The Truth Is Here is the second extended play by American rapper Brother Ali. It was released on March 9, 2009 via Rhymesayers Entertainment. Produced by Ant, it features a lone guest appearance by Slug. In addition to 9 new songs, the EP contains a DVD of the June 8, 2007 live performance on First Avenue in Minneapolis from The Undeniable Truth tour with bonus commentary and music videos.[1]
The album debuted at number 119 on the Billboard 200, number 69 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and number 18 on the Independent Albums charts, with first-week sales of 4,825 copies in the United States.[2]
Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 86/100[3] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| HipHopDX | 4/5[5] |
| MSN Music |  [6] |
| Pitchfork | 7.4/10[7] |
| PopMatters | 8/10[8] |
| RapReviews | 7.5/10[9] |
| The Boston Phoenix | [10] |
| Tom Hull | B+()[11] |
The Truth Is Here was met with universal acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 86 based on six reviews.[3]
Chris Faraone of The Boston Phoenix praised the album, calling it "his second perfect disc in that many years".[10] Andrew Martin of PopMatters stated: "whether this is your first foray into Ali's catalog or you're already a seasoned fan, there is no reason to not check this out".[8] Pedro Hernandez of RapReviews wrote: "the EP serves its purpose quite well as it gives fans just enough to keep you craving a Brother Ali full length, but holds back enough so they will appreciate the full length once it arrives".[9] Nate Patrin of Pitchfork claimed: "no one aspect of Ali's personality really dominates. The Truth Is Here is all the stronger for it, and that can only be considered a good sign".[7]
Track listing
All lyrics are written by Jason Newman; all music is composed by Anthony Davis
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Real As Can Be" | 2:23 |
| 2. | "Philistine David" | 3:28 |
| 3. | "Little Rodney" | 4:27 |
| 4. | "Palm The Joker" | 2:33 |
| 5. | "Good Lord" | 4:11 |
| 6. | "Baby Don't Go" | 4:01 |
| 7. | "Talkin' My Shit" | 4:55 |
| 8. | "The Believers" (featuring Slug) | 4:47 |
| 9. | "Begin Here" | 3:22 |
| 10. | "DVD" | |
| Total length: | 34:07 | |
Personnel
- Jason "Brother Ali" Newman – lyrics, vocals, executive producer
- Sean "Slug" Daley – vocals (track 8)
- Sean McPherson – additional bass (tracks: 4, 5)
- Nate Collis – additional guitar and keyboards (track 6)
- Anthony "Ant" Davis – scratches, producer, executive producer
- Joe Mabbott – engineering, mixing
- Chris Gehringer – mastering
- Brent Sayers – executive producer, layout
- Daniel J. Valadez – artwork
- Adam Garcia – cover text
- Bo Hakala – director
- Ben Cohen – director, editor
Charts
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[12] | 119 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[13] | 69 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard)[14] | 18 |
References
- ^ Ortiz, Edwin (February 2, 2009). "Brother Ali EP, DVD to Drop Next Month". HipHopDX. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
- ^ Paine, Jake (March 18, 2009). "Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 3/15/2009". HipHopDX. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
- ^ a b "Critic Reviews for The Truth Is Here [EP] - Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
- ^ Herzog, Kenneth. "The Truth Is Here - Brother Ali | Album | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
- ^ Tardio, Andres (March 9, 2009). "Brother Ali - The Truth Is Here". HipHopDX. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (May 2009). "Consumer Guide". MSN Music. Retrieved February 12, 2025 – via www.robertchristgau.com.
- ^ a b Patrin, Nate (March 8, 2009). "Brother Ali: The Truth Is Here". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
- ^ a b Martin, Andrew (April 2, 2009). "Brother Ali: The Truth Is Here | PopMatters". PopMatters. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
- ^ a b Hernandez, Pedro 'DJ Complejo' (March 31, 2009). "Brother Ali :: The Truth Is Here :: Rhymesayers Entertainment". RapReviews. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
- ^ a b Faraone, Chris (March 17, 2009). "Brother Ali | The Truth Is Here". Boston Phoenix. Archived from the original on May 23, 2024. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
- ^ Hull, Tom. "Tom Hull: Grade List: Brother Ali". tomhull.com. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
- ^ "Brother Ali Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
- ^ "Brother Ali Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
- ^ "Brother Ali Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
External links
- Brother Ali – The Truth Is Here at Discogs (list of releases)
