Brother Ali premieres new video on MTVu, pens blog on Frank Ocean for Huffington Post, discusses the importance of voting with VIBE TV, kicks off nationwide tour and prepares album release Mourning in America and Dreaming in Color on Tuesday
"Only Life I Know"
Youtube Embed
Brother Ali on Barack Obama and Voting
The Intersection of Homophobia and Hip Hop:
Where Tyler Met Frank
Pre-Order Album out September 18th
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http://www.rhymesayers.com/brotherali]
"The underground Albino best known for his bare honesty and daunting sociopolitical messages is back upon the always-groovy Jake Uno beats that are hard not to like" VIBE
"His choir-filled, percussion-driven beat is a fitting setting for the always-soulful and thoughtful Ali, who touches on a slew of topics across the track's four-minute running time. The Minneapolis spitter has a lot to get off his chest here, so make sure you're listening up." Complex Magazine
"The 14-track LP was recorded over the course of two months in Seattle, and was inspired by the practicing Muslim’s first trip to Mecca, the Arab Spring and the Occupy movements."
Paste Magazine
"That hard knocking, soulful, Jake Uno composition coupled with Brother Ali’s insights and spoken truths, makes for yet another superb collaboration between the two." Mass Appeal
"The word "real" has been so fractured, distorted and debated over the years that it's become essentially meaningless, but still...there's not many dudes alive realer that Brother Ali. The Rhymesayers staple always gives you his life straight up, no chaser." Refined Hype
"Seattle beatsmith Jake One, who produced the record in its entirety, is in full beast mode on the track which finds Ali diving into a host of sociopolitical ills. Brother Ali is a shining example of art imitating life, as evidenced by his June arrest in solidarity with the Occupy Homes movement." URB
"Brother Ali is fundamentally committed to truth and justice. He's part of a great tradition in this country and around the world that highlights the wretched of the earth, allows them to undergo an awakening and shatters their sleepwalking. I want the world to know that Ali is my brother and I have so much great love and respect for him. We're part of the same tradition concerned with Truth and Justice. He does it in his own smooth, sophisticated way. Sometimes he's funky and sometimes he's direct, but I love the way he tells the truth. The album itself (Mourning in America and Dreaming in Color) is such a force for good and a food source for people's souls. People can feel the love on the vanilla side of town and on the chocolate side of town. It's a human thing. A love thing. Just for me to be a small part of this album at this time is a blessing." ~Dr. Cornel West
After racking up 10 million views on Youtube and rockin' stages from Coachella to Conan O'Brien - indie hip-hop's finest, Brother Ali is set to release his long awaited fourth studio album, Mourning in America and Dreaming in Color
produced by Jake One
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(Los Angeles, CA - September 12, 2012) Fully recharged and inspired by his eye-opening first trip to Mecca, the 2011 uprisings in the Middle East, and the world wide Occupy movements, Brother Ali is prepared to unveil his fourth full-length offering Mourning in America and Dreaming in Color on September 18th. Created during a self-imposed two-month exile in Seattle and helmed by platinum-selling producer Jake One (Jay-Z, Rick Ross, 50 Cent, T.I., Wiz Khalifa), the album presents a scathing yet honest critique of America and its many flaws while simultaneously presenting a hopeful outlook of its possibilities. Preceded by the release of free music downloads with accompanying music videos such as “Shine On," "Writer’s Block,” and “Not A Day Goes By," Mourning in America and Dreaming in Color is the pièce de résistance.
In an age of hip-hop where the paradigm of swag over substance reigns supreme, few emcees are willing to use their platform to tackle the hot-button topics and pressing social maladies of our time - but it’s apparent that Minneapolis-based hip-hop artist Brother Ali is one of those few. Over the course of 14 tracks with assists from esteemed author/ professor Dr. Cornel West, revered Southern hip-hop icon Bun B, and Def Poetry Jam poet Amir Sulaiman, the album brazenly holds a mirror to the idiosyncrasies of American life while simultaneously painting a vibrant portrait of its wondrous potential. Actualizing hip-hop’s full range of motion as a gage for the times, Mourning In America and Dreaming In Color asserts itself as the definitive soundtrack of a disenchanted, disenfranchised, and wildly optimistic citizenry during a landmark period in American history. In a moment of artistic preemptive strike, Brother Ali recognized this prime opportunity to examine and address the underpinnings of the burgeoning stance of mass opposition:
“This is not just a new album, but a new chapter. There’s a kind of democratic reawakening in people at this point in time. I was really looking to take these topics and really hit them hard. To try to open ears and hearts and invite people to take some action and feel empowered. To be engaged and take some agency and responsibility for what’s going on in the world.”
Melding the zeitgeist of classic works such as Ice Cube’s critical 1991 album Death Certificate and Marvin Gaye’s 1971 sociopolitical opus What’s Goin’ On with his keen observations on topics such as race, the Occupy movement, and the hypocrisy of war, Brother Ali has crafted a fresh lyrical approach and dynamic new sound - the result is a stunning collection of hard-hitting lyrics and beats.
The state of the union address commences with “Letter To My Countrymen,” a spirited appeal to fellow Americans with a tailor made guest vocal from Cornel West. Brother Ali speaks on the institution of poverty on “Only Life I Know” while the quasi-autobiographical “Stop The Press” addresses his albinism, the death of his father, and his remarkable yet challenging journey through hip-hop. “Mourning In America,” in part the album’s title track, offers a brutally honest look at America’s convoluted and hypocritical relationship to murder. Featuring a searing verse from poet Amir Sulaiman, “Gather Round” is a battle cry to the masses to take an ardent interest in the social ills plaguing society. Brother Ali puts underemployment and hyper consumerism in the face of socioeconomic turmoil on blast on “Work Everyday.” “Need A Knot,” featuring the voice of Bun B, finds Brother Ali skillfully veiling a series of odd jobs in analogies of illegal hustles. “Namesake” is the seldom-told tale of a pre-fame Muhammad Ali – one of America’s most dynamic personas whom Brother Ali is also named after. The set ends with the outro “Singing This Song,” a track that showcases another one of Brother Ali’s passions – speaking engagements. The song features highlights of Ali's riveting public address at a mass demonstration demanding justice for Trayvon Martin.
Mourning in America and Dreaming in Color, in all its sonic and lyrical glory, promises to be both the voice of a burgeoning new critical American consciousness and the beacon of hope for those that hold fast to its ideals and potential.
For More Information:
[email protected]
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More Information on 38-City Mourning in America Tour
Huffington Post Premieres Politically Charged Music Video
"Mourning in America"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKHsGh-y8d8
"Possessed of serious skills and a social conscience"
"Ali is a 'soldier in the war for love'."
"One of the first great voices to emerge from the underground so far this century....but if rap didn't exist, he'd be the greatest high school guidance counselor in Minneapolis."
"Prolific Rhymesayers spitter Brother Ali"
"One of the most prominent artists in independent hip-hop is a white Muslim albino from Minneapolis"
"What gives Brother Ali's slice-of-life ruminations their impressive heft is the rapper's eye for everyday detail and the handmade appeal of his vintage-funk arrangements"
"One of the strongest voices in independent Hip Hop today"
"One of the most respected MCs on the independent scene."
"Hip-hop is a crowded game, and most MCs have to work overtime to find the one thing that sets them apart from the pack. Brother Ali, not so much"
"Brother Ali is a rarity in the rap game - an artist who takes responsibility through his lyrics in voicing the concerns of the people. Ali's material distances himself from the rest by widening his point of view and delivering a true, tragic, and ultimately life affirming view of the world in which he lives."
"My "greatest rapper" list reads differently from most. Ghostface Killah resides at the zenith, beside Rakim's throne, and Minneapolis truth agent Brother Ali - who just earned a spot in my Top Five Alive column"
Acum trebuie să fac Lego de fiecare dată... E incomod rău să iei gratis albumele astea de pe net!