The best music that you've never heard #11 Brother Ali

itsteems (33)in #music • 7 years ago

First of all: Peace & Love to everybody,
and who can say it better than Brother Ali?
We have surpassed the big number 10 already!
Now it's time for number 11 of: 'The best music that you've never heard'.
Are you ready? Good!
For this episode, we have Brother Ali of the Rhymesayers Entertainment label.
For all people that are new to the episodes,
I will leave the links to the last 10 episodes at the end of this post.
Here is the information from Wikipedia about Brother Ali:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brother_Ali

Ali Douglas Newman (born Jason Douglas Newman, July 30, 1977), better known by his stage name Brother Ali, is an American rapper, community activist and member of the Rhymesayers Entertainment hip-hop collective.

Ali was born in Madison, Wisconsin with albinism, a disorder characterized by the complete or partial absence of pigment in the skin, hair, and eyes. He moved with his family to Michigan for a few years and then settled in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1992. He attended Robbinsdale Cooper High School in New Hope, Minnesota. He began rapping at age eight.

Ali converted to Islam at age 15 and followed Imam Warith Deen Mohammed. During this time, Ali was selected to join a group of students on a Malaysian study tour, in which they explored the way that a more liberal Islamic society could peacefully coexist with different religions.

Ali credits his conversion to Islam to fellow Hip Hop musician KRS-One, whom he met during a lecture at age 13 at a local Minnesotan university. When asked about his faith, Ali stated "KRS-One was actually the one who told me I should read Malcolm X. He assigned the autobiography of Malcolm X to me; I read it, and that’s what led to me becoming a Muslim."

Personal life
Ali has stated in the past that he was influenced by hip hop culture at an early age. In an interview with Huck Magazine, he stated “Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve always been into hip hop. I started B-boying when I was about seven years old. Eventually, that led to me falling in love with the words."

Ali has a son, Faheem, from his first marriage, and his music frequently addresses his role as a father, parent, and husband. Ali remarried in 2006. The song "Real as Can Be" off his EP The Truth Is Here says he also has a daughter on the way. In 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 got a boy now the baby girl's here/ Bought us a house like the Berenstain Bears."

Ali often makes fun of the media's constant urge to mention his albinism condition in the first lines of their reviews or newspaper articles. He is also legally blind which is caused by his albinism.

In an article entitled The Art of Mourning in America, Brother Ali said his favorite food is Sweet Potato Pie. The interview was conducted during the Month of Ramadan and Ali performed a freestyle: “lifelong Starvation every month is Ramadan, walk in the crib and I'm surprised that the power's on.”

Activism:
Social Justice

Many of Ali's themes of social justice are incorporated into his lyricism, though he also takes part in activism outside of the music. He primarily focuses on themes of racial inequality, slavery, and critiquing the United States government, though overarching themes of hope, acceptance, and rising from sorrow are also often present. Much attention was garnered through Ali's album, The Undisputed Truth, as it heavily criticized much about the United States' political system. After the music video for Uncle Sam Goddamn was released in 2007, it quickly gained much attention, and shortly after, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security froze a money transfer to his record label.

Protest

In 2012, Ali was arrested along with thirty-seven others while occupying the home of a Minneapolis resident to fight the house's foreclosure. The goal of the protesters was to block the eviction of the family through their assembly and occupancy, but they were unsuccessful. Ali ended up using his celebrity as a platform to discuss these events, and bring them to the attention of his audience.

Privilege

Ali deals heavily with the notion of privilege, and focuses on bringing to mind issues that are all too often ignored within society. He stated in an interview with Yes! (U.S. magazine) magazine that "The best definition of privilege I’ve heard is anything you don't have to wrestle with, that you don't have to think about". Ali feels a certain obligation to act politically, as he is unwilling to sit aside after experiencing all he has. He states, "I feel like that's my job, and I feel like within the last few years I fully woke up to that, found the courage to understand that, and stepped out like that".

Let's begin with a very peaceful track:

Brother Ali - Own Light (What Hearts Are For) [Official Video]

Brother Ali - Mourning in America (Official Video)

Brother Ali - Never Learn (Official Video)

Brother Ali - Uncle Sam Goddamn (Official Video)

Brother Ali - Pen To Paper (Official Video)

Brother Ali - Only Life I Know (Official Video)

Classified - Maybe It's Just Me ft. Brother Ali

Brother Ali - Us (Official Video)

Brother Ali - Shine On feat. Nikki Jean (Official Video)

Brother Ali - Take Me Home (Official Video)

Brother Ali - Good Lord (Official Video)

Jake One - The Truth feat. Freeway and Brother Ali (Official Video)

Brother Ali - Not A Day Goes By (Official Video)

Public Enemy - Get Up Stand Up Featuring Brother Ali [OFFICIAL VIDEO]

Brother Ali - Breakin' Dawn (Official Video)

Brother Ali - Writer's Block (prod. Jake One) [Official Video]

Bonus tracks:

Brother Ali - Self Taught

Brother Ali - Walking Away

R.A. the Rugged Man - The Dangerous Three ft. Brother Ali, Masta Ace

Another underrated talented artist for ya'll to put in your playlists!
What do you think of Brother Ali's music?
Let us know and don't forget to follow:

@itsteems