Brother Ali has no reservations in saying that he’s “trying to be one of the greatest of all time” (on the Molemen track “Life Sentence”). Inspired by golden era legends like KRS-One and Rakim, this undisputed Master of Ceremony began rapping as a means of survival. 

Growing up albino (colorless hair, skin and eyes, poor vision, and extreme sensitivity to the sun) in a world of cruel kids made it strikingly obvious to Ali that he needed a high-powered way to earn some respect and prestige among his peers. As a result, ever since elementary school he hasn’t slowed down with his lyrical grind. In his rare moments of silence these days, if you catch his eyes, you’ll notice that this Minneapolis denizen is rapping in his head. For Ali, hip-hop doesn’t stop when he exits the studio or stage.

Around the turn of the millennium, Rhymesayers Entertainment couldn’t overlook Ali’s talent and drive when he submitted his self-produced demo, Rites of Passage. This rare, cassette-only effort features collections of rhymes, poems, and stories that he wove into his live sets. Its release help make him a welcome member of the RSE family alongside Atmosphere, Musab, and Eyedea and Abilities.


In the final years of the last millenium, two native New Yorkers added a page to Chicago's hip hop history with the advent of the WHPK Wednesday Night Rap Show. Although short-lived and never formally christened, the Show had heads from Roosevelt to the Hundreds stuck on 88.5 FM midweek. In the show's aftermath, from the ashes of countless vinyl crates and echoes of chaotic show-closing freestyle sessions, Typical Cats was born. 

Featuring MCs Qwazaar, Qwel and Denizen Kane, producer/dj Natural and media assassin Kid Knish, Typical dropped a self-titled full-length on Galapagos4 Records and began a relentless campaign to restore a fallen hip hop world to its former promise and glory. The talent assembled was unmistakable, the sound created was formidable. Firmly planted in tradition, unorthodox in invention and possessed of a strength only earned in the furnace of experience, their Sound is the Future that hip hop's Past would have had if its Present weren't held hostage by the uninspired and unrepentant. A flurry of solo projects later, Chicago's prodigal sons return. Hip hoppers rejoice. Suckers duck and cover. Typical Cats come to conquer. Battle champs, hotline legends, poetry circuit kings. 

Tuck Your Pride In 'Cause All Lyrics Connect At The Soul. And it's on and it's on and it's on. 

QWAZAAR - A native of Chicago's gritty Low End, Qwazaar strikes from hip hop's essence. Whether the subject matter is inner city or interplanetary, the flow remains untouchable - a percussive yet fluid attack that evokes South Side rain and helicopter blades in a single breath. The content is heavy- "After the dust settles, witness the blood puddles..." Lights out, kids. The Q-W-A is here. 

QWEL - You first seen his name dangling a quarter mile up on a suspension bridge from your scratch-bombed window on the Orange line. You first heard that distinctive melodic/abrasive storm of syllables on old Nacro and Scam Artist tapes with inserts printed at the Kinko's. Now the heat's been perfected-and this nasty North Side revelation music rebel is out to wake the sleepers. From Ted Turner's devil ass to the so-called competition-everyone and their mama gets dealt with when the kid laces up his boots. 

DENIZEN KANE - From the rum and coke rumble of Chicago's North Side flow spots to the celluloid veneer of Def Poetry Jam's main stage, Denizen Kane rips the party with a poet's heart and an outsider's eye. Journalistic, impressionistic, real-life and drastic, young Kane's late night Red Line revelations turn into heathen hymns on tape, capturing the moody face of the metropolis in color. How long can a lost one roam until he finds his way home? Listen to your city fall apart through the muddy mouth of an immigrant.

Poet, MC, activist, etc. Profile photo by Adam Bubolz.

Fake Four Inc. was started in 2008 by Ceschi and David Ramos to release left field music from the hip hop & indie rock worlds and whatever in between. 
70 plus releases later...we are celebrating 10 years.

Stophouse Music Group was formed in the spring of 2008. 

PROF, Cashinova, St. Paul Slim, 84 Caprice, & so much more.

Weightless Recordings is an independent hip-hop label based out of Columbus, OH. Creators of that ole real shit. We have been releasing music since 1999. Our artists include Blueprint, Illogic, Greenhouse, and DJ Rare Groove.  Follow us!

A-Plus is a Jamaican/American musician, rapper and producer. He is one of the founding members of the Oakland, California- based underground hip hop group Souls of Mischief, and, with Souls of Mischief, a part of the eight-person, alternative hip hop collective, the Hieroglyphics. Production/writing credits include the songs “93 til Infinity” “Soweto” and “You Never Knew”. And much more. Check out the new album A-Plus and The Architect "FREE DOPE" available everywhere!

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