Brother Ali
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Brother Ali | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
||
| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Ali Newman | |
| Origin |  Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States |
|
| Genre(s) | Hip hop | |
| Occupation(s) | Rapper, Producer | |
| Years active | 2000–Present | |
| Label(s) | Rhymesayers Entertainment | |
| Website | Rhymesayers Entertainment Official Website | |
Brother Ali (born Ali Newman) is an American hip hop artist.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
Originally from Madison, Wisconsin, Ali moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota at age 15 where he became involved in the local hip hop scene. He's signed to Rhymesayers Entertainment, a hiphop record label founded by Brent Sayers, Musab S'ad Ali, Derek Turner, Anthony Davis, and Slug, the frontman of Minnesota rap group Atmosphere, with whom Ali has become fast friends.
Ali is an albino and although his appearance made him the brunt of bullying in high school (his response is chronicled on the track "Win Some, Lose Some"), he has come to be unabashedly proud of his distinctive features, celebrating it in a track called "Forrest Whitiker", where he called on "anyone out there who's a little different" to stand up and exult in who they are, rather than stay ashamed. Ali is also a devout Muslim, religion being a theme that is mentioned in several of his songs including "Self taught" and "Victory".
Though he initially produced his own material (his cassette tape-only Rites of Passage EP (2000) was self-produced), Brother Ali turned to Ant (Anthony Davis), Rhymesayers Entertainment's in-house producer, to produce his first two releases on Rhymesayers, 2003's Shadows on the Sun and 2004's Champion EP. The albums proved immediately popular with fans who had largely been introduced to Ali when he opened for Atmosphere on their national tour for the God Loves Ugly album. Ant's funk- and soul-inflected beats often matched the gravitas of Ali's rhymes. Ali's buoyant, agile flow and exuberant, expressive voice resonated on key tracks such as "Star Quality," "Picket Fence," "Forrest Whitiker", "Chain Link," and "Rain Water."
Ali's second LP, The Undisputed Truth, was initially due out on March 6, 2007 but has since been postponed to an April 10, 2007 release date according to an update on the Rhymesayers website. The single "Truth Is" was released in early 2007, with "Freedom Ain't Free" as the B side. Both tracks slightly strayed from Ant's trademark soul dipped style, and were tinged with a dub/roots reggae influence. An advanced copy of the album was leaked onto the internet on January 4, 2007, garnering high praise from both fans and critics on online messageboards and blogs.
Brother Ali tours with his DJ, BK One, occasionally his hype man Toki Wright, and has opened for Rakim, Kid Capri, and Brand Nubian, among others.
Brother Ali will be on tour with Psalm One starting April 10, 2007.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
| Album cover | Album information |
|---|---|
 |
Rites of Passage
|
 |
Shadows on the Sun
|
 |
Champion EP
|
 |
The Undisputed Truth
|
[edit] Mixtapes
| Album cover | Album information |
|---|---|
 |
Brother Ali & BK-One present: Off The Record
|
[edit] Singles
- "Room With a View" b/w "Star Quality" & "Bitchslap!" (Rhymesayers Entertainment, 2003)
- "Champion (Remix)" b/w "Forest Whitiker" (Rhymesayers Entertainment, 2004)
- "Truth Is" b/w "Freedom Ain't Free" & "Original King" (Rhymesayers Entertainment, 2007)
- Life Sentence EP (2007)
[edit] External links
- Brother Ali at MySpace
- Rhymesayers Entertainment
- Artist profile at Rhymesayers Entertainment
- Live at SXSW 2007 on 89.3 The Current
- Interview at Format Mag
| Rhymesayers Entertainment |
| Artists |
|
Ant | Atmosphere | Brother Ali | Blueprint | DJ Abilities | Dynospectrum | Eyedea & Abilities | Felt | I Self Devine | MF DOOM | Mr. Dibbs | Oliver Hart | P.O.S. | Slug | Soul Position |
| Related topics |
