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<\/a>Rapping since he was seven years old and bouncing between schools and cities during his upbringing, Ali has spent his adult life recording a number of acclaimed rap albums, including 2012\u2019s Mourning in America and Dreaming in Color,<\/i> never shying away from hard-hitting content like his breakout 2007 track \u201cUncle Sam Goddamn.\u201d<\/p>\n
His upcoming North American tour, which he has dubbed the Home Away from Home Tour,<\/i> is all about Ali continuing on with what he\u2019s always done: rapping, performing in front of audience, and connecting with his listeners.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, it\u2019s never been a choice of, \u2018Well, am I going to rap, or am I going to go to college? Am I going to rap, or am I going to get a job?\u2019 This is just what I\u2019ve always done, every day since I was young,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
The club tour promises to be a solid one, featuring DJ Last Word acting as more of a \u201cmusical director\u201d and spinning during the whole lineup, according to Ali. Meanwhile, Ali\u2019s Twin Cities cohort and regular tour-mate Mally will act as the host for the evening\u2019s festivities, as well as performing his own set. Also on the bill is the upstart California political MC Bambu (\u201cHe\u2019s a lot more fun than most music that people think of being political,\u201d says Ali), who will also act as host for the whole show.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s another thing that I do with my tours, and I\u2019ve never seen another hip-hop artist do this except for The Roots; they used to go on tour and bring all of their friends, and they\u2019d do the band for everybody. So they\u2019d go out with Erykah Badu and Common and they\u2019d play for everybody, so that\u2019s kind of where that idea comes from,\u201d explains Ali.<\/p>\n
Ali says he also goes that extra step to make the night special by writing a tour theme song, which everyone on the bill perform as the show\u2019s encore.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m really about putting together a tour package, in the same way that I\u2019m not necessarily a song person; I like making albums,\u201d he says. \u201cI like it better when you can listen to a whole album, and the same is true with a tour. I like when the whole experience of the night is good, and I like to know that what I\u2019m presenting is going to be great before I even get on the stage.\u201d<\/p>\n
The club tour is the perfect opportunity to recharge with his people before he heads back to the studio to record his new album.<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore I make my next album, I just want to remember that connection,\u201d he says. \u201cI call this tour Home Away from Home<\/i> because it\u2019s kind of like checking back in again with everyone before I make my next album, so I can have that connection with my listeners again.\u201d<\/p>\n