Brother Ali hit a career high in the late 2000’s with the success of Undisputed Truth and Us. Sold-out tours, major festival performances, and continued recognition from mainstream and underground platforms alike. But as is often the case, his professional highpoint was contrasted by private lows. As Ali explains on Mourning In America’s installment of the life check-in, Stop The Press, his father died of suicide, labelmate Eyedea died of an opioid overdose, and Ali was fighting deep depression. In 2010, he performed the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca and returned with renewed sense of purpose and dedication to his music and community.
Ali spent the next several years focused on community organizing in the Twin Cities and created an album with Grammy-award-winning Seattle producer Jake One (Dr. Dre, Jay-Z, J Cole). The album opens with a collaboration with Dr Cornel West and closes with a dedication to the legacy of truth-tellers called Singing This Song.
Written by Brother Ali
Produced by Jake One
Guest Performances by Dr. Cornel West, Amir Sulaiman, Choklate, and Tone Treasure
Released in 2012
