The Truth is Here...

And, no, it's not the Michelin man... and it's definitely not Paul Pierce.

On a windy Saturday afternoon at Best Buy Electronics, for a mere $7 and 99 little guys, I purchased the most impressive release of 2007 so far: Brother Ali's third record on Rhymesayers Entertainment, The Undisputed Truth. Well, ok, maybe it's not the most impressive -- I kind of expected this to be firey like Malibu mountains during the dry season. But nonetheless this album is heatish.

Brother Ali is an albino black man. He's arguably the most soulful man of his pigment (next to Mike Walbert of course), and it's this complicated perspective that shaped his character. A devout Muslim, Ali is at once self-deprecating, aggressive, clever,
and spiritual. He's one of the only rappers out right now that I can truly say is on his own shit, seemingly not affected by anything anyone else is doing.

And that's because his whole craft and charisma comes from one untouchable, unusual mind and heart. You know that feeling you get when you listen to a Louis Armstrong, BB King, or Muddy Waters record for the second or third time? That impossible outlet of pain, joy, trauma, and privilege that seems to say everything you've ever realized about human life through just ... some sounds? When Ali speaks, you shut the fuck up and listen like you're in the Principal's office.

He has that authority because you can tell the man's been through a lot. On past albums he has talked about the injustices he's faced in his life, and his level of consciousness is uncontested. When the production is on point, the voice of Brother Ali is unmatched. His life perspective, his truth is ... undisputed.

Listen to some samples on Ali's myspace. Then get off your nappy-headed ho-ass and buy the record. (Go ahead Mike, fire me.)