"The truth is here, the truth is here. The truth is here, the truth is here …" The repetitive lines of Brother Ali's single "The Truth Is" from his most recent album Undisputed Truth addictively hook the listener with their steady rhythmic build up. Hip-hop artist Ali Newman, better known as Brother Ali, will take the Pause on a journey to the realm of underground hip-hop. With the continuous murmuring amongst students about Ali's upcoming performance on campus and the overflowing number of Facebook invites flooding Ole inboxes, it's no wonder why at 8:00 p.m. Friday, Oct. 17 you can expect to find many St. Olaf heads bobbing to the sound of Brother Ali's catchy rhymes. Born Jason Newman in Madison Wisc., Ali spent most of his childhood in Michigan and moved to Minneapolis at the tender age of 15. There he converted to Islam. This profound hip-hop artist attributes his refreshingly unique style to the Islam and African American communities, the latter of which he says nurtured and accepted him in his youth. "I was taken in, early on, by black folks," Ali said in an interview with National Public Radio last year. "Those are the people who taught me the things that I needed to know to survive being who and what I am. Although his parents are white, Ali was born albino (a disorder where the skin and hair are colorless, vision is poor and the skin is extremely sensitive to the sun). Ali talks extensively on how not "fitting in" physically influenced his music. A biography released by his record label mentions how Ali "began rapping as a means of survival" to counterbalance all of the ridicule he received as a child due to his appearance. Although Ali both self-produced and self-released his first record Rites of Passage in 2000, the Midwest native was quickly signed to the Rhymesayers Entertainment record label. The label incorporates a variety of artists who, like Brother Ali, are not afraid to provide an alternative to the mainstream hip-hop industry. Founded by Brent Sayers, Musab S'ad Ali, Derek Turner, ANT (Anthony Davis) and Atmosphere frontman Slug, the label has assisted Brother Ali in producing his Shadows on the Sun (2003) and his Champion EP (2004) albums. In 2007, Brother Ali also released his latest album, Undisputed Truth, with Rhymesayers Entertainment. Undisputed Truth showcases Ali's musical versatility within his own genre while he also transitions his music from the funk-soul-hip-hop undertone of his previous albums to a more dubb and roots reggae sound. This forward-thinking artist acknowledges the influence of the Midwest environment on fostering and driving creative innovation, which underground hip-hop artists like himself pride themselves on. "The Midwest has its own vibe to it," said Brother Ali in an interview with Barbershop Hip-Hop, a video blog. "People from the Midwest approach things a certain way; we approach life a certain way, you know, and in my mind I feel like a lot of us are a little bit more real, you know. Because of the fact that on the West Coast they have Hollywood and in the East Coast they have New York, which have these big sensational ideas of what it is to be hip-hop or trendy or whatever the f---, whereas in the Midwest we don't have that," Brother Ali said. "In the Midwest we have our own way of presenting ourselves and I that it's just more real … The thing that everyone copied in New York started with something real." The organic originality that Brother Ali mentions is definitely present throughout his music. Not only do Ali's memorable beats and soulful voice kidnap the listener's attention, but his powerful lyrics also make the listeners willingly allow their ears to be consumed by his words. Brother Ali balances his ability to string words along into a continuous chain of witty rhyme while conveying meaningful messages. The powerful and provocative lyrics from Ali's "Letter from the Government" demonstrate the bluntness and straightforwardness with which he addresses controversial issues. "To run and join your cavalry / Imagine me all GI Joed up in Afghanistan somewhere / Prepared to go nuts / You're clinically crazy if you think you can pay me / A figure that can make me slay these innocent babies," Ali raps on "Uncle Sam Godd---." "I identify with a slave wishin' to break free / He was victimized by the same system that raped me / Look at us poor / Just tryin' to get our foot in the door / And unfortunately hooked in this war." I was able to interview the artist personally and here are a few things he had to say about his music and life:
Q: You have a very unique sound; please describe your sound to me.
A: My sound is based on traditional hip-hop. You know the golden ages of hip-hop 1987-89, but it's not just them. I'm a student and a fan. I have tapes of D.J. Jazzy Jeff, and I listen to 50 Cent. I'm a fan of all hip-hop, and I'm influenced by soul and blues. My music is based on my personality and on traditional hip-hop … I try not to mimic my heroes because what made me love them is that they were unique.
Q: What are your current projects?
A: I toured Undisputed Truth album for about nine months. I have The Truth is Here extended play; it's a 10 song EP and will be out very soon. My goal is to give it away free on the Internet. It's my way of saying thank you to my fans.
Q: What kinds of music do you have on your iPod?
A: Someone stole my iPod! But on my computer, I have a lot of hip-hop. A lot of our listeners are new to hip-hop. They like underground hip-hop and hate mainstream hip-hop and think that we do too. But I like all of hip-hop and not just one sub-genre. I like old blues and soul and I listen to people like 50 Cent and Kanye West.
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