Brother Ali @ First Avenue

The tour kicked off in Duluth, MN on April 10th with the release of Brother Ali’s album The Undisputed Truth. Roughly two months and fifty shows later The Undisputed Truth tour came to its end in Minneapolis with a sold out show at First Avenue this past Friday night.

Throughout the evening the show was hosted by Minneapolis native Toki Wright who kept the mood energetic in between sets talking to the crowd and providing his own unique brand of hip hop. The first group up on stage was Seattle’s Boom Bap Project which includes Karim, Destro Destructo, and DJ Scene; all of which have been involved with northwest hip hop scene for many years. Their lyrics made no mistake of their roots, nor of their insistence that there is more to music and life than platinum chains and flashy whips. They started off well and kept a strong energy throughout the whole set, giving this hip hop fan reason to keep an eye out for their upcoming (as of yet untitled) EP. That being said, there was feeling throughout the performance was that something bigger was coming.

After a short intermission Chicago MCs Psalm One and Longshot were introduced as the next act on stage. With the talented female Psalm One leading the way, the energy level inside First Ave. failed to subside throughout the entire set; all the while Psalm One proving herself an edgier version of Lauryn Hill. There was no shortage of chemistry throughout the duo’s set and Psalm One and Longshot failed to disappoint. As duo left the stage and their music came to an end it seemed as though everyone at the sold out show was eagerly awaiting the night’s headliner.

With BK One laying down the beat Brother Ali hit the stage at 11 o’clock. Ali mixed in songs from his new album as well as some older classics from his full length debut Shadows on the Sun and his Champion EP. When not singing along to the music the ever-vocal crowd cheered and screamed throughout the entire set, finally bringing a smile to the big man’s face with chants of “Ali.” His set was long and satisfying hitting all the highs of his three albums.

The show proved itself a great hip hop set and a groundbreaking finale for Brother Ali’s tour which ended shortly after midnight; easily some of the best live hip hop to hit the Twin Cities this year. Brother Ali’s first attempt at headlining a tour was a very successful one as was his album was well received and it his live show proved to the hip hop community that his rhymes are as deep and talented as ever.

[Review by guest contributor Ryan Dunn]

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Also: Brother Ali “Us” Review