We currently live in a time where most rappers are no more than manufactured constructs built and assembled by their record labels. Style, substance and truth are all thrown to the way side for fabrications used to paint a picture of a character that doesn’t exist. Beneath the surface of main stream Hip Hop, there are a number of rappers serving as polar opposites to their counterparts who dwell above ground, one of them being Brother Ali. The Minneapolis born MC not only delivers a wide range of topics and content, but offers a unique style and tenacity that is unseen in many rappers today praised by the masses.

Brother Ali is an incomparable individual indeed, he was born with a rare condition called Albinism, a disorder that causes lack of pigmentation normally seen in skin, hair and eyes. There has been debate and confusion surrounding his race and ethnicity due to his condition that he has been forced to address constantly. One thing that has been prevalent in his response to this particular dilemma and others in his life is his honesty, a quality that has been lost in today’s Hip Hop. His most celebrated release, “Undisputed Truth”, supports the claim of its title as Ali allows his listeners into his personal life with songs about his divorce, homelessness, custody battles, and his racial identity. It is a rarity for rappers to delve so deep into their private affairs, but Brother Ali welcomes listeners into his world with descriptive lyrics and clear imagery. On the song “Faheem”, Ali speaks to his son about their situation being homeless and in poverty.  “I just pray you don’t remember us sleeping on the floor/and me cleaning mouse droppings outta your toys/it took a lot of hard for us to get where we at/and young man we ain’t quittin’ at that.”

Ali has video titled “Uncle Sam Goddamn“, a track with an indepth look at America’s horrible past of genocide and murder. The dreadful yet actual images of enslaved Africans and native Americans in the video serve as a perfect back drop to Ali’s lyrics as he holds this country to task for its past crimes. ”Welcome to the United Snakes/The land of the free, the home of the slave.” The sentiments expressed in this song are those you would expect to hear from artists like Dead Prez, Ice Cube or Nas, not from a white rapper born in Minneapolis. The production on this track, like most of his others, has a very soulful sound to it that Ali compliments perfectly with his melodic rhyming style where it almost sounds like he’s singing some of his lyrics. With his willingness to get personal with his audience through his music and express his opinions on the ills of society, Brother Ali brings an element to the rap game that has been missing—-Undisputed Truth.

Mansa Motif @ http://ofoneculture.com/