Only Life I Know

This may be the first but it definitely won't be the last time I write about Brother Ali.  There are many artists out there I enjoy to listen to and see live, but Ali is at the top of my list. He is an albino, Muslim from Minnesota who has led a completely different life than mine, but there are no other lyrics that I can relate to more than those of Brother Ali.  From Forest Whitiker, Rain Water, Here, Walking Away, to Us, no other artist's lyrics have moved me quite his Ali's.  They have got me through my darker days and helped me move forward into happiness. I even used a line from "Us" to end my wedding vows a year ago. "There's no me and no you, it's just us."

I would like to focus on his new video "Only life I know".  It's hard to describe how real and amazing this video is.  The first time I watched the video I was speechless. No other artist covers these topics and portrays them so perfectly as Ali.  It's real life and from the heart.  I didn't grow up in poverty, or in a big city like Minneapolis, but yet I'm still able to relate to so many aspects of this song.  Watching him in front of trailor park, it brings back so many memories. I grew up living in a trailor park most of my life. Both sets of my grandparents lived in trailor parks as well.  It's how I grew up, the only life I know.  I've since moved out and on.  As metioned in the song, I'm now in a "raggedy apartment complex".  Yeah, I've never lived in the projects or been forced to deal drugs, but I still feel like I can relate to the realness of the video.  Whether its the worse parts of a town, to dealing with the homeless outside of work, or seeing the extreme poverty in Managua, Nicuragua, the real people highlighted in the video hit home.  I've seen a kid with one leg begging for money, fields of homeless people living in card board boxes and tarp tents. The images you see in the video are not made up. Those conditions are really out there. 

Please read the lyrics for yourself and then watch the amazing video.

Brother Ali - "Only Life I Know" lyrics

Its my life Yeah the only one that Ill ever know Feeling extra low Please let me go Oh Lord No Its my life Yeah the only one that Ill ever know And it stress me so God bless my soul Oh Lord No
Whether its the projects or trailer park mess Raggedy apartment complex With a stressed out single mom sitting on the steps Waiting on the mailman looking for a check Boys on the courner pushing out their chest Questing for anything that resemble respect Young girls swing their hip with every step Looking for affection settling for sex Bodies decorated with tattoos and chains Trying to put armor between you and pain Wood grain steering wheel the bass bang Loud enough to drown out the hatred in your brain The only out is smoking out Get lean get wet get meth get tore down Cause who the hell would want to stick around Put me in a haze I aint never coming down
Its my life Yeah the only one that Ill ever know Feeling extra low Please let me go Oh Lord No Its my life Yeah the only one that Ill ever know And it stress me so God bless my soul Oh Lord No
They just want to get you in the system stick you in a prison Enlist you in the military ship you to the desert Gigs don t exist for you to make a decent living But we got three illegal wars that you can pick from Keep stressing morals and personal decisions Tell me what s moral about these conditions Who decided you don t got enough to teach children Stay spending billions on stadiums and prisons How many routes can folks really choose When you re oppressed only three lead to you The first one is follow the rules and stay in school And be the square dude that society approves Get a little job or a shitty apartment A subprime mortgage in a failing house market And after a life of dedication and hardship You die just as poor as you was when you started Fuck that whats up with the second option You can always hit the corner and try to get it popping Get fast guap when you out robbing and clocking But chances are that you probably die violent Best hope that you got it getting knocked End up with a job in a prison metal shop They ain t paying nothing but 3 hots and a cot Dont you know thats the biggest hustle they got Or door three you could get on that welfare They aint trying to help theyll put you through hell there Give you just enough so youre not going to starve And constantly harass you while you looking for a job If you do luck up and someone let you punch a clock And they find out about then your check is getting docked Cant win for losing they dehumanize you You never get caught up you caught up in that cycle
It s my life Yeah the only one that Ill ever know Feeling extra low Please let me go Oh Lord No Its my life Yeah the only one that Ill ever know And it stress me so God bless my soul Oh Lord No

Watch "Brother Ali - Only Life I Know" on YouTube

"Only Life I Know" is off of Brother Ali's new album, "Mourning in America, Dreaming in Color", that drops Sep 18, 2012 on Rhymesayers Entertainment.

FUCK YOUR STUFF

My whole crews on some shit. Scuffin up your nikes, spitting in your wip."
I first heard this back in March at the Aggie Theatre in Fort Collins. Doomtree was on their "Snow Kings" tour of Colorado, bringing down the house as they always due. Then P.O.S. bangs out this new track "Fuck your stuff". It was the first time we had heard this and the crowd went crazy. UNow six months later the brand new video for "Fuck your stuff" is released. The song and video is exactly what you expect from P.O.S. It's raw but at the same time so well put together. He brings his intensity, charisma, and pure talent to the table for this one. During the video you also get to see fellow Doomtree member Mike Mictlan. Stef and Mike together, as well as a crazy crowd lighting shit on fire, made this a perfect video to a wild, crazy, live song that just simply brings it. Take a look for yourself.      P.O.S. "Fuck your stuff"
http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=_jj8ltpYJtQ&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D_jj8ltpYJtQ

We don't even live here" by P.O.S. is coming out Oct 23, 2012. If for some reason you are not familur with        P.O.S. and Doomtree, let me give a little more info. He is a member of the Doomtree collective. The other members include Dessa, Mike Mictlan, Sims, Cecil Otter, and the two dj's Lazerbeak and Papertiger. P.O.S. is also signed on Rhymesayers Entertainment. This will be his fourth solo release.
It about six or seven years ago when I first heard of P.O.S. I was invited to go to what was then the Starlight theatre in Fort Collins. P.O.S. was headlining that night. I really only knew one song of his from MySpace, "P.O.S. is ruining my life". I liked the song and loved checking out live shows, so I got a ticket. My friend ditches out (yes I'm talking about you Marshall) so I went alone to the show. It was my first time flying solo at a hip hop show so I was a little doubtful. But quickly it turned into an amazing show. P.O.S. brought a super energetic performance that tore the small roof off the place. With the mic cord wrapped around his arm, he bounced around the stage, at times almost screaming out the lyrics, causing a mosh pit to erupt, he made me an instant fan. It was a unique, personal live experience like I have never seen. At points he even stopped to play thumb wars with the audience. With the crowd still going crazy, he literally ran out of material to play and the show unfortunately had to come to an end. After the show I had the pleasure of meeting him and buying both of his albums he had at that point. He is an awwsome, down to earth, humble man. I've now seen his solo show twice, and twice with the Doomtree collective. Everytime has been a thrilling show, each time setting the bar higher for my expectations of a live show. So, moral of the story is watch "Fuck your stuff" buy "we don't even live here" Oct 23, and be sure to catch P.O.S. and Doomtree in a city near you. Peace!!

Independent Underground Hip Hop

To some it's just music. Just a catchy beat and hook.  To others it's a life stlye, a way of life.  All genres of music have there own appeal.  Each person takes a way something different from every song and every genre.  My music of choice is independent underground hip hop. I love artist like Brother Ali, Atmosphere, Immortal Technique, Doomtree, Grieves, Living Legends and Dilated Peoples, just to name a few. For me it's a passion.  It's about the real people, real, deep, meaningful lyrics.  The music speaks to me.  Whether it's a bad day at work, the troubles that life throws at you, or just a good memory, there is always a song that I can relate to.  My moods dictate what songs I listen to, and the songs dictate my moods.
I understand hip hop isn't for everyone. But if you havn't truely listened to it how can ever judge it? Most people think of hip hop as gangsters, booty, booze, and money, thanks to tv and radio. The underground is a whole other world. It's real artists with deep lyrics about life, love, family and politics. The artists are real people just like you and me who will take time before and after the shows to talk to their fans, sell merch, and get feed back.
My goal here is to share my passion with you. In future blogs I will share my favorite lyrics with you, and share what they mean to me. I will cover artists, shows, and cd releases.  If this interests you, follow my blogs and my twitter! @_real_hip_hop peace!!