Brother Ali

Usually when you a white guy is a rapper, he gets some extra deserved scrutiny. But what happens when the rapper isn't just white, but albino? Brother Ali, under the careful watchful eye of nearsayer Atmosphere, excels in the area where most would fail. Even if you aren't a fan of Atmosphere, you will enjoy this album. He crafts the beats for Brother Ali using soulful hooks and melodic beats they keep you wanting to hear the next song. His album "Undisputed Truth" is a rap bible full of incendiary lyrics chastising the the government and it's policies. But the flow is magnificent and the beats are the icing on the cake!

Originally from Madison, Wisconsin, Ali moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota at age 15, where he became involved in the local hip hop scene. He's signed to Rhymesayers Entertainment, a hiphop record label founded by Brent Sayers, Musab S'ad Ali, Derek Turner, Anthony Davis, and Slug, the frontman of Minnesota rap group Atmosphere, with whom Ali has become fast friends.

Ali is an albino and although his appearance made him the brunt of bullying in high school (his response is chronicled on the track "Win Some, Lose Some"), he has come to be unabashedly proud of his distinctive features, celebrating it in a track called "Forest Whitiker", where he called on "anyone out there who's a little different" to stand up and exult in who they are, rather than stay ashamed. Ali is also a devout Muslim, religion being a theme that is mentioned in several of his songs including "Self taught" and "Victory".

Though he initially produced his own material (his cassette tape-only Rites of Passage EP (2000) was self-produced), Brother Ali turned to Ant (Anthony Davis), Rhymesayers Entertainment's in-house producer, to produce his first two major releases on Rhymesayers, 2003's Shadows on the Sun and 2004's Champion EP. The albums proved immediately popular with fans who had largely been introduced to Ali when he opened for Atmosphere on their national tour for the God Loves Ugly album. Ant's funk- and soul-inflected beats often matched the gravitas of Ali's rhymes. Ali's buoyant, agile flow and exuberant, expressive voice resonated on key tracks such as "Star Quality", "Picket Fence", "Forest Whitiker", "Chain Link", and "Rain Water".

Ali's second LP, The Undisputed Truth, was initially due out on March 6, 2007 but was later postponed to an April 10, 2007 release date. The single "Truth Is" was released in early 2007, with "Freedom Ain't Free" as the B side. Both tracks slightly strayed from Ant's trademark soul dipped style, and were tinged with a dub/roots reggae influence.