Dubbed the American Qawwali

This post originally appeared on the now defunct blog, Team Sakib.

"Finally, “Chain Link” plays like a reverse “Juicy." ANT’s Mtume-like descending synths and pulsating bassline are sprinkled with high strums and another perfect soul vocal. Ali tells tales of the hardworking, honest Muslims in his community and contrasts their resilience in learning a foreign language in order to barely survive on convenience store wages with his sordid temptation to make a quick buck selling drugs. The underdogs are glorified, the flaws of society’s exalted are revealed by comparison, and a jagged religious pill gets coated with a sweet funk soul loop and a rare humble perspective."
~Aaron Newell in a review of Brother Ali's album "Champion" in September of 2004
(http://www.cokemachineglow.com/reviews/brotherali_champion2004.html)

My Brother has been in my ears all week, in my heart all month, in my soul all year. I only started listening to his words, his lyrics, his message, his niyaat a few weeks ago. Before I listened for flow, I listened for his style, his beats, his aesthetic. But I feel his content was always resonating with my soul. I felt what he was saying, without really knowing. I feel that way about much of what I know but have not studied. Much of my perception of Islam is furnished by that kind of feeling without study, without empirical certainty, a feeling without sight. But the Allah (swt) says in the Quran (repeatedly), "Do you not see?"

I do not look, but I need to see. Alhumdullah, I have been blessed with the opportunity to receive a university education. I not only need to open by eyes and see, I need to go out and look, and I need to go out and read. Given the opportunity, I am remise in failing to do so. This university (and the American university system and liberal arts education in general) is one of the top places in the world to reform one's self from the path of feeling without sight, to a path of comprehensive seeing, reading, hearing and feeling. The academy forces me to challenge what has not been shown; challenge how accurately what has been told has been depicted. It challenges me to read, to write, to analyze, to compare, to accept and to reject. I write this blog to improve my abilities to do such in areas of religion, pop culture and my culture and identity, which are probably some amalgalms of the first two. And so I find myself, trying to reform. I want to change from the blind feeler to the alert reader, to the apt analylsist, to someone who can see what is in front of him as if it were in the light of day.

But why start with Brother Ali? Is a rapper really worthy of analysis? Of time? Of thought? At the risk of sounding like ESPN.com's Scoop Jackson, I think I will glorify a man not necessary worthy of high glorification. In contrast to the often ridiculous Jackson, I will do it not for a need to write for money or to sell sneakers, but I will take the stated niyaat (intention) of the highly annoying Jackson and do it for a love of the art. The product Ali produces is, at times, beautiful. I have downloaded (read: stolen) about 30-40 of his tracks. About 3-5 of these are truely good poetry and have deeper feeling than just lyrics put to a beat to film an album. Midway through Ali's probable functional career as an albino, underground rapper, he's managed to produce 3-5 more meaningful tracks than atleast 95% of MTV played rappers have produced in their entire careers. The man has done it representing and spreading the message of Sunni (as opposed to Nation of Islam, not Shi'a) Islam. His style has been most often described as simply "humble". For a critically acclaimed hip hop artist, that is the equivalent of being a green skinned person--virtually unheard of (I know horrid analogy). He's dealing with Islam using the art of the kuffar, a tactic used by Muslims in India with the Qawwali. My token Sufi friend said today that he felt that, after listening to Brother Ali, rap could be the "American Qawwali" in that Muslims are taken the art form, adding to it, improving it, and spreading Islam with it.

He also resonates with me. He deals with dunia (worldly) problems with the premise that Islam shows us the answer. To me, he falls very much within the speaking dialogue I have heard form the Muslim speakers/Muslim American intellectuals I have been most touched by--Rami Nashashibi and Jeffery Lang. After analyzing his lyrics and his subject matter, the tie together becomes obvious. Nashashibi, Lang and Ali all hold in common a point of emphasis that our (humanity's) flaws in being humans are our opportunities for being Muslims. The all do this very much in the American, local issue context, focusing on what is in front of us, the problems, the injustices, the opportunities to correct ourselves, to correct our world, to follow our Prophet (phub), to move closer to Allah (swt).

As such, I want to embark on an amatuer mission to give a commentary on a few of Brother Ali's songs. I am in now way qualified to give any scholarly commentary, my work will be purely from the heart, and not from any academic or authoritative stance. It should be read as my feelings and reactions to hearing and reading Ali's words. In wanting to keep with what I veiw is an awesome system for giving commentary, I will try and emmulate the stylistic elements of traditional Muslim scholarly commentary, red ink the original text, normal ink the commentary, blue ink for other insertions, highlighted points. I will, insha'Allah, attempt this not because I feel what I write is on that level, but out of pure emmulation of a form I admire.

Insha'Allah, I will begin with "Chain Link", one of his more recent songs, but one that I feel really capture's his style and potential. I've already written a lot for tonight, but Insha'Allah, I'll get to start commentating on it soon.

Sakib

"Chain Link" By Brother Ali, off of the album, Champion (2004)
Verse 1

I try to always buy final call from the F.O.I.
Even though that's not what Islam always signify
Y'all gotta love the struggle in 'em
They would get on their knees and shine shoes
'fore they ever let the drugs afflict 'em
Makin taco's and fuckin with McDonald's
Nickel and dime broke, but dignified with high hopes
Some people shoulder the weight of the median, make it look easy
Even though they walkin the tight roads
Immigrants, twelve deep in one bedroom
I'm too cool, I look at 'em like fools
Those fools combine forces and put the resources
And guess who the new owner of the corner store is
Shit, what's stoppin me from doin that?
I probably could with drug smugglers approve of that
Because if one dime sack in the time can climax
Into a billion dollar industry, then look at my abilities
But I'm a dreamer in alotta ways
I feel if you believe in God that you believe in brighter days
Keep my son's heartbeat in my sleep
I'ma walk the Planet Earth with his name carved deep in my feet