Brother Ali
{{short description|American rapper}}
{{BLP sources|date=July 2017}}
{{use mdy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Brother Ali
| image = Brother Ali-02.jpg
| caption =
| birth_name = Jason Douglas Newman
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1977|7|30}}
| birth_place = Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
| origin = Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
| genre = Hip hop, political hip hop, conscious hip hop
| occupation = Rapper, producer, activist
| instrument =
| years_active = 1994–present
| label = Rhymesayers Entertainment/Warner Music Group/Mellow Music Group
| associated_acts = {{flatlist|
- Slug
- Ant
- Evidence
- Immortal Technique
- Manny Phesto
- Zion I
- Public Enemy
- R.A. the Rugged Man
- Talib Kweli
- Atmosphere
- Brand Nubian
- Freeway
- Jake One
- Shad
- Joell Ortiz
- Homeboy Sandman
- Toki Wright
}}
| website = [http://www.brotherali.com/ Brotherali.com]
| current_members =
| past_members =
}}
Ali Douglas Newman (born Jason Douglas Newman, July 30, 1977), better known by his stage name Brother Ali, is an American rapper, community activist, and member of the Rhymesayers Entertainment hip hop collective.{{cite web|url=http://www.rhymesayers.com/brotherali |title=Brother Ali |publisher=Rhymesayers Entertainment |access-date=January 3, 2012}} He has released nine albums, four EPs, and a number of singles and collaborations.
Early life
Ali was born in Madison, Wisconsin. He has albinism, a disorder characterized by the complete or partial absence of pigment in the skin, hair, and eyes. He moved with his family to Michigan for a few years and then settled in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1992. He attended Robbinsdale Cooper High School in New Hope, Minnesota.
Ali is Caucasian (white American), but he has spoken of feeling more accepted by Black classmates than white ones: "It's not like black kids didn't make fun of me, but it was different. It wasn't done in a way to exclude me. It wasn't done in a way to make me feel like not even a human being, not even a person." He could relate to them because they were also judged by their skin color.{{Cite web|title=Brother Ali delivers 'The Undisputed Truth'|url=http://www.today.com/popculture/brother-ali-delivers-undisputed-truth-1C9430141|access-date=2020-12-16|website=TODAY.com|date=July 13, 2007 |language=en}}
Ali began rapping at age eight. He has stated that he was influenced by hip-hop culture at a very early age. In an interview with Huck magazine, he stated "Ever since I was a little kid, I've always been into hip-hop. I started beatboxing when I was about seven years old. Eventually, that led to me falling in love with the words."[http://www.huckmagazine.com/art-and-culture/music-2/brother-ali-hip-hop-portal-finding-faith-identity/ "In hip-hop Brother Ali found faith and identity"] Huck Adam Woodward Retrieved January 22, 2016 He has named Rakim, Chuck D, and KRS-One as early influences.
Appearances
=Television=
On August 13, 2007, Brother Ali appeared on The Late Late Show and performed his single "Uncle Sam Goddamn" from 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.{{cite web |url=http://www.tv.com/late-night-with-conan-obrien/josh-hartnett-jack-mcbrayer-brother-ali/episode/1149331/summary.html |title=Late Night with Conan O'Brien |publisher=Tv.com |access-date=2015-04-02 |archive-date=December 27, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081227030930/http://www.tv.com/late-night-with-conan-obrien/josh-hartnett-jack-mcbrayer-brother-ali/episode/1149331/summary.html |url-status=dead }} On December 16, 2009, Ali appeared on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and was featured with late night band The Roots.
=Podcasts=
File:Day of Dignity 2012 — Brother Ali 8065293995 o.jpg
On July 24, 2013, Brother Ali appeared on the Maximum Fun podcast Judge John Hodgman as an "Expert Witness".{{cite web|author=MaxFun Intern|url=http://www.maximumfun.org/judge-john-hodgman/halal-family|title=Judge John Hodgman Episode 120: Halal In The Family|publisher=Maximum Fun|date=July 24, 2013 |access-date=2013-07-24}}
On April 4, 2017, he appeared on The Combat Jack Show: "The Brother Ali Episode" and on October 19, 2017, on BuzzFeed's See Something Say Something podcast.
On April 5, 2018, he appeared on Max Fun's Heat Rocks podcast.
On Jan 1, 2023, he appeared on The Duncan Trussell Family Hour podcast.
=Films=
Ali appeared in Sacha Jenkins' 2018 documentary Word is Bond.
Personal life
Ali has a son, Faheem, from his first marriage. He is very private about his family and loved ones. His music frequently addresses his role as a father, parent, and husband. The song "Real As Can Be" off his 2009 EP The Truth Is Here refers to the impending birth of his daughter, and on the song "Fresh Air", which is on his 2009 album Us, he goes on to say "Just got married last year/ treated so good that it ain't even fair/ already got a boy, now the baby girl's here/ Bought us a house like the Berenstain Bears."
Ali often makes fun of the media's constant urge to mention his albinism in the first lines of their reviews or newspaper articles. He is also legally blind, a condition which is caused by his albinism.{{cite news |author-link=Neda Ulaby |last=Ulaby |first=Neda |title=Brother Ali: An Honest Act Of Worship |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113504052 |newspaper=NPR |date=October 5, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120504084050/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113504052 |archive-date=May 4, 2012 |url-status=live }}
In an article titled "The Art of Mourning in America", Brother Ali said his favorite food is sweet potato pie. The interview was conducted during the month of Ramadan and Ali performed a freestyle: "Lifelong starvation, every month is Ramadan / Walk in the crib and I'm surprised that the power's on."{{cite book|last1=Muhammad Ali|first1=Queen|title=The Art of Mourning in America|date=February 19, 2013|publisher=Nation19 Magazine|pages=44–46|edition=#3|url=http://issuu.com/radiobums/docs/nation19_mag_3/44|access-date=January 6, 2015}}
=Religion=
Ali converted to Islam at age 15 and followed Imam Warith Deen Mohammed. During this time, Ali was selected to join a group of students on a Malaysian study tour, in which they explored ways that a more liberal Islamic society could peacefully coexist with different religions.{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113504052 |title=Brother Ali: An Honest Act Of Worship |publisher=Npr.org |access-date=2015-04-02}}
Ali credits his conversion to Islam to KRS-One, whom he met during a lecture at age 13 at a local Minnesotan university. When asked about his faith, Ali stated, "KRS-ONE was actually the one who told me I should read Malcolm X. He assigned The Autobiography of Malcolm X to me; I read it, and that's what led to me becoming a Muslim."[http://www.huckmagazine.com/art-and-culture/music-2/brother-ali-hip-hop-portal-finding-faith-identity/ "In hip-hop Brother Ali found faith and identity"] Huck Magazine Adam Woodward Retrieved January 22, 2016
Activism
Many of Brother Ali's themes of social justice are incorporated into his lyrics, though he also takes part in activism outside of the music. He primarily focuses on themes of racial inequality, slavery, and critiquing the United States government, though overarching themes of hope, acceptance, and rising from sorrow are also often present. Much attention was garnered through Ali's album The Undisputed Truth, as it heavily criticized much about the United States' political system. After the music video for "Uncle Sam Goddamn" was released in 2007, it quickly gained much attention, and shortly after, the United States Department of Homeland Security froze a money transfer to his record label.{{Cite web|url=http://www.yesmagazine.org/people-power/rapper-brother-ali-privilege-hope-stories|title=Rapper Brother Ali on Privilege, Hope, and Other People's Stories|last=Tepper|first=Fabien|website=YES! Magazine|language=en|access-date=2016-04-04}}
In 2012, Ali was arrested along with thirty-seven others while occupying the home of a Minneapolis resident to fight the house's foreclosure. The goal of the protesters was to block the eviction of the family through their assembly and occupancy, but they were unsuccessful. Ali ended up using his celebrity as a platform to discuss these events, and bring them to the attention of his audience.{{cite web|url=http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2012/06/22/local-rapper-brother-ali-arrested-at-occupy-protest |title=Local Rapper Brother Ali Arrested At Occupy Protest « CBS Minnesota |publisher=Minnesota.cbslocal.com |date=2012-06-22 |access-date=2015-04-02}}
Ali deals heavily with the notion of privilege. He stated in an interview with Yes! magazine that "The best definition of privilege I've heard is anything you don't have to wrestle with, that you don't have to think about." Ali feels a certain obligation to act politically, as he is unwilling to sit aside after experiencing all he has. He states, "I feel like that's my job, and I feel like within the last few years I fully woke up to that, found the courage to understand that, and stepped out like that."
While performing at a concert in 2015, Brother Ali endorsed Bernie Sanders for president of the United States, as a candidate in the upcoming 2016 presidential election.{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MHWc_Pzg-M |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/-MHWc_Pzg-M |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live|title=Brother Ali Endorses Bernie Sanders|website=YouTube |date=15 December 2015}}{{cbignore}} He praised Sanders for saying "Black lives matter" at a presidential debate, a reference to the social movement. In November 2019, Brother Ali performed at a Bernie Sanders rally in Minneapolis, Minnesota, alongside Representative Ilhan Omar.{{Cite web|url=https://www.mankatofreepress.com/news/state_national_news/sanders-omar-push-working-class-politics-at-rally/article_eb73c60e-feaa-11e9-a277-f356ec0202bf.html|title=Sanders, Omar push 'working class' politics at rally|last=Bakst|first=Brian|date=3 November 2019|website=Mankato Free Press}}
Discography
=Studio albums=
| class="wikitable" |
| rowspan="2"|Year
!rowspan="2"|Album !colspan="4"|Peak chart positions{{cite web|title=Brother Ali: Chart History|url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist=brother ali|chart=all}}|publisher=Billboard.com|access-date=January 3, 2012}}{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/brother-ali-p649350/charts-awards |title=Brother Ali: Billboard Albums |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=January 3, 2012}} |
|---|
| style="width:3em;font-size:80%;"| US
! style="width:3em;font-size:80%;"| US R&B ! style="width:3em;font-size:80%;"| US Rap ! style="width:3em;font-size:80%;"| US Indie |
2000
| style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— |
2003
| style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— |
2007
| style="text-align:center;"|69 | style="text-align:center;"|48 | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|6 |
| 2009
|Us
| style="text-align:center;"|56 | style="text-align:center;"|29 | style="text-align:center;"|14 | style="text-align:center;"|6 |
| 2012
|Mourning in America and Dreaming in Color
| style="text-align:center;"|44 | style="text-align:center;"|6 | style="text-align:center;"|5 | style="text-align:center;"|10 |
| 2017
|All the Beauty in This Whole Life
| style="text-align:center;"|125 | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|8 |
| 2019
|Secrets & Escapes
| style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— |
| 2021
|Brother Minutester, Vol 1
| style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— |
| 2024
|Love & Service
| style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— |
| 2025
|Satisfied Soul
| style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— |
| colspan="11" style="text-align:center; font-size:80%;"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. |
=Mixtapes=
| class="wikitable" |
| rowspan="2"|Year
!rowspan="2"|Album |
|---|
| style="width:3em;font-size:80%;"| US
! style="width:3em;font-size:80%;"| US R&B ! style="width:3em;font-size:80%;"| US Indie |
| 2007
|Off the Record (with BK-One)
| style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— |
| 2013
|Left in the Deck
| style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— |
| colspan="11" style="text-align:center; font-size:80%;"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. |
=EPs=
| class="wikitable" |
| rowspan="2"|Year
!rowspan="2"|Album |
|---|
| style="width:3em;font-size:80%;"| US
! style="width:3em;font-size:80%;"| US R&B ! style="width:3em;font-size:80%;"| US Indie |
2004
| style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— |
2009
| style="text-align:center;"|119 | style="text-align:center;"|69 | style="text-align:center;"|18 |
| 2012
|The Bite Marked Heart
| style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— |
| 2021
|Brother Minutester, Vol. 1
| style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— |
| 2024
|Satisfied Soul EP (with Ant)
| style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— | style="text-align:center;"|— |
| colspan="11" style="text-align:center; font-size:80%;"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. |
=Guest appearances=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|+ List of non-single guest appearances, with other performing artists, showing year released and album name ! scope="col" style="width:19em;" | Title ! scope="col" | Year ! scope="col" | Other artist(s) ! scope="col" | Album |
| scope="row"|"Without My Existence"
| 2000 | Unknown Prophets | World Premier |
|---|
| scope="row"|"What Time Is It?"
| 2002 | Musab | Respect the Life |
| scope="row"|"Cats Van Bags"
| 2003 |
| scope="row"|"The Truth"
| 2008 |
| scope="row"|"Dreamin'"
| rowspan="2"| 2009 |
| scope="row"|"Caged Bird, Pt. 1"
| Zion I |
| scope="row"|"So Wrong"
| 2010 | Joell Ortiz, Talib Kweli, Jean Grae | Me, Myself & I (Part Two) |
| scope="row"|"Damn Right"
| rowspan="5"| 2011 |
| scope="row"|"Maybe It's Just Me" |
| scope="row"|"Civil War" |
| scope="row"|"Daughter"
| Prof | King Gampo |
| scope="row"|"Tragic"
| Grieves |
| scope="row"|"Get Up Stand Up"
| 2012 |
| scope="row"|"The Dangerous Three"
|rowspan="3"| 2013 |
| scope="row"|"Illuminotme"
| Bambu, Odessa Kane | Sun of a Gun |
| scope="row"|"A Reason to Breathe"
| Yonas | The Transition |
| scope="row"|"Live and Let Go"
| rowspan="1"| 2014 |
| scope="row"|"The Solution"
| rowspan="2" |2015 |Abstract Rule, Slug |Keep the Feel: A Legacy of Hip-Hop and Soul |
| scope="row" |"Understand"
| Talib Kweli, 9th Wonder, Planet Asia | Indie 500 |
| scope="row"|"DeLorean"
| rowspan="1"| 2021 | The Elovaters, G. Love & Special Sauce | DeLorean EP |
See also
References
{{reflist|30em}}
Further reading
- Hess, Mickey. "Volume II: The Midwest, The South, and Beyond". Hip Hop in America: A Regional Guide. Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood, 2010. 368–70. Print.
- Jones, D. Marvin. "Part 1: Racing Culture/Erasing Race". Fear of a Hip-hop Planet: America's New Dilemma. Santa Barbara: Praeger, 2013. 33–39. Print.
- Tepper, Fabien. "Rapper Brother Ali on Privilege, Hope, and Other People's Stories". YES! Magazine. Positive Futures Network, February 18, 2013.
- Ali, Brother. "The Intersection of Homophobia and Hip Hop: Where Tyler Met Frank". The Huffington Post. September 7, 2012.{{full citation needed|date=October 2019|reason=URL?}}
External links
- {{Official website|http://www.brotherali.com/}}
{{Brother Ali}}
{{Rhymesayers}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brother Ali}}
Category:Musicians from Madison, Wisconsin
Category:Rappers from Wisconsin
Category:Rhymesayers Entertainment artists
Category:American male rappers
Category:Midwest hip-hop musicians
Category:American hip-hop record producers
Category:21st-century American rappers
Category:21st-century American male musicians