Assume Nothing - Ali Shaheed Muhammad

Writer: Jessica Ramakrishnan

Let’s do a quick rewind to the early nineties, the ascent of ‘conscious’ rap into the mainstream and the trio that defined that moment, A Tribe Called Quest. What do you remember? Q-Tip’s cool nasal flow? Phife Dawg piping in on those politically-charged tunes? The pristine production values of the DJ/beat-maker, Ali Shaheed Muhammad? The mellifluous beats low lighting Q-Tip’s utterings on Bonita Applebum or the sonically-charmed marriage of turntable acrobatics and beats on Can I Kick It? Some of the above and probably much more but can anyone remember production lynchpin, ‘Mr. Muhammad’ ever being in the vocal booth? With the exception of a minor appearance on I Left My Wallet In El Segundo, Ali Shaheed Muhammad barely muttered a rhyme in ATCQ or in his next engagement as part of soul-rap trio, Lucy Pearl. So it comes as something of a surprise to hear him not just rap but sing on his solo effort, Shaheedullah and Stereotypes.

The act of stepping up to the microphone would seem like a leap for someone who’s spent the greater part of his career producing and DJing. Yet Ali, who has spent his time as a free agent supplying beats to the likes of Angie Stone and D’Angelo, was unfazed by the process. "I’ve been around rappers all my life so it wasn’t that challenging. I sat down, started writing and it came naturally," Ali says over the phone from New York. "The only challenge was that I had no engineer so whenever I messed up I was running from one room to the next," he says with a gentle laugh. Did he enjoy being up at the mike? Seemingly taken back by the question, Ali admits, "I am not sure if I have pleasing tonality as a rapper or a likeable sound as an MC." The refreshingly honest introspection is rounded off: "I don’t know if I liked the process but I know I’ve got a lot to learn."

No one said that busting stereotypes was going to be straight forward. Ali’s ambiguity about doing vocals is made clearer by the fact that his solo record is packed with collaborations with singers and MCs. Half the album contains vocal contributions from the likes of Mint Condition alumni Stokely Williams and Chris Dave, K Jay (The Foundation), Sy Smith and Chip from the Fu-Schnickens. While Ali could have accessed the best known talents in the business for the record, he chose the organic route, pulling together old friends and collaborators as they came along. A random encounter with Chip outside a music store paves the way to their joint effort on Lord Can I Have This Mercy. A chance re-acquaintance with Sy Smith through her cousin was the first step towards her heavenly performance on Honey Child.

With so many guest vocalists on the album, it’s almost easy to forget that Shaheedullah and Stereotypes is Ali’s solo album. But strip out the rhyming and singing and the album is unmistakeably Ali’s. As can be expected, production is tight. The jazz-inflected, bass-drenched beats littered around the record are reminiscent of classic ATCQ material. The big difference is that on Shaheedullah and Stereotypes, Ali has eschewed the use of samples, quite a departure for a man who promiscuously sampled everyone from the Roy Ayers to Dizzy Gillespie to create ATCQ's sound. The use of original material and musicians gives the album originality that few in mainstream hip hop can claim.

Stylistic changes aside, the message is still there in Ali’s music. What else would you expect from an album such entitled Shaheedullah and Stereotypes? Conceived in the aftermath of 9/11, the album is peppered with references to Ali’s faith from the ‘Bismillah’ prayer intro onwards. A Muslim from birth, Ali says, "The music comes from the foundation of my fate. I am a Muslim - it’s just who I am." The album is also Ali’s meditation on the current state of hip hop - "the violence, the misogyny, the chest-beating to show how macho we are." He says, "Spiritually, I am speaking for a whole bunch of people, when I ask: is talking about baking and blazing all we can do?" The consciousness is clearly present and stronger than ever.

For its leftfield character, Shaheedullah and Stereotypes is unlikely to be readily embraced by mainstream radio. The first single of the record, Elevated Orange was aimed squarely at the underground base, where many ATCQ fans are to be found. "The track has the jazzy feel and a lyrically strong message that people would expect from me," says Ali. He also is hopeful that radio-friendly tracks such as Banga will make their way on to mainstream radio play lists. For now though, the underground start is fine: "Cats on the underground are plugged into some deeper stuff." The grassroots approach is, after all, how ATCQ build their phenomenal, iconic success.

The shadow of Ali’s old success story creeps back again and again. It’s difficult to resist the question on every old fan’s lips is: what’s happening with the ATCQ reunion? It’s probably not the question that Ali wants to field while doing press for his solo release. Still he’s gracious and even appears excited as he speaks of a show he did with Q-Tip and Phife in October 2004. "The chemistry on stage was as if we’d never left," he says. As can only be expected, the venue was packed out. When the guys asked the crowd how many of them had been to ATCQ show, few raised their hands. The realisation that they were playing to a whole new set of younger fans has inspired them. But no one’s is committing to a new album just yet.

In the meantime, ATCQ fans will have to sate themselves with Ali’s solo offering and several live shows. Ali’s appeared in several US cities in late 2004 and will be in London in February 2005. The city brings out the party animal in him. "I hardly ever go out here but over there in London, I was out in the clubs all the time (during his last trip with Lucy Pearl in 2000)," he laughs. "Hearing stuff we’ve forgotten about over here inspires me. I am looking forward to coming back." On this side of the pond, the welcome mat is always out for Ali. We’d love it if he brought his old Tribe mates along too.

RELATED LINKS:
Ali Shaheed - official website
Album Review - of Shaheedulah and Stereotypes

Buy Ali Shaheed 's Shaheedullah and Stereotypes album at Amazon UK (CD) | US (CD)




PUBLISHED: 13 January 2005


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