Brother Ali – First Avenue – MInneapolis MN – November 8th 2018

Brother Ali – First Avenue – Nov. 8 2018

Brother Ali strolled to the Mic, once he grabbed it and the beat hit the house shook.

For the 3rd show of his ‘Shadows On The Sun Anniversary Tour’,  Brother Ali came back home to First Avenue and displayed the mastery that built this Minneapolis rap legend.

Penning his debut Lp 15 years ago, young Brother Ali was struggling with a wife and young son, which is evident in his lyricism. Pouring his creativity, style and flow into what has become a timeless piece of work.

This was one of self-discovery, planting the seed that would root deeply in the Minneapolis music scene and eventually the entire planet.

On this night, the crowd was perfectly warm after a fire performance by Dem Atlas, another Rhymesayers Entertainment teammate. A packed house grew anxious as the lights dimmed and Brother Ali strolled to the Mic, once he grabbed it and the beat hit, the house shook. All the old school favorites had everyone’s hands in the air and bodies bobbing. Never more so, then when Slug of Atmosphere joined Ali on stage for their hit Blah Blah Blah. You certainly can tell from this diverse crowd in age and race that this man speaks to us ALL, he is the peoples’ champ, a humble rap phenomenon with a message that empowers the poor and rises up everyone with hope and positivity.

Review and photos – Greg Garbow