| Music Video
Brother Ali
– “Only Life I Know”
Rhyming reflectively over a soulful soundbed, lyrical Minneapolis native Brother Ali unveils his crisp new video for “Only Life I Know,” directed by Dave Wilson and taken from the rapper’s new album, Mourning In America and Dreaming In Color.
“It deals with the idea of poverty; specifically what it feels like to be trapped in poverty,” Ali explains of the song. “I start out by talking about all these different experiences that poor people have with these centers of poverty… the trailer parks, the projects, the housing complexes and the reservation…”
He comments, “More and more people in our society are falling into poverty. People that used to be middle class, people that used to be called working class, now are living below the poverty line.
“We live in a society that’s capitalist, it’s highly competitive, it’s really driven by consumerism. In America we have a highway into poverty and not even a sidewalk out.”
“So I wanted to hit this one early on in the album,” he concludes. “Talking about what it feels like to be trapped in poverty and to be poor. Only life I know.”
Produced by Jake One with guest features from Dr Cornel West, Bun B, Choklate, poet Amir Sulaiman and Tone Trezure, Brother Ali’s fourth new album Mourning In America and Dreaming In Color is set for release shortly on September 18th through Rhymesayers Entertainment and promises to present, “a scathing yet honest critique of America and its many flaws while simultaneously presenting a hopeful outlook of its possibilities.” [Pre-order]
Currently embarked on an extensive US and Canadian tour for the next couple of months, click here for dates and tickets to catch him performing live near you.
