Brother Ali

Ali Newman (born Jason Newman in 1978),^[1] better known by the stage name Brother Ali, is an American hip hop artist signed to Rhymesayers Entertainment.^[2]

Personal life

Brother Ali was born in Madison, Wisconsin, and spent his early childhood moving from city to city in the Midwest (mostly in Michigan). Ali's family settled in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1992. He attended Robbinsdale Cooper High School in New Hope, Minnesota. It was in Minneapolis that Ali converted to Islam and was given the name Ali. He has a son, Faheem, from his first marriage, and remarried in 2008. On the song "Real As Can Be" off his [EP] "Truth is Here" he says he also has a daughter on the way. According to the song "Fresh Air" on his September 2009 album Us, he goes on to say "Just got married last year/ treated so good that it ain't even fair/ already gotta boy now the baby girl's here/ Bought us a house like The Berenstein Bears." He has family in the Minneapolis area. Brother Ali takes family very seriously and sees it as a major part of life.

Ali was born with the rare genetic condition of albinism, a disorder characterized by a lack of pigment in skin, eyes, and hair. Brother Ali often makes fun of the media's constant urge to mention his condition in the first lines of their reviews or newspaper articles. He is also legally blind.^[3]

While Brother Ali's family is white, he has often described a childhood marked by cruelty and exclusion by his white classmates as a result of his physical abnormality. He's often explained that, from an early age, he felt "most at home amongst African Americans."

When Ali's career began to blossom, he began to field questions about his race. Due to his stage name (a common reference among religious communities, particularly Muslims), many writers assumed Ali was black. When questioned on the subject, Ali declined to comment however stating in his album, "The Undisputed Truth"; "they ask me if I'm black or white, I'm neither/ race is a made up thing; I don't believe in it". He then goes on to explain how black people have played a major role in his life:

"My genes tie me to those that despised me/ Made a living killing the ones that inspired me/ I ain't just talking about singing and dancing/ I was taught life and manhood by black men/ So I'm a product of that understanding/ And a small part of me feels like I am them"

He has been practicing Islam for the past 13 years.

Career

Ali's first release was a cassette-only demo tape called Rites of Passage; which Ali produced, recorded and arranged himself. The tape cemented his relationship with the local independent hip-hop label Rhymesayers Entertainment. Rites of Passage was released in 2000 and was sold almost exclusively at shows.

In 2003 Brother Ali released his first studio project, entitled Shadows on the Sun. Atmosphere producer, Ant, provided all of the instrumentals. Although the album had no major national distribution, it was heavily praised by independent hip-hop fans and publications. Ali used the album to explain his childhood and identity.

Ali's next CD was The Champion EP, released a year after Shadows on the Sun. It was presented as an extension of the full-length. Leading with a reggae inspired remix of Shadows' "Champion," the 9 song EP offered up highlights such as "Rain Water," a song about Ali losing his mother and grandfather to cancer and suicide.

In spring of 2007 Rhymesayers released The Undisputed Truth, Ali and Ant's full-length follow-up to Shadows on the Sun. "Truth" tells the story of Ali's divorce from his first wife, his struggle to gain custody of their young son, Faheem and the homelessness he faced as a single father. The first of his releases to be distributed by Warner Brothers Music, the album debuted at #69 on Billboard 200.

Brother Ali released an EP and DVD package titled "The Truth Is Here" in March 2009. The album is made up of 9 tracks including a collaboration with Rhymesayers label-mate Slug of Atmosphere.

In September 2009, Brother Ali released his follow-up to 2007's Undisputed Truth. The album was originally titled "Street Preacher" but was later changed to Us. It debuted at #56 on the Billboard 200. Ali, his DJ BK-One, and fellow Rhymesayers crew members Toki Wright and Evidence recently finished their Fresh Air Tour this fall.

Production

Brother Ali produced the tracks "The Feeling" and "Little Girl" on Rhymesayers artist Toki Wright's debut album, "A Different Mirror."

Press

Brother Ali has twice been featured in the hip-hop magazine The Source, first in August 2007, when the "Hip Hop Quotable" was from a verse in "Uncle Sam Goddamn", and second in October 2007, when he was interviewed. In May 2007, he was featured in Rolling Stone as a "New Artist to Watch".

TV appearances

On August 13, 2007, Brother Ali appeared on The Late Late Show and performed his single "Uncle Sam Goddamn" from The Undisputed Truth. On October 19, 2007, Ali appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and performed "Take Me Home" from The Undisputed Truth.^[4] On December 16, 2009 Ali appeared on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and was featured with late night band, The Roots.

Inspirations

Brother Ali has said many times in interviews that he finds much of his inspiration in the early 1980s rappers of the golden age of hip hop, especially KRS-One and Rakim.^[5][6]

In an interview in early 2007, Ali responded to a question about the response to his and his label's music, and the current music industry:

They just like to see something new. Like, we benefit so much right now from the fact that music sucks, and that there's so little originality. And there's so few people that are really trying to do something a little bit different so that if you're just even a little bit different...you know what I mean? People are just like "yeah," you know. As long as you're good and as long as you know how to present yourself, and, you know...but I think that people are just happy to see something a little bit different for a change, you know.^[7]

He has, however, spoken against coastal beef and mainstream vs. underground divide in hip-hop, claiming that worthwhile rap music is made by many rappers from across the spectrum, and expressing fandom and appreciation for "mainstream" artists such as Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, T.I. and 50 Cent as well as respected artists who are more associated with the underground or the purist tradition, such as Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Aesop Rock, Lupe Fiasco, Jay Electronica, Joe Budden, and his friends and frequent collaborators Murs and Joell Ortiz. Among his personal favorites are several rappers who are less acclaimed by the traditional rap purist canon, such as WC, Chubb Rock and Paris.

"Uncle Sam Goddamn" Controversy

Brother Ali has been under pressure from the recording industry due to lyrics from his song "Uncle Sam Goddamn", claiming creative interference from "somebody I don't wanna name, but some of you probably has their cell phones." The unnamed corporation ultimately withdrew its sponsorship of Ali, causing him to truncate parts of his 2007 tour.^[7][8] Furthermore, on the song "Second Time Around" with Benzi and Wale, Ali makes references to being kicked off a tour followed by the line "Verizon dissed me too, cuz I was too political." The song is notably critical of the United States government, with accusations that the political system is addicted to war.

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

Singles

References

External links

• Official Website
• Artist profile at Rhymesayers Entertainment
• Live at SXSW 2007 on 89.3 The Current
• 2009 State of Mind interview
• 2009 National Public Radio - All Things Considered interview
• "Dark Star," City Pages, April 11, 2007