Just started listening to Brother Ali's stuff recently. Shit... have I EVER been missing out. You can hear this beautiful bastard putting every ounce of his soul into every syllable. Damn. Gonna be bumpin' this and the rest of Rhymesayers for the foreseeable future.
+Grant Larson I wanted to like Grieves, he's in my wheelhouse and all. Just couldn't. It feels soul-less after Atmosphere, Tech, Brother Ali, Sage, Scroobius. He just just doesn't have that soul in his music.
+ariesghost good list there looked up the 2 i dont know cuz i like all the others and scroobius was pretty decen but i put in sage and got sage one, sage francis, sage the gemini, and greg sage. which one did you mean? its mostly between sage one and francis for my guess cuz i dont think you were putting in greg with that list cuz thats a band, gemini was not very good though it was a song talking about how i remember him and i dont so that wasnt very relatable. and then one and francis were actual decent rappers
i love how the man incorporates his spiritual life into music. too many people are ashamed to even start talkin' about that shit. with people like Guru passing on, hip hop needs a new generation of dudes/ladies who are gonna keep challenging our minds to elevate.
check this out, Brother Ali was one of the artists interviewed in the book "H OW T O RA P - The Art and Science of the Hip-Hop MC" Really great read, he drops a ton of knowledge in that book and they also interviewed a load of other HipHop legends for it
Brother Ali makes me proud to be from Minnesota! I love his lyrics, The first song I heard was Forest Witiker. I was feeling down and my homie said to listen to it. Gave me a whole new outlook on life!
Either I grew up, or Hip-Hop wasn't what I thought it was---DON'T MATTER THOUGH!...Either way, thank God for change. I shall never be settled on one idea, vision or belief. Self-taught is the only route to greatness.
"You can either choose the heart or the fist; but you'll connect with me if ya path ever intersects with me..." Been listening to this song for years and that one line just hit me. Sometimes one bar just takes that long to sink in... Line is rugged.
Shadows on the Sun & This album back to back were so damn consistently good. Even his early mixtape Rites Of Passage I had before he was on Rhymesayers was good. With 3 day journey on it. I watched Ali come up into the scene and every time Ive seen him live... he was great. Puts a ton of energy into his sets.
Garry Lisle Man I've been meeting so many people from other countries lately through a common bond of hip hop... and talking to them. It's amazing. The two Swedish people I talk to are awesome. Brother Ali puts on amazing shows and has downright amazing lyrics. If you ever want some recommendations hit me up. I listen to some Hip Hop from your side of the pond too. maybe we could toss some music back and forth. I love hearing new stuff.
Garry Lisle Will do Ill link you to something I just found I liked a lot that collabed with one of my favorite Canadian Rappers and a group from your way I never heard of but I like the track a lot for a recording and video shot in just one night
I remember when this came out. Ali came to Chicago, Abbey Pub. Humble dude, signed an autograph for me. Great performer too. This dude came to Northwestern about 7 years ago as a nobody before Shadows of the Sun. Even then I knew this cat had something...he was freestyle battlin Eyedea on stage and spittin some ill stuff. I think right after that Rhymesayers picked him up. You can't really say anything negative about this dudes skills.
It is off-kilter for damn sure. His rhythm and pitch is unconventional and even awkward at times, but he fucking nails it. It's his own way of doing things. He's self-taught.
He's nice! "There's a thin line between hunger, and anger... I ride a uni-cycle through the middle." I loved this song from this point on. Just now heard of this guy. I love great hip hop!
love this song, it seems almost everyone thinks you have to go to a traditional school to learn and grow when this can not be farther from the truth. props to all the self taught jedi warriors expressing there individuality!
who ever does not like this yo keep following the system blindly like the sheep you are. those who like this well self taught and congrates every day you have graduate that of life everyday.
Nuff respect to you Brother I truelly appreciate your music man it's a positive thing to see and hear. Just a big shame that mainstream hip hop fans don't listen more to artist like you. Big up to you for keeping it real.
brother ali and atmosphere are the best kept secrets in hip hop....but if either went mainstream, i don't think they would change...they would both keep makin feel good rap and dope lyrics
The truth of life has been revealed, we can finally know where we came from, who we are, and where were going. This is the truth the evidence suggests.
All that is now The only issue with this comment is that it is based on the Koran. There is still no proof that the Koran is the ultimate truth. If it is an interest of yours then you should also read "The Lost Book Of Enki." Either way the message he sends is clear for our future in all of his songs. Very powerful. The mentioning of his specific religious beliefs does cause him to loose followers however, which is a severe downside to his work. Amazing artist.
U saved my Life My Freedom and helped me grow here in the USA 4 OUR People!!!! Solutions and Community Revolution working on building my formula. U Inspire me!!!!!!
This is one of the songs that got me hooked on hip-hop. I was born during the golden era but never realized it until a couple years ago and to be honest with all those hip-hop greats out there I'll still come back to Brother Ali because he's one of the ones that introduced me to hip-hop.
The difference between the rhymesayers and eminem is every single one of the rhymesayers crew brings a strong real message of what's really going on and teaches people to be conscious and mindful instead off excepting things as there layed out. Eminem messages are distorted and he's playing a role. Yeah there all white but it has nothing to do with color because we are equal regardless of race religion financial situation but the people in the world need to OPEN THEIR EYES
As someone who grew up listening to em, man isn't just drugs and violence my guy. Especially later on in his career, he had some pretty good messages he was pushing. Plus, even early on he was a big supporter of free speech which is an admirable goal to defend.
All I needed was someone to believe in me.. And this song has shown me that all I need all anyone needs is to believe in yourself... Roll with the punches and take any opening visible.. Or invisible.. Forgive the rock on but rock on.. For a hip hip song.. One of many..
Shit, Brother Ali is legally blind and he named himself Brother Ali which is mu'fuckin DOPE! I got Muslim friends and they tell me dat Ali wuz a strong fighter who fought for freedom back in the 1400's. Man this rapper has mah UTMOST respect! :p
MrGladBEASTftw He is actually legally blind. He can see things up close but anything more than a few feet away and he can't make it out. "Blind in the eyes so I see you with my heart"
loco oh, i have a Muslim friend who is Shi'a (sorry if i misspelled) - he told me bout brother ali, and a bit about hassan and hussain. :) and ali. they were warriors who fought for justice, yet the bad people killed them. :(
its true that atmosphere, brother ali and slug arnt from seattle...but all of them deff have a west coast flow. seattle truly is the center of real, lyrical hip hop.
1. Payola. This is where record companies pay for airplay on commercial radio. This is illegal -but completely business-as-usual. It's a great example of white-collar crime. To bite Kool Moe Dee, "There's nothing on the radio that hasn't been paid for." 2. The First Amendment. Set on fire and burned to the ground. Brother Ali's speech threatens to UNDO the misinformation and disinformation propaganda the US government, US public education system, and the Establishment-owned mainstream media has so carefully and deeply embedded.
Uncle Sam Goddamn speaks truth to power. It was released as a single, putting Brother Ali and Rhymesayers on the Feds radar -so that by the time the full album was released and Ali was touring -the Feds froze Ali's and RSE's assets. It wasn't that the government actually believed they had probable cause or legal justification for doing so -they simply knew that they would be able to temporarily "turn off Ali's megaphone" so to speak, by temporarily bankrupting them by tying their assets up until it could be worked out in the courts. And even temporarily silencing him was good enough. Especially in the middle of an album release tour. Which is why they also imposed travel restrictions on Ali at the same time.
"Ever since day one...just me and where I'm coming from Rites of passage, and shadows on the sun My people I stand before you as a man with more true shit, than he knows what do with" And brother Ali still gets slept on... Talented story teller, with a good message, and lyrical prowess? What does an MC have to do to make it big? Sell out? Thank god MCs like Brother Ali, Immortal Technique, RA, and many more, are staying true to the craft. Real rap ain't dead...it just went underground. It had to do something to survive the nuclear blast of the " young thugs, designers, and all those " lil " mutha fuckers.... lil poop, lil zan - addict, that slow, slow row your boat, mutha fucker lil Down syndrome, I mean lil yachty
brother Ali is bad to the bone.... I met him along time ago and thought he was on the edge of being a superstar... he puts his heart into his music and that is rare these days..
brother ali is hella under rated. hes deserves more of that atmosphere success. hope to see more of him in the spotlight in the future. mpls/st paul gettin put on the map from these cats.
Can I get a hallelujah for Minneapolis? I don't give a shit if he blows up, gets radio play like Wayne or whatever, couldn't give less of a fuck. I'll keep this gold to myself. Nobody else needs to know how dope he is and if you do, just appreciate that "this shit is amazing"
Hip-Hop's a culture. Hip = intelligence, Hop = movement. Hip-Hop = intelligent movement. Rap was just one part of the culture, just like Graffiti, Bboying and DJing. If a rap song embraces intelligent movement, then it's Hip-Hop.
I truly believe in my heart soul and mind, if people really know what ppl call “God”, there is never a need to take or strike out at any other belief describing-the same as we all know we don’t completely understand it, though we try:) God bless you Ali:)
everyone says hip hop is dying and all this but hip hop still has true artists. even this day greats are making music. tupac died and rap went to a whole other level. if you want to argue just think about this. brother ali immortal technique canibus joe budden dead prez aesop rock. and there is more people coming they just won't come out until these people leave it alone. Its just the name of the game
New kid in school, didnt rule nothing To this day I rap like Im trying to prove something Little bit aggressive, when I spit a sentence Till you get the message You couldn't pay me to quit professin' Rock sixty-one sold out shows, came home, and caught a bus to the sixty-second Shirt sweated full of work ethic Been in love with the shit since I first met it Rhymesayers is the first to come, last to leave Ain't no tricks up our sleeve, this is what we believe amazing.
