Brother Ali breaks the mold with Breaking Dawn tour
Freshman emcee Fashawn will open for Ali at Mojo's.
Published April 27, 2010
Brother Ali's rare condition of albinism and his legal blindness set him apart from most people, but he hasn't ever let that affect his longstanding career in hip-hop. The emcee, hailing from Madison, Wis., jumped back on the road this spring for Breaking Dawn, a tour dedicated to hitting cities he has missed in years passed.
Ali is a well-versed traveler. He has played many shows in Europe and Canada, as well as the U.S., and doesn't ever focus on just one show. His April 29 stop in Columbia at Mojo's will be his first time in town.
"This time, we're just going places we haven't gone before to see how we're received," Ali said from his Brooklyn hotel, hours before performing. "It's been wonderful so far."
Since his 2009 album Us released on Rhymesayers Entertainment, Ali has been on the road supporting the record, which debuted at No. 56 on the Billboard Top 100. He said he had live performances in mind when he wrote the record.
"We base it all off of live performances," Ali said. "From what I've seen and heard, people feel like the shows are powerful, and [they] leave feeling pretty good."
The 10-year veteran will be bringing some new blood on tour with him this spring, most notably California-native Fashawn.
"I've always been supportive of the young ones," Ali said. "Not everyone can be as genuine and sincere as him."
Last fall, Fashawn released his highly anticipated debut album, Boy Meets World. The 21-year-old emcee details everything from his journey growing up with many stepfathers, money woes and girl problems on the record. XXL declared the record XL Certified, putting Fashawn on the mainstream rap radar and kick-starting his career as a rapper.
"Boy Meets World ushered in a whole new world for me, man," Fashawn said. "I started touring extensively, doing massive amounts of press. One year ago, I never woke up to e-mails about my packed schedule but that's just how it is now."
Despite the honor of being named one of XXL's Top 10 Freshmen -- a list formerly occupied by Wale, Kid Cudi and B.o.B. -- Fashawn said he doesn't want to coast by purely on recognition.
"I appreciate the attention and the comparisons, but comparisons are only there to start conversation," he said. "Let's move along. They are calling me a freshman, so let's go. This is freshman year."
Fashawn struggles to find time to write, while on the Breaking Dawn tour with Ali, but he still finds time to read. He is also working on his second album and Ode to Illmatic, his tribute to Nas, a rapper he has been compared to since his earliest mixtapes.
"When I have all this extra time like I do now, I love to pull out books," said Fashawn.
The budding rapper compliments Ali nicely on this tour. His performances garner the same type of energy and emotion Ali thrives on.
"I give it my all, my 100 percent, every night," Ali said. "Some people cry during my set. It's crazy. You might hear my music, but live shows are the only time you see me, so I like to give it everything I've got."
That energy and excitement is sure to leak over into his performance next week at Mojo's. Brother Ali made it quite clear that the stage is where he feels most comfortable.
"I love the stage more than I love the studio," Ali said.