#1
Mourning In America and Dreaming In Color by Brother Ali
Potent, powerful, sincere and one of the most succinctly honest hip hop albums ever made regarding the conflicted emotions many American people have concerning the U.S.A., Brother Ali’s fifth album is one of the year’s finest releases—in any genre. “We don’t really like to talk about the race thing, the whole grandparents-used-to-own-slaves thing,” Ali raps on the Cornel West-assisted opener. Ali’s anger is palatable, but so is his optimism. Where rage seems to be the only voice that most rapper’s have when voicing their criticisms of the government and society, Ali asks very real questions. “Work Everyday” is one of the most evocative statements of working class frustration hip hop ever produced, and his witty and sharp-as-razors flow is as potent as ever. A powerful statement from one of hip hop’s most respected wordsmiths.
