While Twin Cities hip-hop fans are impatiently awaiting tomorrow's lineup announcement for this year's Soundset festival, Rhymesayers Entertainment did surprise them with some other big news this morning: Brother Ali will drop a new album a few weeks ahead of the big bash, titled "All the Beauty in This Whole Life." Details of the record and the first track debuted via RollingStone.com.
Due May 5, the 15-track collection was produced entirely by Ant of Atmosphere and is Ali's first full-length release in five years, going back to "Mourning in America and Dreaming in Color." He went on something of a sabbatical in recent years, though he has been getting back in the performance ring of late, once again serving as Atmosphere's opening act. It looks as if the songs on the record will explain the personal and spiritual journey he went on in that time.
Among the tracks we already know is "Dear Black Son," which addresses police brutality and stunned the crowd when he debuted as a spoken-word piece at the Rhymesayers 20 concert in December 2015. More than political, though, it sounds as if this record will be hopeful and inward-looking, as evidenced by the first single, "Own Light (What Hearts Are For)," which is posted below along with a promo video for the record and another video for the song "Pen to Paper."
"This entire album is based on the reality that beauty is the splendor of truth," Ali said in a press release from Rhymesayers. "Beauty in all of its forms is the outward manifestation of love and virtue. It soothes the soul and pulls it gently toward the truth it communicates. Every word and note of this album is intended to either reflect beauty, or expose the ugliness that blocks us from living lives of meaning."
Pre-orders for the album are now being taken via Rhymesayers.com.
