Here is the first official and self-titled single off Brother Ali's upcoming album, Us, which hits stores the 22nd of September, but can/should be pre-ordered here via Fifth Element Online. And as a bonus, all pre-orders will be entered in a drawing to win and iPod Touch loaded with ALL of Brother Ali’s past and present music including “Rites of Passage” (currently out of print) and a variety of Ali and other Rhymesayers’ artists music videos.
The Undisputed Truth is the third full-length album by hip hop artist Brother Ali, his second major release. It was released on April 10, 2007 on Rhymesayers Entertainment. The album is produced entirely by ANT of Atmosphere. The first single, "Truth Is", was released on January 9, 2007 and is available for download at Rhymesayers Entertainment's official site. The second single is "Uncle Sam Goddamn". Additionally, the song "Whatcha Got" is featured in the EA Sports game Madden 08.
In the period of promotion before the release of the album, several videos were released of various hip hop icons talking about Brother Ali and this upcoming album. In one video, Slug from Atmosphere is shown getting a tattoo while praising Ali and the new album; at the end of the video, the camera reveals that he has just had the title of the album tattooed in large letters across the side of his neck.
The album debuted at number 69 on the U.S. Billboard 200, selling about 11,000 copies in its first week.
01. Whatcha' Got 02. Lookin' At Me Sideways 03. Truth Is 04. The Puzzle 05. Pedigree 06. Daylight 07. Freedom Ain't Free 08. Letter From The Government 09. Here 10. Listen Up 11. Take Me Home 12. Uncle Sam Goddamn 13. Walking Away 14. Faheem 15. Ear To Ear
X-Rae- In comparison to Brother Ali's previous releases, The Undisputed Truth sees him on a very much more personal journey. He parted with the mother of his son, went through a bitter custody battle and had to essentially rebuild his life from the ground up - series of events which caused him to be be homeless with his son twice. He appears to use this album as a cathartic process through which he releases all the emotions associated with the events he has experienced. He tackles issues such as the debate over his race, breaking up with his wife, raising his son, his religion, being asked to fight for his country and much, much more.
As a huge Brother Ali fan, I loved hearing the very subtle references to past joints; On Looking At You Sideways he says 'I ain't learned jack shit from Dorian (Shadows On The Sun) at all; Let me hear you abusing the culture I adore; I'll come across the hall and get involved like this here'; On Daylight he refers to the 'Whatever comes up, comes out' lyrics featured on Rain Water (Champion EP); And on Letter From The Government he makes references to the 'I grind til the sparks fly off the concrete' line referred to on Fire In The Eye (Off The Record). It's almost like he anticipated that people would view Undisputed as a complete contrast and somehow still managed to tie it in with his past works. Whether it's intentional, who knows, but it's effective.
Ali comes across on this album as a strong man, defying all the odds that are thrown against him and through perseverance and strength of character delivers a big 'Fuck You!' to all challenges. I have yet to come across an emcee who puts so much heart into his music that you can hear it in his voice. You can tell when he's mad, when he's hurt, when he's contemplative, when he's hyped - not only through his lyrics but by the way he delivers them. On Here, Ali talks about having the courage to change your life if you are unhappy with it:
"I don't like my life I gut it, rebuild it Keep nothing but God and my children I kill the devil wherever he resides Even if he hide under me he got to die I killed little Jason he was only fifteen Sewd his good traits together, made Ali Filled his lungs with the Qu'ran until he breathe Let him walk but kept him on a short leash Here he stand now seventeen year old man child Ain't ask nobody for a mother fucking hand out He trying to carry heaven on his back Jumped the broom with a stranger, he ain't never look back What he know about how the world spin? Bless his heart he a virgin never even had a girlfriend Want to be a man so bad that he can taste it His family fell apart and he's tryin' to replace it You'll find in him a heart that is second to none But I know old soul that his lessons ain't done so I stand willing to kill him again If to grow he got to shed his skin then let it be done"
Puzzle is one of my favourite joints on the album. Here he talks about how the struggles in life go towards making us stronger people. It's one of the most empowering tracks I've ever heard, and it's not some corny, self-help type shit, it's just fucking real. He throws in our faces the fact that we are all dealt shit blows in life, but:
"see to it that your head is up; Just never let your chest and your chin touch in public... Every stone that's ever been cast or blow that's ever landed; Helped to build the man that's standing before your bitchass; I'm back to reak havoc; I never retired, retreated or recanted, I; Don't expect you to have stood where I'm standing, Why; Respect is the only thing I'm demanding, Try; You can't honestly shake til you know where my hands been, brother."
Walking Away has seemingly simple production but it's such a clever choice of beat when you consider the context of the subject matter. Here, Ali addresses his son's mother and the reasons that they seperated over a quiet blues type beat. A whistle sample runs through the track and as he's rhyming you can just picture him 'walking away' from her, whistling that melody. So although it's not your typical bitter diss track about the ex.. the beat alone, and the way Ali phrases his thoughts, he asserts himself as the 'winner' in that situation. Straight after, Ali goes into a track addressing his son, Faheem over what might be Ant's most powerful beat on the album. It is just incredible. Appropriately, Ali refrains from complex rhyme schemes and bravado and just recites a letter from the heart, from father to son. The album ends on a perfect note: Ear to Ear. This is the happy ending, where he says he might not have much, but he has whats important: 'my life, my God, my songs... I'm feeling fly as hell right about now; I done pushed a whole lotta hell outta my house'. He has his son, his music, his religion and has rid himself of all his demons.
Okay, I could actually write a novel on this so I'll kinda cut it short. Needless to say, I think this album is unbelievable. Just take the time to listen to it from start to finish, in order and keep in mind that it was 3 years between this and his last release, and in that time, he experienced a lot of shit, all of which all goes into this project. He's not solely concerned with making his rhymes the most clever out there or spitting a whole lot of attention grabbing lyrics - Nah, he's just not as pretentious as many emcees out there are. What he does do is put himself, Brother Ali, the man himself, on wax..and it just so happens that he is excels as a lyricist. As he says on Truth Is; "Not nearly a single solitary soul; Still put the kind of passion to the mic that I hold; One day it'll have to be pryed from my cold dead hand; Until then the big man is gold." Alot of people might not be feeling the introspective approach but it's just Ali doing him and expressing himself through his music and that's the best thing about it.
Music is an art, the emcee is the artist - and Ali lays it down on Undisputed like a world class painter does on canvas. With all the mushy stuff, lets not take away from his incredibly intelligent lyrics, concepts and wordplay and Ant's dope ass production throughout. This is one of my favourite releases of 2007. The man is a genius.
|| Review from amazon.com || For an EP that is 40 minutes long, this is truly remarkable stuff. I bought this EP and it's full length predecessor "Shadows of the Sun", at the same time, and I've (Bizarrely) stuck this EP of my first listening experience of Brother Ali, and whilst listening to it, I was just wowed by his stunning ability to lay this all down on record, and express a level of consciousness, and ability of Weaving intricate stories, that is staggering in many places. This is so far ahead of what's out there, that it ceases to be funny. This is one of the most brilliantly written, and impressively crafted hip-hop albums in recent years, and it's less concerned with sounding good, whilst your rolling in your ride, and more interested in making you think, long after you've removed the CD, from your CD Player (although that's months later, for some of you). Whether your into thinking man's Hip-Hop, Indie Hip-Hop, or you just wanna listen to hip-hop that isn't concerned with dumbing down the music/message, in an effort to get regular MTV rotation, then it's time to open your wallet (or purse), and make the purchase, for one of hip-hop's most sorely underrated acts.
01. Champion (Remix) 02. Bad Ma Fucka 03. Sleepwalker 04. Love on Display 05. Self Taught 06. Head Down (You Haven't Done That Yet) 07. Chain Link 08. Waheedah's Hands 09. Rain Water
|| Review from hiphopdx.com || Shadows On The Sun is Ali’s true debut, and he does nothing but shine. Ali packs as much energy and heart into this album as I’ve ever heard, with Atmosphere producer extraordinaire, Ant, matching him every step of the way. That is instantly evident on the opening track Room With A View as Ali gets open over Ant’s jacked up horns. Versatility is defined in the next several tracks as Ali goes from battle raps (Champion) to tongue-in-cheek storytelling (Prince Charming) to teaching life lessons (Win Some Lose Some). Blah Blah Blah, which features Slug, is just an incredible beat that is dismantled by the emcees talking smack to their peers.
The battle rhymes are dope, but much like Slug, Ali is at his best when he gets personal. Forest Whitiker ranks up there as one of the most inspirational songs I’ve ever heard. If this strength doesn’t hit home, you should probably check your pulse; “Hey yo dependin’ on the day, and dependin’ on what I ate/I’m anywhere from 20 to 35 pounds overweight/I’ve got red eyes and one of’ems lazy/and they both squint when the sun shines till I be crazy/I’m albino man I know I’m pink and pale/and I’m hairy everywhere but fingernails/I shave a cranium that ain’t quite shaped right/face type shiny I stay up and write late nights/my wardrobe is jeans and faded shirts/a mixture of what I like and what I wear to work/I’m knock-kneed and got a neck full of razor bumps/I’m not the classic profile of what the ladies want/you might think I’m depressed as can be/but when I look in the mirror I see sexy ass me/and if that’s something you can’t respect then that’s peace/my life’s better without you actually/to anyone out there who’s a little different/I say damn a magazine these is God’s fingerprints/you can call me ugly but can’t take nothing from me/I am who I am you ain’t gotta love me.”
Every song on this album deserves some mention, but unfortunately I am not afforded that kind of space. Just know this, there is not one misstep on this album. From front to back and back to front, Shadows On the Sun is flat out incredible. Ant once again proves he is easily a top-ten producer and Ali has released the best album of the year. I don’t remember the last album I listened to 40 times in a week. If you miss this album, you gotta rethink why you are even listening to hip-hop…this is classic material.
1. Room With A View 2. Champion 3. Star Quality 4. Prince Charming 5. Win Some Lose Some 6. Pay Them Back 7. Blah Blah Blah feat. Slug 8. Shadows On The Sun 9. Prelude 10. Forest Whitiker 11. Bitchslap! 12. Back Stage Pacin' 13. When The Beat Comes In 14. Missing Teeth 15. Dorian 16. Soul Whisper 17. Picket Fence 18. Victory! (Come Forward)
FILI- Yep, that review is spot on. Brother Ali is my favorite MC and when you got Ant from Atmosphere laying down all your beats, you know the album is gonna be incredible. Trust me, you want real hip hop, then cop this album. One of the best hip hop albums ever, period! If you like the album, message me and I'll hook you up with more Brother Ali material. I'll post up the classic EP which was released the following year.
Two of the biggest and most charismatic indie rappers are at it again. Slug & Murs return to pay homage to another "underground" actress in need of a little well deserved attention. This time they brought Atmosphere producer Ant along to create the musical bed for this fun filled soul/funk ride.
01. Reintroduciton 02. Employees Of The Year 03. Your Mans and Them 04. Lisa (Never Easty On My Nextel) 05. Morris Day 06. Dirty Girl 07. Early Mornin' Tony 08. Breaker Down Like a Shotgun 09. Marvin Gaye 10. Life Vegas 11. Bonet (Cement Angels) 12. Woman Tonight 13. Gangster Ass Anthony 14. The Biggest Lie 15. I Shot a Warhol
FILI- Do not let this album pass you by, Murs & Slug are legends in the underground hip hop scene and to have them both spittin on the same album with Ant on the boards, well... you can't go wrong can ya!!! Check out the classic tracks: Morris Day, Dirty Girl, Marvin Gaye & Woman Tonight!
Here is the first official and self-titled single off Brother Ali's upcoming album, Us, which hits stores the 22nd of September, but can/should be pre-ordered here via Fifth Element Online. And as a bonus, all pre-orders will be entered in a drawing to win and iPod Touch loaded with ALL of Brother Ali’s past and present music including “Rites of Passage” (currently out of print) and a variety of Ali and other Rhymesayers’ artists music videos.
