Brother Ali speaks the 'Truth' on US outing
Minneapolis rapper Brother Ali will head out next month on a headlining trek to support his latest album, "The Undisputed Truth."
The 30-show "Truth is Here Tour," which will also feature Abstract Rude, Toki Wright and BK-One, is set to launch Feb. 29 in Madison, WI, and visit clubs and theaters all over the US through March. Details are listed below. Tickets go on sale to the general public today (2/1).
"The Undisputed Truth," which dropped last April, is Brother Ali 's second full-length album for Rhymesayers Entertainment, and follows his 2003 debut, "Shadow on the Sun." The latest set was recorded after a rough patch in Ali's life, during which he separated from his wife, became homeless and fought for custody of his young son. His struggles laid the foundation for the record.
"I wanted to make an album that gives you no choice but to feel what I'm feeling at the time," Ali explained in a statement. "I made choices that sent me through a lot of struggle in the past few years and (producer) ANT and I have made music that really communicates the exact feeling of those situations."
Brother Ali is no stranger to struggle. The practicing Muslim is an albino who, as a child, was treated cruelly and turned to music as a way of earning respect.
During his career, the rapper has shared the stage with the likes of Atmosphere, Brand Nubian, Rakim, MF Doom and Murs in the US, Canada, Europe, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, according to his bio. He's also played in front of large audiences at music festivals including Coachella, Sweden's Hultsfred and France's Eurokeenes Festival.
February 2008
29 - Madison, WI - High Noon
March 2008
1 - Iowa City, IA - Picador
2 - Houghton, MI - WMTU Houghton
3 - Duluth, MN - Pizza Luce
4 - Menomonie, WI - UW Stout
5 - Omaha, NE - Waiting Room
6 - Boulder, CO - Fox Theatre
7 - Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater
8 - Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court and Urban Lounge (2 shows)
9 - Boise, ID - The Venue
10 - Seattle, WA - Neumo’s
11 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theater
12 - San Francisco, CA - Slim's
13 - West Hollywood, CA - Troubadour
14 - San Diego, CA - Canes
15 - Tucson, AZ - Club Congress
16 - Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theatre
18 - El Paso, TX - Club 101
19 - Dallas, TX - The Prophet Bar
21 - Tampa, FL - Orpheum
22 - Orlando, FL - The Social
24 - Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
25 - Baltimore, MD - Ottobar
26 - Philadelphia, PA - World Cafe Live
27 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
28 - Cambridge, MA - Middle East
29 - Buffalo, NY - Neitzche’s
30 - Ann Arbor, MI - Blind Pig
31 - Chicago, IL - Abbey Pub
April 2008
19 - St. Paul, MN - Fitzgerald Theatre (The Current's Fakebook with Chuck D and Atmosphere)
Ghostface Killah, Rakim to lead Hip Hop Live Tour [October 2007]
Briefly: Ryan Adams, BeBe & CeCe Winans, Bonnaroo, Chali 2na [May 2007]
Madonna's "Confessions on a Dance Floor" tour
The Duke Spirit on stage and in the studio
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers with Stevie Nicks
Metallica at the KROQ Weenie Roast in Irvine, CA
R.E.M. at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, CA
Herbie Hancock at the Sonoma Jazz Festival
Brad Paisley, Jack Ingram and Kellie Pickler
Dengue Fever at The Independent, San Francisco, CA

