How Come No One Is Talking About Brother Ali's New EP "The Truth Is Here?"

[Laconic]

1.   Real As Can Be
2.   Philistine David
3.   Little Rodney
4.   Palm The Joker
5.   Good Lord
6.   Baby Don't Go
7.   Talkin' My Shit
8.   Believers, The (featuring Slug)
9.   Begin Here

It’s been two years since Brother Ali released the critically acclaimed album The Undisputed Truth, and as the Rhymesayers lyrical heavyweight and producer Ant put the finishing touches on their upcoming follow up (Fall ‘09) the dynamic duo cap off the last two years with a new EP and a full-length DVD.

Nine tracks featuring two highly sought after b-sides and seven new and previously unreleased songs including “Philistine David”, which was featured in the Jonathan Demme directed documentary, Jimmy Carter Man From Plains and “The Believer” a collaboration with Slug of Atmosphere. In addition to the new EP, The Truth Is Here also contains a full length DVD that features Brother Ali’s sold out homecoming performance during The Undisputed Truth Tour at the legendary First Avenue nightclub in Minneapolis as well as interviews, a special commentary by Brother Ali, and videos of “Take Me Home” and “Uncle Sam Goddamn” from The Undisputed Truth.

The Truth Is Here captures a key period in the career of what many have called one of the most promising voices to emerge from the underground this century and will be a must have for any and every Brother Ali fan.

This EP is fucking ridiculous just like his other releases.  I urge everybody to check this out.   

Here is a track to preview.  It's called The Believers.

http://www.zshare.net/audio/56830983b61904f8/

[CHUCK KNOXXX]

one of the dopest mc's in the game, shadows on the sun is one of the best records to come out in the last 6 years and the undisputed was extremely underrated and slept on, i thought it was incredible....looking forward to this obviously...

[Jaydc555]

Brother Ali is amazing

[Booz]

Didn't know he was coming with new EP, props for letting me know. Undisputed Truth was good.

[Laconic]

HipHopdx's review:

http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/reviews/id.1123/title.brother-ali-the-truth-is-here

Brother Ali - The Truth Is Here
Monday, March 9, 2009 | Author: Andres Tardio

Some have called Brother Ali’s [click to read] Shadows on the Sun [click to read] a powerful album; a stellar release full of raw potency that showcased a breakdown of self with introspective splendor. His follow up, The Undisputed Truth [click to read], took the broken pieces to rebuild Ali, tying loose ends, answering questions and showing the joy of a man who succeeded despite hardship. In between, The Champion EP was a bridge to that victory. Now, The Brother is unveiling The Truth is Here, a new EP containing the next chapter of this celebrated emcee’s career, where he is able to unwind with rhymes still as intricate as ever.

The greatness of Ali has always been his autobiographical approach, which is evident from the jump on “Real as Can Be.” The song, including interesting tidbits on tour stops and tragedy, gives Ali the chance to announce that he’s “got a brand new baby daughter on the way.” The strength is still evident on “Philistine David,” where he is unafraid to add melodious hooks to complement his knock out flow in a rhyme about perseverance. Another significant quality in his repertoire has also been his versatility. Whether discussing suicide (“Palm the Joker”), faith (“Good Lord”), or love (“Baby Don’t Go”), the rapping is always on point with elaborate rhyme patterns and forceful delivery. Slug’s appearance is an added bonus, as the two trade bars on “The Believers.”

If it ain’t broke, why fix it? The Brother Ali/Ant union is still alive. While there may be an addition of other producers in the upcoming Ali album, this EP is fortunately full of Ant’s fingerprints. The smooth Jazz of “Real As Can Be” is followed by the more upbeat “Philistine David.” Where the samples in “Palm the Joker” permeate the track with Soul, the piano’s keys on “Good Lord” infuse the track with a buoyant tempo rarely heard on Ali songs. “Baby Don’t Go” manages to fuse those two together, a soulful song full of bounce. Speaking of bounce, the bass on “Talkin’ My Shit” adds to the smooth vibe that is prominent on the backend of the album. “Begin Here,” the finale, is simply Ant at his best, flexing elaborate samples with a rough, calm drum pattern that allows Ali to bow and close the curtains to a standing ovation.

Ali has disassembled his life, put it back together and put it all on wax. He’s shown us his darkest and most joyous of moments in a way rarely seen in rap. Matching skill with candor and introspection with an intimidating delivery, he’s consistently crafted praise-worthy releases. This is no different. The Truth is Here is another chapter in this edition of Brother Ali’s autobiography, one that begs for the pages to continue to be turned. On this album, Ali says “If you ain’t really thinking ‘bout the things that you say/Then don’t call me a hater when I feel the same way.” It’s only clear that Ali truly does care about what he says and gives enough reason for any Hip Hop fan to do the same.

4.5/5

[Lord Funk]

I don't really know Ali, but I'm a big fan of Ant's production, so I just ordered a copy. Props for bringing it to my attention Laconic.

[thisoneguy360]

^ You won't be dissapointed, Ali is dope as fuck

[Tay]

Ali is a real consistent MC, every verse is solid. Just got this one and listened to it once so far, a pretty damn good EP. Track 9 with Slug is raw.

[Laconic]

I don't really know Ali, but I'm a big fan of Ant's production, so I just ordered a copy. Props for bringing it to my attention Laconic.

No problem.

Props to everyone who commented. 

[Booz]

Ali is a real consistent MC, every verse is solid.

True,  I would want him to do some soft slow track for once though...he is always going hard.
Sometimes you wanna hear something mellow, you know?