For those thinking, why did you drive 3 hours (to Alabama?!?) for a hip hop show?

In the spirit of transparency, here is my answer:

• I’m the hip hop head of this crew. We promote great indie music. This tour is indie hip hop in its finest form.
• I have been following Rhymesayers Entertainment since 2000. Brother Ali is one of my favorite artists on that label.
• Rhymesayers (MN) and Stones Throw (NYC) (Homeboy Sandman’s label) are both legends in the independent hip hop game so…
• This tour did not include a stop in Nashville. Birmingham was better than going to Atlanta.

This was one of THE best shows (any genre) I have been to. Birmingham has a lot of love for both Homeboy Sandman and Brother Ali. It was obvious from the moment Homeboy hit the stage.

For hours, non-stop, it was pure energy. DJ Sosa and Sandman never let the momentum slow down until the set was over.

If there was a break in between the two sets, I don’t remember it. Brother Ali’s band came on stage and the energy picked back up like it had never died. The venue was packed and the crowd was as close to the stage as we could get, hands in the air, every dope rhyme receiving screams, shouts, or accolades.

It was music. It was hip hop. It was beautiful.

 Homeboy Sandman

I feel like my hip hop head status should be revoked because this was my introduction to Homebody Sandman. I would feel better about not having discovered him if he had not been releasing albums since 2007.

Here’s some background: Angel Del Villar II is a rapper and musician from Elmhurst, Queens, New York. I also think it is worth noting he dropped out of law school to pursue a career as an emcee.

Respect.

Releases include: Nourishment EP (2007), Nourishment (Second Helpings) (2007), Actual Factual Pterodactyl (2008), The Good Sun (2010), Subject: Matter EP (2012), Chimera EP (2012), and First of a Living Breed (2012).

The first thing I thought when Homeboy Sandman took the stage in Birmingham was “damn, this is fresh…where did he come from?!!”

His melodic, jazzy flow captures your attention and you can’t do anything but ride the wave. For a while I thought Sandman had a vendetta against oxygen. There were times when I could not tell if he was taking breaths in between long streams of poetic word play. All delivered in crystal clear form.

I haven’t been this excited (or inspired) by hip hop in years. As I listened closely to his lyrics, I felt like we were influenced by pages from the same rhyme book.

I should also mention that since I have been an emcee/producer with BUNKS for the last decade+, my point of view comes from a different plane than simply being a fan of the music.

With that said, from Homeboy Sandman’s emcee skills to his lyrical Nourishment, he quickly gained my respect. Not only as an emcee, but as a person. Much respect goes out to DJ Sosa as well!

I always appreciate it when a musician stands for something. Homebody Sandman delivers real hip hop in its finest form. He brews an alphabet soup we all need to marinate in from A to Z and back to A.

I have to, no I need to, say thank you.

Now watch some videos (seriously, they are dope): The Carpenter, The Miracle, on Knock Steady TV

Chris says (yes, I made him give me quotes):

“I wasn’t expecting much from Homeboy Sandman since, from my experience, a lot of the openers are mediocre compared to the headlining act. But when Sandman hit the stage I immediately snapped out of the pre-show daze and dug the old school throwback sound.

It seemed like he didn’t take a breath and kept throwing out his point of view like a barrage of bullets. I was stunned and caught in the cross fire. He pulled the crowd in with style and sound.

For the past 2 days his CD has been on repeat.”

Brother Ali

Considering I have been following Brother Ali’s career for a while, there was no doubt Chris and I were in for a great show. That part was a given, so allow me to talk more about the man and the music.

Ali has been releasing albums since 2000 including, Rites of Passage, Shadows on the Sun, Champion EP, The Undisputed Truth, Us, and Mourning in America and Dreaming in Color.

In 2007, a major cell phone company pulled their sponsorship from Brother Ali’s tour due to the lyrical content of his single ‘Uncle Sam Goddamn’. Guess what? The tour went on. You can’t stop a movement as powerful as the Brother’s.

I mention this because Brother Ali is a man who stands for something. It’s bigger than just amazing instrumentals, pristine production, and dope flows. His music means something and it deeply affects people across all walks of life.

When the media and everyone else wants to focus all the attention on the fact he is a white, albino, blind rapper from the Midwest; Brother Ali simply shrugs it off. He is neither white nor black. Race is a man-made construct Brother Ali chooses to ignore.

Amen, Brother!

Instead, he focuses on things that matter. For instance, he was 1 of 13 people recently arrested at a Occupy Homes protest in Minnesota. Learn more about Occupy Homes and watch Brother Ali Stands With Occupy Homes MN.

This tour is in support of his newest album Mourning in America and Dreaming in Color which was produced by Jake One. This album is very critical of the current state of affairs in America, but you must appreciate that Brother Ali also offers a look into the opportunities of hope in front of us.

Can we open our eyes and see them?

Videos

Mourning In America and Dreaming In Color (album preview), Uncle Sam Goddamn, Breakin’ Dawn, Mourning In America, Philistine David

Chris says:

“Brother Ali was the man I was there to see. His show is just like his album. Powerful. Emotional. Energetic and Inspiring. It will blow your mind.

From beginning to end it was like someone poured out their soul. The audience pumped their fists and screamed after every song. This show is by far the best show I have been to.

Ali (and his band), Sandman and DJ Sosa were grinning ear to ear as nearly everyone filed past at the end of the show complimenting on its greatness.

I left thinking this concert should be a required event for every music lover. This is how true masters of the art handle themselves on stage.”

Final Thoughts

Both of these gentlemen, Brother Ali and Homeboy Sandman, have my respect.

As a songwriter and emcee, they inspire me to work harder at my craft.

As a music fan, they excite me with their songwriting skills, musical styles and lyricism.

They are both poets of the highest caliber.

As a person (man, father, husband), these cats make me (and should make all of us) think more critically about the world around us.We should all strive harder to be better and, in my opinion, this is the type of music that motivates one to do so.

Show your support: BrotherAli.com and HomeboySandman.com.