The revival of socially conscious hip-hop

Looking at a sea of raised fists, one would think a protest was about to begin. But these fists were raised with more unity than revolution­—a theme that would carry on throughout the Friday night show at Paradise Rock Club. Whether these fists were black, white, old or young, it didn’t matter. They were all up in support of Brother Ali or as the opening act, The Reminders, called him “the rapper who’s not afraid to say all the things we are thinking.”

Boston was the 15th stop on the Rhymesayer artist’s Mourning in America tour following the September 18 release of his album Mourning in America and Dreaming in Colour.

Maybe it’s the fact that he’s from Wisconsin, a place not as famous for its music scene as it is for its cheese and football. Maybe it’s his soulful, live jazz band that features a saxophone, trumpet, guitar and keyboard rather than a generic DJ on a laptop. Something about Brother Ali is simply different, yet refreshing. Perhaps its his lyrics that preach social and political change rather than having swag or “going HAM,” but there is no denying that Brother Ali is producing some of the most creative rhymes in the hip-hop scene.

Brother Ali opened the packed show with “Stop the Press” off his newest album. Lyrics like “In a life of pain and sadness | Never would’ve guessed that a taste of success | Would’ve been the first time I ever got depressed | I know I’m blessed I just couldn’t adjust,” hit harder than ever before especially given his brief hiatus from music making.

The 35-year-old rapper’s music represents everything the genre should be—poetically constructed verses that have a genuine message accompanied by equally melodic beats. While his previous albums echoed this sentiment, it was in Brother Ali’s emotionally charged performance where struggle, hope and unity came to center stage.

Just as Brother Ali’s music has evolved, so has his attitude toward social issues that are often left unspoken in the hip-hop community. During his performance of “Dorian” off his 2003 album Shadows of the Sun, he said to the crowd “No don’t say that. We don’t say that anymore” when it came to a derogatory homosexual term in the song. The rapper recently wrote an article for the Huffington Post titled “The Intersection of Homophobia and Hip-Hop,” in which he urged rappers to no longer say the word f****t in their songs. To see him live up to his words during his performance not only attested to his character, but his courage as a musician to stand up for something his genre has not yet overcome.

Complementing his performance were the opening acts of The Reminders and Homeboy Sandman, a lyrical spitfire. The Reminders consist of couple/duo, Aja Black and Big Samir. Black and Samir are a musical dream-team who play off each other in every song. From Black’s soft, beautiful voice to beats that reminisce ‘90s hip-hop to Samir’s occasional transition from English to French rapping, The Reminders certainly have something fresh to offer, and although the crowd came for Brother Ali, the duo definitely gained more followers.

Brother Ali closed the show with an encore performance of “Truth Is” from his 2007 album, The Undisputed Truth. With almost every fist in the ‘Dise bobbing to the rapper’s flow, the truth is, Brother Ali is singlehandedly reviving socially conscious hip-hop because he’s not afraid to say all the things we’re thinking.