deal or anything like that. I just waited the process out. I just wished to perform at his birthday bash and it ended up being something more than that.Ace Hood f/ Rick Ross & T-Pain “Cash Flow”AllHipHop.com: What is the feeling of being the ‘Ace’ signing for Khaled’s new label, We Tha Best?Ace Hood: I mean being his first artist is definitely a big look it’s definitely a blessing of me being the face of We The Best music. It’s a lot of people riding on me know what I’m saying, a lot of people riding on Ace expecting Ace to do this and Ace to do that. A lot of expectations on what people expect from me,. I just got a lot to live up to so we going to do it though. We working hard.AllHipHop.com: Khaled said that he liked your image, and that was a big reason why he signed you. What do you think that image is?Ace Hood: That image was straight streetness, I guess he saw a vision. The situation with me and Khaled…when Lil Wayne was younger backed by the biggest cats in the game, when he [was] backed by the Hot Boys and BG and all the big names like that, basically that’s what he saw in me being that I was young and doing what I was doing. He saw that image, he saw that same mentality for me, that’s what led to him signing me. Being that the kid Ace he got it, he’s dope, he can spit, whatever, but he’s backed by the biggest cats in the game and he’s young and he’s the future. He feels that streetness that guttaness. There’s always something about somebody that is going to make you want to get to know him and whatnot, it’s that streetness and the guttaness.AllHipHop.com: “Cash Flow” is getting some good spin. What was the process behind that record?Ace Hood: The record cash flow, we wrote that record last year but it came out this year. The Runners came up with the beat, crazy beat. KC one of the Runners’ artists ended up writing the hook. Basically we sought out Rick Ross, then I did my thing to it and what not. It was already a hit but to take it over the top we got at T-Pain. It’s actually a different look for T-Pain being that it’s a street look or whatever. It’s a different sound. People hear it and it has a different feel on it. They aren’t used to T-Pain sounding like that. It was definitely a big record.AllHipHop.com: Let’s talk about your debut Album, Gutta.Ace Hood: Gutta due to drop September 23rd its going to be a big album, a classic album. Got a lot of big people on the album as you know of course, like Plies, Flo [Rida] , Trick, it’s definitely going to be a big album. Got Trey Songz, producers like Tha Runners, Cool & Dre, The J.U.S.T.I.C.E League, a lot of big names like that, got the second single out Ride or Die featuring Trey Songz, that album Gutta, coming out September 23rdAllHipHop.com: Now you’re at the point that your able to work with stars from around your area, discuss how that’s like?Ace Hood: It seemed like it happened over night. It definitely was a big thing. It wasn’t easy for me to get where I was. I worked my whole life to get into this situation. Nothing was given, I definitely proved myself to this point. Meeting the big names is crazy, to be one day watching these cats on TV, and then being seen with these guys and being mentioned with these guys when they mention anything that’s great coming out of Florida, Ace Hood is one of those names. Ace Hood is definitely one of the names being put into that category especially towards like the newest artists and the hottest thing that’s poppin right now, know what I’m saying. It’s definitely a big look.Ace Hood f/ Trey Songz “Ride”AllHipHop.com: Florida artists seem to not just hit the scene, but stay relevant. Discuss that, as well as how you plan on staying relevant?Ace Hood: How do they stay on, they just stay on, I feel you just have to make hot music. Like you said you have to stay relevant to what’s going on nowadays. If you stay hot you’re going to win always. You have to put out music that’s relevant, that’s catchy, that people love. Me staying hot, relevant in the game, I am just gonna continue what I’m doing, just putting out hit records and records that are big in the street, big across the country, number one bangers that’s just what we do. We just go hard, that’s basically what it is you just have to stay relevant. Like Wayne, he always stayed relevant, had records back to back to back. You have to incorporate mixtapes always in the streets. Get radio, features, all of it definitely counts.AllHipHop.com: What is Ace Hood’s Future? Ace Hood: The future is that Gutta, Gutta comes out September 23rd. Hopefully there is a lot more albums a lot more touring and stuff like that, flood the city a lot more videos, stuff like that. People going to see a lot more ace hood, feel me. I’m definitely going to move myself to [be] the people’s superstar. Definitely going to keep putting out hit records and this great music for the people just to keep them loving me. Got the mixtapes…I have a lot of stuff in store for me. Hopefully you will see more.