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Brother Ali - The Undisputed TruthAlbum Review by:
John Burnett
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
 Ali Newman aka Brother Ali can’t hide his skin defect; neither does he care to. In fact he embraces his pale skin color. Ali is originally from Madison, Wisconsin then moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota as a teen. Brother Ali dwelt on the outskirts becoming apart of the underground hip hop scene subsequently cliquing up with Atmosphere and signing to their label, Rhymesayers Entertainment. Touring with Atmosphere and later, Rakim, Brother Ali was able to detract attention away from his weird ass appearance and onto his rhymes amassing a cult of loyalists. Now, dude is back with his second full length LP, The Undisputed Truth.
“Whatcha Got”
My initial thought is that dude has a funny voice. On this opening track Brother Ali, passionately, explores carving out his own niche, wack emcees with no reverence for hip hop culture and the grind he endured to maintain in the rap game. Ali exhibits a genuine respect for hip hop culture and a strong dislike for those who disrespect it on the introductory track; not to mention he openly admits getting styled on (punched in the jaw for the flows). Now, that’s honesty.
“Lookin’ At Me Sideways”
Ant, of Atmosphere fame, delivers his signature soulful sound on this track while Ali questions the gumption/nuts of internet geeks who terrorize message boards. Quotes like “I been a thugged out nerd all my life/Thank God I don’t have to serve…or snatch purses at night/I feed people with the verses I write/And I feed them with my personal strife” show why attention is shifted from his appearance to his flow.
“Truth Is”
On this Reggae inspired track, Ali demands more; better music; more passion for the craft of rap and ultimately freedom which he seems to achieve through his musical purgation. Decent track.
“The Puzzle”
This is a sincere personal testimony where Ali reveals he’s 27, a single dad and lost his mom to cancer. He also states he found peace from his struggle; deep. The track is contemplative and introspective with production that is funky with heavy guitar riffs and a sped up sample.
“Pedigree”
Brother Ali asserts he has no limits on the mic while other emcees are limited by their self imposed confinements and also delivers a memorable line with “They probably thought I was born yesterday right?/Well motherfucker I stayed up all night.”
“Daylight”
“Daylight” deals with identity issues and proclaims that cats should basically be themselves. At the end, Ali discusses inquiries about his race; whether he’s black or white. He never delivers a definitive answer but states cats should judge him based upon his tape.
“Freedom Ain’t Free”
On this reggae-infused track, Ali in the first verse plans to destroy and rebuild his life and in the second verse states he’ll give it his all with the music.
“Letter From the Government”
Ali rhymes about social ills and not participating in the President Bush’s unjust war in Iraq.
“Here”
This an interesting take on self exploration. Brother Ali acts as a tour guide and narrator as he explores his inner depths; ridding himself of inner devils and being cautious lending his heart to women.
“Listen Up”
This is the first song that doesn’t deal with heavy issues. Instead Ali presents an ode to old school rap. It’s okay.
“Take Me Home”
Brother Ali tells you why you should buy his album and not theirs. On this track, he sings on the hook. I don’t know why rappers do this shit. He also talks about the bright future he has ahead of him.
“Uncle Sam Goddamn”
Brother Ali talks about how shitty the United States is. He does manage to spit some deep shit though in the second verse. He raps “only two generations away from the most despicable slavery trade/pioneered so many ways to degrade a human being that it can’t be changed to this day/legacy so ingrained in the way that we think we no longer need chains to be slaves.” On top of his soup box, Ali spouts conspiracy theories and a tale of iniquity. It kind of reminded me of that cat who rocked the bow tie back at the crib slinging bean pies. All jokes aside, dude is spitting the truth on this track.
“Walking Away”
Over a whistling sample, Ali tells about an unhealthy relationship that he had to escape. He even states his chick tried to off him. Damn, now that’s a crazy bitch; another revealing track that delves into Ali’s personal life, which to say was hard would be the ultimate understatement.
“Faheem”
This ditty is devoted to his seed, Faheem. He speaks to his baby boy on this track explaining his actions and decisions. It comes off as very honest, touching and…real.
“Ear to Ear”
Ali shares his pain and strife throughout the album, but this track is the feel good track. He states after he has dispelled all the bullshit, he can finally be happy and smile for the first time in his life.
This is the most personal album I have ever heard. There’s none of the fake gangsta bravado shit on The Undisputed Truth just poignant songs that deliver nothing but unbridled honesty. Brother Ali’s passion for hip hop cannot be disputed and this is the type of music that will hopefully reinvigorate hip hop; a hip hop that is blunted out, liquored out and hanging onto life because of materialism, lack of effort and lack of thought. Ali delivers the opposite showing that there’s more than money, cash, hoes.
Brother Ali’s flow is versatile, clever and sharp. He adapts with the production showing that he took time to craft his bars. Ant’s production blends with Ali using a lot of soul (which is typical of him) but also adding some reggae elements which turns out being very pleasing to the ear. This is a high quality album, period. This is the best material I’ve heard this year and probably the best I’ve heard since Lupe’s F&L. Hip hop needed this and Brother Ali delivers on his promise to provide the title of the album, The Undisputed Truth.
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