ARTIST: Brother Ali 
TITLE: Shadows on the Sun
YEAR RELEASED: 2003
CHART ACTION: None
SINGLES: Room with a View, Champion
OTHER SONGS YOU MAY KNOW: Not really
LINEUP: Brother Ali, Ant
WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT: First wide-ish release by Twin Cities alternative rapper that gave notice that he was a force to be reckoned with in the underground community.
SOME WORDS, PHRASES AND CLAUSES ABOUT THIS RECORD: Brother Ali, an albino Muslim rapper from Minneapolis, is one of the most steadfast and focused of the alternative / underground hip hop community. This, his second album (and first that was really distributed), landed and created a buzz that continues to this day.
His rhymes and flow compel you to listen, and the beats and production by Ant are also compelling – there are hooks, great samples, and a tremendous blend of voice and beats. The content by Ali is about family, religion, injustice, and the power imbalance between the Government and the people in his community. It’s definitely a potent, powerful mix.
Ali also rhymes about privilege, male privilege especially. He’s angry, but hopeful. It’s a national debut that to this day is vital.
NOTES & MINUTIAE: He had a previous release, on cassette only, with very limited circulation.
IS THERE A DELUXE VERSION: No.
GRADE: A+: I can’t get enough of this.
But Is It Any Good? 