Ali Newman (born Jason Newman in 1977), better known by the stage name Brother Ali , is an American hip hop artist.

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Personal Life

Brother Ali is an American Hip Hop artist based in Minneapolis, MN. He was born in Madison, WI and spent his early childhood moving from city to city in the Midwest (mostly in Michigan). Finally Ali’s family settled in North Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1992. He attended Cooper High School in New Hope MN. It was in the North Minneapolis neighborhood where he converted to Islam and was given the name Ali (his birth certificate reads Jason Newman). Brother Ali now lives in a house in South Minneapolis where he continues to record. He has a son named Faheem from his first marriage, and has since married another woman in 2008. He has a newborn daughter named Soul.

Albinism and Race

Brother Ali was born with a rare genetic condition called Albinism. This means he lacks the pigment that would normally give the skin, hair and eyes their color. The condition exists in all ethnic groups throughout the world. Cosmetic evidence of the condition is usually accompanied by visual difficulties (Ali is legally blind).

While Brother Ali’s family is white, he has often described a childhood marked by cruelty and exclusion by his white classmates as a result of his obvious physical abnormality. He’s often explained that, from an early age, he felt most at home amongst African Americans.

When Ali’s career began to blossom, he began to field questions about his race. Due to his stage name (a common reference among religious communities, particularly Muslims i.e. “Brother Jabbar”, “Sister Ayesha”), many writers assumed Ali was black. When questioned on the subject, Ali declined to comment. In hindsight Ali regards this early decision as a mistake. It was wrongly reported that Ali was African American.

“Hip Hop and MCing was my life growing up. I always had dreams of making music and performing for a living. When Slug (of Atmosphere) gave me an opportunity to tour with him, I was introduced to the underground, independent Hip Hop scene. I was really surprised to find a scene where many of the artists and fans were white. I wasn’t sure how to feel about it at first. I eventually decided to just make music that was real to me and let the chips fall where they may. The thing that fucked with me were magazines and music reporters who never cared about or covered rap before this new wave of white artists. That was so incredibly wack to me. So when they got me in an interview and asked me what race I was, I didn’t know what to say. You can look at me and tell I’m not Black so, what is the question really? What are you implying? I didn’t answer them and they decided I must be black.” –Brother Ali, March 20, 2007

Ali released a song on his album, The Undisputed Truth called “Daylight”. The song deals with misconceptions about him and in the third verse he states:

“They ask me if I’m black or white, I’m neither Race is a made up thing, I don’t believe in it But my genes tie me to those that despise me Made a livin’ killing the ones that inspired me I ain’t just talkin’ bout singing and dancing I was taught life and manhood by black men So a small part of me feels like I am them Does that make a liar? Maybe But I don’t want the white folk that praise me to think that they can claim me Cause you didn’t make me You don’t appreciate what I know to be great yet, you relate to me And that frustrates me and what can I say? Cause I know that I benefit from something I hate But make no mistake our connection ain’t fake It’s never too late to clear off the slate If you follow my tapes then you know what I’m about If something comes up then it must come out “

Albums And Career

Ali’s first release was a cassette only demo tape called “Rites Of Passage”. Ali handled all of the production, recording and arranging of the project himself. That tape is what cemented his relationship with local Indie Hip Hop label Rhymesayers Entertainment. Rites Of Passage was released in 2000 and was sold almost exclusively at shows.

In 2003 Brother Ali released his first studio project titled “Shadows On The Sun”. This time he was joined by Atmosphere producer Ant, who provided all of the instrumentals. Although the album had no major national distribution, “Shadows” was heavily praised by independent Hip Hop fans and publications. Ali used the album to explain his childhood and identity.

The Champion EP was Ali’s next CD. Released just a year after “Shadows”, it was presented as an extension of the full length. Leading with a reggae inspired remix of Shadows’ “Champion”, the 9 song EP offered up highlights such as “Rain Water”, a song about Ali losing his mother and grandfather to cancer and suicide.

In spring of 2007 Rhymesayers released “The Undisputed Truth”, Ali and Ant’s full length follow up to “Shadows On The Sun”. “Truth” tells the story of Ali’s divorce from his first wife, his struggle to gain custody of their young son, Faheem and the homelessness he faced as a single father. The first of his releases to be distributed by Warner Brothers Music, Truth debuted at #69 on Billboard’s Top 100.

Brother Ali released an EP and DVD package titled “The Truth Is Here” in March 2009. The album is made up of 9 tracks including a collaboration with Rhymesayers label-mate Slug of Atmosphere.

Ali and producer Ant are also releasing an album in September, 2009. The album was originally titled "Street Preacher" but later changed to "Us". Ali, his DJ BK-One, and fellow Rhymesayers crew members Toki Wright and Evidence will be touring this fall across the nation on the Fresh Air Tour.

Press

Brother Ali has been featured in the hip hop magazine The Source twice. The first was in August 2007, when he had the "Hip Hop Quotable" for a verse in "Uncle Sam Goddamn".

In October 2007 he was featured in an interview in The Source. In May 2007, he was featured in Rolling Stone as a "New Artist to Watch".

TV Appearances

On August 13, 2007 Brother Ali appeared on The Late Late Show and performed his single, Uncle Sam Goddamn off of The Undisputed Truth. On October 19, 2007 Ali appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and performed "Take Me Home" from The Undisputed Truth. ^[1]

Inspirations

Brother Ali has said many times in interviews that he finds much of his inspiration in the 'golden era' of hip hop. In particular, he has highlighted KRS-One and Rakim on numerous occasions. ^[2]

In an interview in early 2007, Ali memorably responded to a question about the response to his and his label's music, and the current music industry,

They just like to see something new. Like, we benefit so much right now from the fact that music sucks, and that, there's so little originality. And there's so few people that are really trying to do something a little bit different so that if you're just even a little bit different... you know what I mean? People are just like 'yeah,' you know. As long as you're good and as long as you know how to present yourself, and you know. But I think that people are just happy to see something a little bit different for a change, you know. ^[3]

"Uncle Sam Goddamn" Controversy

Brother Ali has been under pressure from the recording industry due to lyrics from his recent song "Uncle Sam Goddamn", claiming creative interference from "somebody I don't wanna name, but some of you probably has they cell phones." The unnamed corporation ultimately withdrew its sponsorship for Ali, causing him to truncate parts of his current tour. ^[4] Furthermore, on the song Second Time Around with Benzi and Wale, Brother Ali makes references to being kicked off tour followed by the line "Verizon dissed me too, cuz I was too political." The song is notably critical of the United States government, with accusations that the United States political system is addicted to war.

Discography

Albums

Album information

Rites of Passage Released: April 1, 2000 Label: Rhymesayers Entertainment Brother Ali's self-produced cassette-only debut album. An underground favorite, it was later re-released on CD and sold in conjunction with Champion EP .

Shadows on the Sun Released: May 2, 2003 Label: Rhymesayers Entertainment Ali's well-received second album and his first made with Atmosphere producer ANT.

Champion EP Released: May 11, 2004 Label: Rhymesayers Entertainment An EP consisting of nine songs, including a remix of the Shadows on the Sun track "Champion".

The Undisputed Truth Released: April 10, 2007 Label: Rhymesayers Entertainment The follow-up to Shadows on the Sun . Reached #69 on the Billboard 200.

The Truth Is Here EP Released: March 10, 2009 Label: Rhymesayers Entertainment U.S. Sales: 7,429 The follow-up EP to ''The Undisputed Truth", preceding his upcoming full-length album.

Us Tentative Release date: September 22, 2009 Label: Rhymesayers Entertainment

Singles

• "Room With a View" b/w "Star Quality" & "Bitchslap!" (Rhymesayers Entertainment, 2003)
• "Forest Whitiker" (Rhymesayers Entertainment, 2003)
• "Champion (Remix)" b/w "Forest Whitiker" (Rhymesayers Entertainment, 2004)
• "Truth Is" b/w "Freedom Ain't Free" & "Original King" (Rhymesayers Entertainment, 2007)
• "Uncle Sam Goddamn" (2007)
• Life Sentence EP (2007)
• Video Edit (2009)

References

1. Late Night with Conan O'Brien ''tv.com''.
2. Rhymesayers Homepage - Brother Ali Biography
3. Brother Ali interview with Barber Shop Hip Hop
4. Truth Is - Live in Portland