With little more than an obscure tape and a Rhymesayers affiliation, Brother Ali entered 2003 with a fan base that is barely worth mentioning. That is until he cast his shadow on hip-hop.

While I instantly called it album of the year when I reviewed in April, it took some time before “Shadows on the Sun” made it into the stereo’s of most. By the end of the year, I was far from the only one bestowing that title on Ali’s masterpiece. I’m not surprised, but was Ali? “I wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew it could only go two ways. I didn’t think anyone could diss the album, cause I knew it wasn’t wack.

What I worried about was people just being indifferent to it. I just put too much of myself into that album to have people say ‘its cool’ and move on. Cause that is what a lot of rap music is, whether it is underground or mainstream, there is a lot of forgettable shit. So my main things was not to be forgettable, not to be mediocre. I honestly felt the whole time I was it that people would feel it, that somebody would feel it.”

Brother Ali's last album, the critically acclaimed, The Undisputed Truth, was a landmark in hip-hop, an album that carried weight equally with critics and fans alike, an album of bold statements and bolder beats, politically and socially aware without being preachy. His new album, Us, is a progression that will make Brother Ali one of the most enduring figures in hip-hop; while still aware, Ali has turned his gaze inward, and started examining the human condition from the outside in. A profound personal glimpse into a vulnerability seldom seen or heard in music, Us touches on the strengths and flaws of the human condition, exploring drug abuse, divorce, homophobia and many more topics that most people are scared to touch in their own lives, much less on an album for the world to see.

As with previous endeavors, the beats here are courtesy of Ant, whose production work seems to be getting more soulful and lush by the minute. The guest appearances only accentuate Brother Ali's strengths, with Chuck D, Freeway, Joell Ortiz and Stokley Williams of Mint Condition making strong appearances.
Brother Ali Interview by comprojects