Album Review: Brother Ali – The Truth Is Here (2009)

Album Review: Brother Ali – The Truth Is Here (2009)
Rating: 4 out of 5 Potholes

When I first stumbled across The Undisputed Truth back in early 2007 I had only seen Brother Ali’s name a few times when passing the B section in my local record shop. From the name I assumed (wrongly assumed, that is) he was just another pro-black, conscious rapper, but when I saw the cover for his 2007 release I was intrigued to give it a spin. One spin led to another. Which in turn led to another. Which in turn led to countless others including one just a few weeks ago when I realized I had not revisited the brilliant piece of work in months. Right after that I was given a copy of Ali’s latest release, The Truth Is Here, an EP that could easily smash any full album released thus far this year.

Ali’s autobiographical rhymes blend perfect with Ant’s nearly flawless production. From the start he gives us an update on everything that’s been going down in his life since his last release, from touring, coming home, expecting a baby, and oh, shopping for drawers with Rakim. The hits only start there, however, as “Philistine David” shines with a powerful hook followed by “Palm The Joker” and “Good Lord”, the latter being one of my favorite tracks on the release, showing Ali viciously tear apart Ant’s piano heavy production.

But Ali is more than just a rapper who can transform his most personal moments into poetry. On “Talkin’ My Shit” he does just that, talks his shit. Over a funky Ant production, Ali proclaims he scraps like he’s “Butterbean on crack”. He later cements his lyrical dominance in his respective field with “We all thought some weak lines by now // But you actually rewind to write yours down”.

Brother Ali’s ability to rhyme about every personal moment in his life, good or bad, added with his relentless skills in battle rapping and Ant’s always solid production make The Truth Is Here another fantastic addition to an already prolific catalog, and while 9 tracks may not seem like much, it is sure to be enough to hold us over until his next full release expected near the end of this year.