At the beginning of May, hip hop fans will be blessed with Brother Ali’s first album in five years. The Rhymesayers emcee has been pushing the release with a couple of excellent tracks, and now he’s revealed the full tracklist for the album, which is titled All the Beauty in This Whole Life.
Brother Ali was and is a staunchly underground emcee. He isn’t going for hits, and the tracklist reflects his philosophy and commitment to keeping hip hop true to its roots. The features are not notable for their fame or reputation, and the entire album has been produced by Ant, who is half of Atmosphere.
“This entire album is based on the reality that beauty is the splendor of truth,” Brother Ali explained in a video released with the album’s first single “Own Light (What Hearts Are For)”. “Beauty in all of its forms is the outward manifestation of love and virtue. It soothes soul and pulls it gently toward the truly it communicates. Every word and note of this album is intended to either reflect beauty, or expose the ugliness that blocks us from living lives of meaning.”
Check out the tracklist below. The album will be available starting May 5 on streaming services, or on Bandcamp.
1. “Pen to Paper” Feat. Amir Sulaiman
2. “Own Light (What Hearts Are For)”
3. “Special Effects” Feat. deM Atlas
4. “Can’t Take That Away”
5. “Dear Black Son”
6. “We Got This” Feat. Sa-Roc
7. “Uncle Usi Taught Me”
8. “Pray For Me”
9. “It Ain’t Easy”
10. “Never Learn”
11. “Tremble”
12. “Before They Called You White”
13. “The Bitten Apple” Feat. Idris Philips
14. “Out of Here
15. “All the Beauty in This Whole Life”