Words By: Brendan Lee
Shots By: Johnny Erwin
Friday October 19th – Rhymesayers Entertainment and Minneapolis based artist Brother Ali played to a sold out crowd in Vancouver at Venue – prsented by Hillydilly.com & Perryscope Concerts – alongside his new live band Blank Tape Beloved, Colorado based hip hop duo The Reminders and Homeboy Sandman from Queens, New York. Ali hasn’t been to Vancity in a miniute – his last show being early 2009 in support of his album ‘US,’ so this show was highly anticipated, as was his newest record ‘Mourning in America and Dreaming in Color.’
Unfortunately our crew made it to the show a little late and didn’t get the chance to check out The Reminders set but I have since been turned onto their music and suggest you check this group out because they are a really dope, concious hip hop duo and both opening acts were personally hand picked by Brother Ali himself. Homeboy Sandman, like Ali, is an amzing lyricist who raps about the world around him and his live performance is indicitive of someone that is very passionate about what he does. He had a raw, no-nonsense style that was definitely a nice segue into Ali’s set. Sandman got the crowd into the show and hyped up for the Big Brother and definitely proved himself worthy of the title emcee – if you haven’t heard of this dude before, be sure to give him a listen, especially if you are into the classic boom-bap style of hip hop.
Blank Tape Beloved took to this stage, shortly followed by Brother Ali as they opened with the song “Stop the Press,” an update on the last hectic few years of Ali’s life. The live band played very well with Ali’s song selection throughout the entire set, surely a testament to countless rehearsal hours, as Ali is never known to cut corners. He performed a wide range of songs off his many albums and Eps, spanning back to his first Rhymesayer’s release ‘Shadows on the Sun.’ A few songs I was surprised to hear were “Prince Charming” and “Self Taught,” which I had never heard him perform live the two other times I saw him play. Another highlight of the show was Ali playing the drum machine with some drum sticks, which he did surprisingly well.
He closed his set off with “Fresh Air” from the album ‘US,’ which is a nice funky tune that was perfect for performing with a live band. The crowd, however, wasn’t convinced the show was over and proceeded to chant “ALI!” continuously until he and the band returned to the stage to play a couple more songs – finishing off his set with “Letter to My Countrymen” and a medley version of “Truth is Here” along with The Reminders. Overall, it was a really dope live performance as one would expect from an elite artist like Brother Ali. If you are a hip hop fan it is surely a must for you to see the dude perform at least once in your lifetime – a RIGHT OF PASSAGE, if you will.
Setlist:
Stop The Press
The Preacher
Only Life I Know
Fajr
Work Everyday
Tight Rope
Dorian
Uncle Sam Goddamn
Mourning in America
Babygirl
Walking Away
Forest Whitaker
Prince Charming
Need a Knot
Blah Blah Blah
Self Taught
Fresh Air
Encore:
Letter to My Countrymen
Truth Is Here
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