Muslimfest Reflections
To piggyback off my other question, I was wondering if you could share anything about your experience at Muslimfest Mississauga this year. Did you get a chance to look around, connect or re-connect with any of the other artists or speakers that attended, was it an experience you could see yourself participating in again in the future, if the opportunity presents itself? As a non Muslim who is eager to learn, using your podcast as a launchpad, I was overjoyed with how beautiful everyone was at the event, and I left the event excited to attend again next year.
The Song that Didn't Make "The Satisfied Soul" Album
On tour you performed a particularly incendiary track that dropped all of our jaws, and I remember hoping to hear it later. In a previous episode you mentioned that there was a track that didn't fit the main message of the album. Curious if you're holding on to that one for a later release or if you'd let us hear it.
rites of passage
salamualaykum brother ali. i hope all is well with you inshAllah. just was wondering if you could take us through rites of passage (as i understand it your first body of work). you produced the whole thing yourself unless i’m mistaken. i’d love to hear more about its fruition. also the more poignant question is: any chance this’ll ever be on spotify/streaming services ? salams!
Physical Art Piece
We had the opportunity to meet eachother at Muslimfest in Mississauga, Canada, earlier this year and we had a brief chat about a piece of art I could have gotten tattooed on me. The conclusion of that was that I didn't need something on my skin, as long as we had eachother in our hearts, and I love the sentiment so much, but I wanted to ask a followup. Is there an idea you've had for a piece of Brother Ali art that you've never seen yet, and if so, what would it be? Furthermore, as a call to action to the caravan, is there a traditional physical artist among us that would be willing to make this piece? I would, of course, be willing to pay for the commission. As much as I'd appreciate a piece of art to hang on my wall to represent how much Brother Ali and his music mean to me, I'd love to ask another fan to design it.
D.R.U.M.
I think it was an episode the podcast where you mentioned the acronym for D.R.U.M. and it's driving me crazy! I asked about it in the Blood on Beats workshop (which is super dope and MASSIVE THANK YOU for putting that on)......and you mentioned that nobody has guessed it and that you don't know what you would do if they did..... That class is SO powerful and SO full of wisdom and love, so I promptly left it alone.....and I perfectly understand the desire (or need) to keep things personal or close to the vest.....but here's my best guess and I'll drop it for good.... But......is it...... Directly (or Drums). Relay(ing). Unified (or Universal). Messages?
Why do you have to make me cry at the gym?!?
Every time you choke up in a podcast, I start to get emotional too. It makes it hard for me to listen to your podcast sometimes at the gym. Why are you doing this to us?!? Joking aside, I love that you are bringing so much authenticity to your podcast. Don't change a thing!!!
Do you want visitors to Istanbul to say hi?
Hi Brother, Greetings from Madison, WI. I wanted to let you know how much I am enjoying your podcast, and thank you for your perspectives. As a convert who is navigating a personal path to Islam, your insights on life and faith are very valuable. Thanks for sharing your journey with us. I will likely be passing through Istanbul later this fall on the way to KSA. Please drop a line if you like. Perhaps the stars will align and I can thank you in person. Thanks again for everything you are doing for all of us!!!
Scarface x BK-One collab
Peace & Grace Congratulations on the release of the Love & Service album! Going through some of the "older" joints in preparation for my first listen of the latest joint....I was surprised to see my personal GOAT from the younger days SCARFACE on a song with you and BK. Just curious how that collaboration came about, not something that was on my radar (at all) and the song is DOPE so just wondering if there's any story or more background to that song--were y'all in the lab together, etc?. Thank you. Peace & Grace
Bismillah Hip hop and whiteAmerica
Asalam Alaikum Wah Rahmatulah Wah Barakatuh, Sidi Brother Ali. why is it that white American listeners have not historically embraced Islam en masse despite immense love for African American culture and hip hop, and mass appeal of Malcolm X (RA)? I guess something’s need to be experienced experientially. But I wonder how people cannot see how Islam brings us past race into ihsan, into honoring lineage without supremacy, and into God consciousness n love for creation. inshaAllah your full animated feature speaks to people’s hearts. inshaAllah u show every raindrop and drum beat r making dhikr. Islam is the shife that “would cure us all, la illaha il Allah”, murmuring the cheatcode. 💚
Will you enlighten me
Salam Alikom, I am doing a series of monthly Virtual National Teach-ins to educate and enlighten those interested in educating themselves and their communities and who are open to different kinds of opinions and dialog about topics that relate to them and society, the problems we face as a society, and its possible solutions. All topics on different things related to American Politics, the international effect of our policies, policies affecting minorities especially, the sufferings of the American people currently, transformative organization at the grassroots level etc. I would love to collaborate with you and work together on a teach-in. I invite you to pick any topic you would like but I would suggest first looking at Dr. Cornel West's Platform and choosing any topic from there, if you don't find one you would like to talk about, I am open to any of your ideas. (disclaimer: I am a LW volunteer for Dr. West's campaign and this virtual teach-in will be advertised in his volunteer events and at large where I can advertise it) I hope to engage American minorities and the public, in general, to be more proactive, and educated in the topics that affect them, and encourage them to join grassroots campaigns, change their futures by being proactive and educated and to break the duopoly of American politics happening right now, in this current election year of 2024, and to carry these grassroots campaigns beyond 2024 to create a local and governmental society that can reflect the actual public and its needs, creating meaningful and lasting solutions to chronic problems, and therefore rebounding to international influence of creating a better world. please contact me if you are compelled taqwah.medium.com
Sampling in hip-hop
Without going into specific details, what kind of experience have you had of the current framework for sampling? Do you feel like there's a good system fr it? Have you and/or artists in your circle experienced any legal, financial or practical problems as a result of using samples in your work? How do you think it should work, in an ideal world?
Sight activism?
I never know if activism is the right word, but you do so much to uplift people and communities from work pertaining to faith to housing and so much more. I wonder - as a person who is visually impaired due to ocular albinism - what work you have or would consider doing with/for that community. I know your albinism has an impact on sight, and I ask primarily because I help lead a Low Vision Coalition and I'd love to hear about how you or others have dealt with the challenges that come with say organizing a group of non-drivers in communities with limited transportation options, etc.
Who Do You Think You Are?
Bismillah. Knowing who your people are is important for decolonisation right? My folks have been doing ancestry research in their retirement. Got the spit test. Spent some money on genealogists to get undigitised records from dungeons in Eastern Europe. Learning how many of my kin may be dying in that war right now. I changed my name so as to honour my ancestors. Starting to learn my ancestral languages. Will visit when it’s safer. I hope this isn’t a ‘hey you know what you should do’ at a bbq thing. Would you do that kinda ancestry show? (The titles a British show) You’d be a great host if I ran the world. Or what steps are you taking towards your ancestors? I’m pretty sure some of mine served vlad the impaler. What rights do they have over you when they mighta done really bad things?
Being Muslim then and now
Being that you have been a Muslim for most of your life do you feel that the process of converting to Islam has more or less challenges today in comparison to when you converted? This question is mostly in regard to the abundance of information (positive and negative) in more of a technological era like today, as opposed to the 90s when information wasn’t as accessible. You have shared so much of your life experience on the subject of being Muslim, but I don’t believe I’ve ever heard you speak on this subject and I am genuinely curious as to what your take on it is.
GAZA
Salam Brother Ali, I pray that God accepts and rewards you for all of your efforts. Your approach in response to whats happening in Palestine has been refreshing and inspiring. As a mixbreed 1/2 Gazan 1/2 American, Ive been struggling to figure out what to do or how to feel. Sometimes its pure rage and anger, other times its despair. I feel so useless living in Canada and hearing about deaths in my family and destruction of our homes. Your podcast has helped me change my perspective and turn to The All Mighty in prayer for our people. Im in a better mindstate but still feel like im not doing enough. Any advice on how to help out in an effective positive way?
Mission over Position
I recently participated in a convening related to equity minded leadership. One of the topics was about how each person in a system, regardless of their "position" or role, can be a leader for change if they focus on their mission. As someone who seems very clear on your mission, and who finds a way to bring that to many different roles you have in different communities, what advice do you have for: 1) getting clear on your own personal mission 2) recognizing opportunities for leadership 3) leveraging those opportunities to impact other people