Distinguished Rhymesayers veteran Brother Ali recently announced the spring release of his next album All the Beauty in This Whole Life. Last night, he shared "Pen to Paper," a song that lays forth the governing principles of his music -- to write truly and often (writers write), to make his fans happy and do his rap forbearers proud, and to do it all independently. As he slowly buildings towards his climax on "Pen and Paper" like a country preacher, he declares, "I’d still rather be known as a man that stand on my own / rather than beg at a throne."
Listen to "Pen to Paper" and pre-order All the Beauty in This Whole Life on iTunes.
Quotable Lyrics
I spit my every hopeless dream and my unspoken secrets
you hear it floating through the speakers on my old releases
my fan base began to grow beneath and crowd around me
I never tip toed round here shy I spit it loud and proudly
The U.S. government profiled me and the sponsors dropped me
some of my listeners felt a way so they no longer got me
I knew that telling that truth is costly no one alive can stop me
I rolled that flag out on the ground and prostrated my body
