For the first time in his life, Brother Ali has been enjoying some day-to-day stability. Gone is the turbulent marriage to his first wife, homelessness, and the associated drama—all of which Ali openly documented on his last LP, The Undisputed Truth. 

His new album, Us, is a progression that will establish Brother Ali as one of Hip Hop’s most enduring figures. While maintaining his intimate approach to songwriting, Ali has broadened his focus to examine life through his relationships with those closest to him. The new direction allows Ali to venture through the strengths and flaws of the human condition, exploring the evils of slavery, drug abuse, rape and poverty as well as the beauty of love, family and redemption.

Continuing the tradition of Ali’s previous albums, Us is produced entirely by long time partner Ant (Atmosphere, Felt) who provides enchanting mixtures of lush strings, and haunting choirs with the grinding pulse of funk-inspired synth bass and talk box. Giving Ali the perfect musical bed to deliver his commanding and ever thought provoking musings.

This new approach was hinted at on Ali’s most recent EP, The Truth Is Here, on the funked-up track “Little Rodney” where he says in the chorus, “If ya’ll trying to talk about the horrors you see / tell your stories through me.” As Ali says, “there are individuals that are doing okay, but a lot of the people around me and many I care about are still going through the same thing…things haven’t changed for them.” 

Us opens with “Brothers And Sisters” as the legendary Chuck D (Public Enemy) introduces Brother Ali as the speaker for the evening accompanied by a live Gospel choir and Stokley Williams (Mint Condition). Ali uses songs like “House Keys” and “Games” to illustrate how easy it is get caught up and trapped by drugs and hustling. “These are people that could be your friends,” explains Ali about those in his new material. “This is not just a statistic…this is real life and real people.” 

“The Travelers”, is a multi-viewed look at slavery in America. Ali paints the picture of both the hardship faced by slaves being forcibly removed from their lives but also the effect this had on white America who has inherited a shameful legacy. “We need to really go back and acknowledge slavery for what it is, what it was at the time, and what it is in our lives, all of our lives” says Ali. 

Studies of slavery and modern corner life alike make the Ali worthy of the “Street Preacher” title friends have given him. Yet amid his evolution on Us, he hasn’t forgotten about what it means to be an all around champion MC. With the bombastic “Bad Mufucker Pt II” and the Freeway (Rocafella) and Joell Ortiz (Slaughterhouse) assisted “Best@it”, Ali still celebrates the craft of MCing. “I believe there’s nothing wrong with just rapping for the sake of rapping,” says Ali, who’s still trying to be the greatest of all time. 

While in many regards Ali is well on his way to that label one thing is undeniable, Brother Ali is one of the most engaging and important voices in Hip Hop right now and he and Ant have once again crafted a beautifully intelligent and entertaining album for all of Us.

THE GROUCH
    The Grouch always wanted to make beats since he first heard about this music called hip-hop. His dad played keys and Grouch felt music was inside him also, but he hadn't planned on being an MC. Being from Oakland, Grouch grew up on the local heroes like Digital Underground, Too Short, Toni, Tony, Tone, and many others. Around 91'/92' Del and the Hiero crew were first starting to make noise in the bay and it was then that Grouch felt he could really make something out of this music thing. He had a friend who rapped and he convinced Grouch to start writing/rapping in 94'. He met the Mystik Journeymen soon after and they schooled Grouch on the independent hustle. From this moment, Grouch knew it was on. Grouch's first show as an MC was in 1995, it was at one the Journeymen's "Broke Ass" something shows in East Oakland. Grouch performed under his real name and the crowd showed him much love, which he says is the main reason he stuck with making music. Grouch's music influences include all the hip-hop greats from LL Cool J to the Beastie Boys along with the Bay Area classics and Jazz, Rock, and Soul music. Grouch has always taken the independent route and has done everything himself along the way, a fact he takes great pride in. Grouch's latest project, The Grouch & Eligh "No More Greener Grasses" is available now.

ELIGH
    In first grade, at a friend's birthday party, Eligh and the rest of the kids watched a movie called "Beat Street." The movie made quite an impression and inspired Eligh to make a trip to his local record store where he picked up LL Cool J's "I'm Bad." After one listen, he knew what he wanted to do. The year was 1985. Eligh's first official step into the hip-hop world was under the name lower m.c. and his first crew was the Boogalu Badboys with his friend Scarub. At the time, they were both attending Hamilton High School in L.A. They changed their name to Urban Instinct and then they met Murs, a fellow Hamilton student. The three of them became known as 3 Melancholy Gypsys (3MG). Eligh was living with his aunt and uncle, but was kicked out of the house. This would end up being the event that led to him becoming part of the Living Legends. After being kicked out, Eligh moved up to the bay area and began staying on a friend's couch. The friends he was staying with had a house party one night and one of the partygoers was The Grouch. Through a mutual friend they were introduced and ended up hooking up to record a song together. While they were working on the song, Sunspot came by and met Eligh and brought Eligh into the crew. From there, the rest is Legends history. Eligh credits a wide range of musical influences including Michael Jackson, Freestyle Fellowship, and Bob Dylan. Under his beat-making alter ego, Gandalf, Eligh has helped provide the backbone of the Legends sound and is responsible for many of the Legends classic songs. Eligh's latest project, The Grouch & Eligh "No More Greener Grasses," is available now. The release date of Eligh's new solo album, "Enigma", is April 5.