Brother Ali Brother Ali artist page: interviews, features and/or performances archived at NPR Music

Brother Ali

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Brother Ali Shelly Mosman/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Shelly Mosman/Courtesy of the artist

World Cafe

Brother Ali On World Cafe

WXPN

August 11, 2017 • The Minneapolis-based artist, who's been delivering socially conscious hip-hop for nearly two decades, performs live in the Cafe studio.

Brother Ali On World Cafe

34:47

Brother Ali Spits Divine Flows On 'Never Learn'

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Brother Ali Spits Divine Flows On 'Never Learn'

May 1, 2017 • The Minneapolis MC is a prophet, plain and simple. The second single from his forthcoming album is a beautiful testament to truth.

Brother Ali's fifth studio album, Mourning in America and Dreaming in Color, came out last week. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

Music

Brother Ali: A Voice For The Suffering

September 26, 2012 • The veteran rapper takes on thorny issues throughout his new album, Mourning in America and Dreaming in Color.

Brother Ali: A Voice For The Suffering

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Brother Ali: A Surprising Face Of Hip-Hop

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Skye Rossi

World Cafe

Brother Ali: A Surprising Face Of Hip-Hop

WXPN

February 10, 2010 • On Ali's latest album, Us, producer Ant has crafted soulful beats for the rapper's explorations into drug abuse, divorce and homophobia, among other topics. Ali's most introspective and thoughtful work to date, Us has found the rapper breaking ever further into the mainstream.

Brother Ali: A Surprising Face Of Hip-Hop

29:22

Music Interviews

Obama Hip-Hop: From Mixtapes To Mainstream

November 7, 2008 • This election season, hip-hop artists flocked to their mixing boards in unprecedented fashion in support of Barack Obama. Rapper Young Jeezy and professor Mark Anthony Neal discuss the effect of an African-American president-elect on hip-hop.

Obama Hip-Hop: From Mixtapes To Mainstream

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SXSW Music Festival

SXSW Sessions: Brother Ali

The Current

March 15, 2007 • Ali's tricky wordplay and raw emotion drew critics and fans to his soul- and funk-based hip-hop songs, but on his new disc, he introduces dub and roots reggae into the mix. It opens up new possibilities for Brother Ali's distinctive MC skills, which remain sharp and powerful. Produced by The Current.

SXSW Sessions: Brother Ali

SXSW Music Festival

Artists to Watch: A SXSW Preview

March 16, 2006 • If you're a music fan, the place to be this week is Austin, Texas. The annual South by Southwest Music Conference and Festival is in full swing. Music critic Stephen Thompson shares tracks from some of his favorite artists performing at the festival.

Artists to Watch: A SXSW Preview

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