Brother Ali Previews “Us” To HipHopDX, Part Two
source: http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.9767/title.brother-ali-previews-us-to-hiphopdx-part-two
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Following the first part of HipHopDX’s exclusive preview of Brother Ali’s forthcoming full-length, Us (due September 22nd), that focused on the narrative-driven half of the Rhymesayers rhymer’s new album [click to read], DX now presents the second installment of our dissection of Ali’s latest effort, in which the underground legend explains why he sidestepped any political speak on Us and reveals if Slaughterhouse spitter Joell Ortiz outshined him on their triple-team lyrical assault alongside Freeway.
While his last full-length, 2007’s 5-X rated The Undisputed Truth [click to read], boasted a political tinge on tracks like “Letter From The Government,” the author of “Uncle Sam Goddamn” [click to view] chose not to rage against the machine on his new album. Ali noted during his feature interview with DX earlier this year [click to read] that he is “…not a political rapper,” but fans were likely expecting a bit more political prose from the truth teller this time out.
“This album was about doing something new for me,” Ali explained to DX of the content shift heard on his storytelling-driven disc. “It was time for me to open my focus, not switch gears but just kinda open up my focus. And use my storytelling and the way that I write songs to embrace more than just myself, and to bring more than just me into it. So, me talking about politics wasn’t part of that this time. But, I will say that I also got to thinking about, ‘What do I really believe about politics?’ How do I define myself really? I’ve always said that I was a revolutionary, but what does that really mean? I’m not a Democrat, I don’t think. I’m definitely not a Republican. What do I really believe about politics? And, what I really believe is that in order for there to really be a change – in this country or in the world – all of the common people have to get together. And the only way that that’s gonna happen is if we’re more human, as we see each other as being ourselves. Men have to look at what women are going through and [say], ‘What if that was me?’ White folks have to look at black folks and say, ‘What if that was me? What would I do in that situation?’ Because it is you! Middle-class and poor people have to look at each other and see, ‘Well, maybe it’s not poor people’s fault that they’re poor.’ Poor people also need to learn that middle-class is just a fancier version of poor. So my thing [on Us] was to tell these stories [rooted in those social subjects]…hopefully in a way – And I’m saying, I’m not Kanye West, I don’t sell millions of records, I don’t have like the ear of every person in the world, but for the people that do listen to me I hope that they can see themselves in people that they [previously thought] were so alien to them.”
Read more on Brother Ali here....................
http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.9767
While his last full-length, 2007’s 5-X rated The Undisputed Truth [click to read], boasted a political tinge on tracks like “Letter From The Government,” the author of “Uncle Sam Goddamn” [click to view] chose not to rage against the machine on his new album. Ali noted during his feature interview with DX earlier this year [click to read] that he is “…not a political rapper,” but fans were likely expecting a bit more political prose from the truth teller this time out.
“This album was about doing something new for me,” Ali explained to DX of the content shift heard on his storytelling-driven disc. “It was time for me to open my focus, not switch gears but just kinda open up my focus. And use my storytelling and the way that I write songs to embrace more than just myself, and to bring more than just me into it. So, me talking about politics wasn’t part of that this time. But, I will say that I also got to thinking about, ‘What do I really believe about politics?’ How do I define myself really? I’ve always said that I was a revolutionary, but what does that really mean? I’m not a Democrat, I don’t think. I’m definitely not a Republican. What do I really believe about politics? And, what I really believe is that in order for there to really be a change – in this country or in the world – all of the common people have to get together. And the only way that that’s gonna happen is if we’re more human, as we see each other as being ourselves. Men have to look at what women are going through and [say], ‘What if that was me?’ White folks have to look at black folks and say, ‘What if that was me? What would I do in that situation?’ Because it is you! Middle-class and poor people have to look at each other and see, ‘Well, maybe it’s not poor people’s fault that they’re poor.’ Poor people also need to learn that middle-class is just a fancier version of poor. So my thing [on Us] was to tell these stories [rooted in those social subjects]…hopefully in a way – And I’m saying, I’m not Kanye West, I don’t sell millions of records, I don’t have like the ear of every person in the world, but for the people that do listen to me I hope that they can see themselves in people that they [previously thought] were so alien to them.”
Read more on Brother Ali here....................
http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.9767
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