wordplay: Shauna Hannon

Brother Ali is a main component for present-day and future hip-hop music. His effortless and overwhelmingly powerful flow touches on a variety of subject matters that plague our society today, including the war with Iraq, and the presidential election deception.  Ali also lets listeners take a gander into his world by reciting issues that cloud his personal life, like the dissolution of his marriage (with his son caught in the middle of the drama).

Brother Ali does not fit the image of a typical hip-hop artist. He was born in the Midwest as an albino (his hair, skin and eyes are devoid of pigment). Growing up, his unique physical traits invited bullying from the other kids in the schoolyard. Instead of accepting his fate as merely an albino, Ali became (and continues to be) one of the hardest working lyricists in hip-hop.  He sent his self-produced demo Rites Of Passage to Minneapolis-based Rhymesayers Entertainment (home to Atmosphere, Musab, Eyedea and Abilities, to name a few). Blown away by Ali’s raw talent, RSE welcomed him to their label.

After a stint as a battle MC, Ali headed home to the Twin Cities to record his RSE-debut album Shadows On The Sun, with groundbreaking production by ANT of Atmosphere in 2003. Shadows received rave reviews from critics, and Ali was catapulted to the ranks of respected hip-hop heavyweights. To date, he has toured all over the world, and has rocked massive music festivals such as Coachella and France’s Eurokeenes.

Ali’s latest album, 2007’s The Undisputed Truth, was also produced by ANT, and once again showcases Ali’s incredible rhyming technique. The entire album is spectacular, but highlights include “The Truth” and “Freedom Ain’t Free”; both of these songs have a melodic reggae rhythm combined with Ali’s down-to-earth, honest, lion’s-roar lyrical delivery. “Here” has hard, thudding beats with battle rhymes, and “Take Me Home” is a bouncy, carefree track with passionate, sing-song, playful lyrics.

When listening to The Undisputed Truth, prepare to be mesmerized by the show stopping collaboration of ANT’s production and Ali’s rhymes. Brother Ali is the future of hip-hop, and the future is now.

myspace.com/BrotherAli

RhymeSayers.com