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 Click for music events Truth Be Told Brother Ali takes a shot at the title
The birthing-zone for successful, mainstream hip-hop in the last
decade--the Midwest--has supplied us with Kanye, Common, Twista, Eminem
and, now, next up to bat, Minnesota's Brother Ali.
Born in Madison, Wisconsin and transplanted to Minneapolis as a
teen, Ali Newman (born Jason) self-produced his first tape, "Rites of
Passage," in 2000, and later released "Shadows on the Sun" and
"Champion," both on Rhymesayers. An opening slot on an Atmosphere tour
had already introduced him to the public and pocketed him a modest but
loyal fan base. For the two records, Ali sought help from Rhymesayers'
Anthony Davis--or Ant--and he provided the beats, soul-infused and, at
times, funk-based, helping shape Ali's blue-collar sound.
What makes him so creatively successful is his ability to recognize
vulnerability that, of course, does not often happen in hip-hop. Ali's
an albino, and the constant bullying and badgering he was victim to
growing up added wood to the fire, a lifetime of hard-living that could
kill some. And with "The Undisputed Truth," Ali's recently released
full-length and fine follow-up to "Shadows on the Sun," he gets
personal. He went through a bad divorce, which lends material to the
album--the track "Walkin' Away" has gotten attention from fans and
critics alike for its straightforward honesty and lack of immature
attacking, a la Eminem ("I didn't want to make an Eminem, `Die Bitch
Die' song, I wanted to make a record of how I feel," the devout Muslim
says)--and, also, he takes on Bush with "Letters from the Government,"
a rightfully angry and uncompromising letter in itself.
He says the changes he went through over the last few years
contributed to the tone of the record. "I wasn't expecting the amount
of recognition that I got [after "Shadows on the Sun"]," he says. "I
went from a kind of struggling, blue-collar worker trying to feed my
family, really struggling to survive, to having a profession in music,
having freedom. That changed my outlook on everything. That kind of led
to the divorce, and everything else. I wanted to make an album that
tells the story of going from one type of life to this life I have now.
But I wasn't quite sure how to approach it--I didn't want to do what
everyone else does. I didn't want to make a song like, `I'm rich, I got
bitches.' It's not quite like that. After this tour I'm gonna buy a car
for the first time."
Ali says he was apprehensive about penning "Walkin' Away" because
of the subject matter but also because he didn't want to copy what's
come before. "I was just kind of scared to do it," he says. "I knew
what I didn't want it to be. I just wanted it to be really, truly
honest. I think that doing things that other people have done, I just
feel like shit. It feels stupid. I have heroes who are rappers--they're
like presidents to me, founding fathers--but I'm never gonna do it like
they did. I'm gonna do it my way."
He says that "Letters from the Government" is just as personal.
"I think everything on this record is personal," he says. "[The
song's about] me being frustrated, how this is pushed down my throat all
the time. `Letters from the Government' is about how insulting it is to
me that poor people, people of color, people in poverty, how they have
to risk their lives to have a decent life. People sign up out of
desperation--it's a lot like people who were close to me who sold drugs,
were involved in gangs. I've buried friends who've done stuff like that.
It's not a whole lot different than people who join the army. They don't
want to sell crack. They're doing it out of desperation."
He continues: "We're always told we're the greatest country, and
the reality is that there are a lot of great things about this country,
but we are not really that free because of our economic circumstances,
because our media doesn't tell us the whole story. We're not told the
truth. We're really not as free as we're told we are."
Ali believes being from the Midwest only helps with his lyrics'
honesty, or, undisputed truth. "I think the Midwest is a place where
people concentrate on life--there's nothing glamorous about the Midwest,
we don't have Hollywood, we don't have Harlem, we don't have Atlanta. We
just have friends and families...Being from the Midwest, there's nothing
superficial. In a lot of cities, you can smell the cow shit in the air,
there's nothing glamorous. It's just us and our real life, and that's
what it's about."
Brother Ali performs with Psalm One April 21 at Subterranean, 2011
West North, (773)278-6600, at 7pm. $12.
Also by Tom Lynch Tip of the Week
The Story of a Band
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Better Men
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Telling the Truth
Blowing Up
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Bizarre Pop Scientist
Deeler's Choice
Tip of the Week
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