Disco de Brother Ali: “Champion”

This EP is fire from front to back. BA is my favorite emcee in the game today, his flow, delivery, and lyrical content really set him apart from other emcees, espescially on the underground. I for one live for this underground hip hop, but a lot of it tends to be redundant. Brother Ali has a style unlike any other emcee I have ever heard, and believe it or not, Ive done heard em all. The only reason this album doesnt get 5 stars is because of the length. I get sad everytime its over, and its over relatively quick. I cannot wait for his next full length release, because this album and shadows on the sun have me on the edge of my seat, waiting for more. Standout tracks include "self taught", "rain water", and "love on display". Those are my favorites at least, but all of them are fire, and any other person could pick out a totally different list. BA puts tons of emotion in this EP, and really defines himself as one of the most heartfelt artists in music today.

Follow up to Shadows on the Sun but not an official full length release. Ali is getting so nasty its going to be hard for the industry to keep ignoring him, nobody spits with the agressive intensity he displays on this album, maybe ISelfDevine from the Micranots but thats about it. Best tracks are Bad Ma F**ka, Sleepwalker, and Rain Water. RSE is the best label period everything they put out has been quality recently. Cant wait for the full length.

This is an excellent album. Ali has some nice beats and rhymes real life, i respect him a lot. He keeps to the original basics of hip hop and uses his own style and content. He is a wise man who is deep and keeps everything in the light and rhymes truth only. A good poet that keeps hip hop alive today and lets us know it's not going away yet. Respect! Ali boombaye!

Brother Ali is one of the most talented emcees out there. It's amazing how much talent has been coming out of Minneapolis, and Brother Ali is one of the best. His flow is interesting, between battle rap and singing, and Ant's beats are always great, but on Ali's stuff they are more soulful than usual. Great EP.

This EP arrived shortly after Brother Ali's critically claimed sophomore album "Shadows On The Sun", which is personally one of my favorite hip-hop albums of all time. So nine new cuts from the self proclaimed Urban Norman Rockwell was greeted with open arms. As always, Ali is accompanied by Ant, who continues to amaze with a dynamic range of sound in his production.

While the quality of the material is very high here, and I do enjoy every cut, I'm not feeling every cut as a classic like I did his sophomore LP. That said, these cuts are definitely classics IMO: "Love on Display", "Self Taught" (my favorite), & "Rain Water". "Heads Down (You Haven't Done That Yet)", "Chain Link", & "Bad Ma Fu**a" are very close. Overall, it's very solid throughout with no real faults, even though I'm personally not feeling the remix of "Champion" as much as the original. Ali delivers the truth in the form of music once again, and this EP is definitely a note-worthy recording in his catalog. Highly recommended.