In spring of 2000, Ali dropped a sixty-minute story telling and thought sharing album titled, Rites of Passage on Rhymesayers Entertainment. The self-produced cassette-only anthology introduced Brother Ali's beat making muscles and extensive writing skills. He played the congas, beat-boxed and still found time to lay out his views on the music industry, religion and urban life in America.
On stage with only a DJ, Ali's magical gift for capturing the imagination of his audience has been compared to that of a gospel preacher. His voice, large stature and albino features make him a unique and commanding presence. Brother Ali has perfected the live performance, having played countless shows with: Guru, Mos Def, De La Soul, El-P, Aceyalone, Souls of Mischief and Living Legends just to name a few. From September through November 2002, Ali earned his final road-dog tags showcasing his individual skills performing 63 shows in 71 days with Atmosphere and Murs covering North America.
Brother Ali has maintained credibility over time with guest appearances on many such projects as: DJ Abilities', For Persons With DJ Abilities, BK One's, For the Love of Music, The Phoenix with Musab on the Twin Cities Music Year Book 2001 CD, producing six songs on Musab's, Respect The Life album and battling in the 2000 and 2001 finals in the annual Scribble Jam MC Battles (Ali is featured on three of the Scribble Jam videos: Scribble Jam 2000, Scribble Jam 2001 and the Best of Scribble Jam).
Ali joined producer Ant (of Atmosphere fame) and went to work creating an intensely powerful album that promised to be one of the foremost efforts of 2003. Shadows on the Sun is an eighteen-song album produced by Ant, written by Brother Ali and featuring a guest appearance by Slug (also of Atmosphere). Shadows on the Sun is a testament of Ali's depth, range and growth as an artist.
Following the release of Champion in the spring of 2004, Ali ran into a number of roadblocks that halted his usually steady recording process. This included him parting ways with his wife, being homeless, and trying to secure custody of his son. Armed with a wave of stories to share, Ali recorded The Undisputed Truth, once again with Ant in his corner. In 2009 he released Us, his fourth studio album. Mourning in America and Dreaming in Color, his fifth studio album, was released on September 18, 2012.
Ear To Ear
Brother Ali Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now me smiling ear to ear now that's something to see, shit
(Chorus:)
I said my life, and my God and my songs
Good Lord Ya'll
I said my life, and my God and my songs
Man no question use to always know that I was crazy
Guess it's safe to say I came a long way baby
Mama throwing dishes at my ex-wife bitching at me
never did envision daddy could be this happy, shit
To me not broke is rich
Got a two bedroom a new sofa to sit
For the first time ain't go to Good Will or St. Steven's
But IKEA put that boy together last weekend
Out in NY I met a fly Puerto Rican
Dimed out sales girl Victoria's Secret
Took her on a train to Pennsylvaina for a weekend
that's eighteen months ago dog, guess where she been?
Frozen tundra chillin with boy wonder
Done discovered love like a mother fucker
I tried to warn my baby that the winters no joke
She said "Big dick daddy I'll just get me your coat"
Goddamn
(Chorus:)
I said my life, and my God and my songs
Good Lord Ya'll
I said my life, and my God and my songs
Good Lord Ya'll
Said I'm gonna do it for you
I'm gonna do it for you
(Verse 2:)
Feeling fly as hell right about now
I done pushed a whole heap of hell out of my house
Any orphanage will clove and feed a kid
but I raise my little man teach him to live
That's why he's 4 years old and can read like he was 6
Behave and recite the Qur'an in Arabic
Eat healthy, knows all the words to Laddy Daddy
Taught him to use the potty without his Mummy
It's three years away I ain't the least bit nervous
I feel like I'ma do it real big in my thirties
Honestly love everybody in my circle
Been with me since the scrimmage and the dress rehearsal
Oh let me tell you that my sweet potato pie
Will curl your toenails and bring tears to your eyes
And all corny bullshit aside
your boys smiling for real the first time in my life
(Chorus:)
I said my life, and my God and my songs
Good Lord Ya'll
I said my life, my God and my songs
Good Lord Ya'll
Said I'm gonna do it for you
I'm gonna do it for you
The opening lines of Brother Ali’s Ear to Ear delves into his personal life, specifically his past and present relationship with his ex-wife and son. The lyricist declares that he has shed his ex-wife while receiving custody of his son, which lifts his spirit and brings a smile to his face that is simply just something to see. Brother Ali’s journey to happiness has admittedly been a long one, and he acknowledges that his eccentricities once raised questions from those around him. Nonetheless, he has come a long way and it certainly shows.
In the first verse, the rapper details his life post-ex-wife, including the newfound sense of happiness he has discovered. He reveals that he has a comfortable two-bedroom apartment furnished in IKEA, with added luxuries such as a new sofa. Eli also shares an experience he had with a sales girl from Victoria’s Secret that he met in New York, which led him to take her on a train ride to Pennsylvania for a weekend getaway. Throughout this verse, Brother Ali is highlighting the changed state of his life since his marriage dissolved, how he has finally rediscovered true love from his circle of friends and family, and how he’s smiling for the first time in his life.
Ear to Ear captures the essence of Brother Ali's evolution into a happier and more fulfilled person. The title of the song symbolizes a constant grin from one ear to another, and his life growing increasingly full of joy and contentment. While relationships dissolve and unexpected changes occur in life, the song relies on the importance of love, friendship, and family as strong support.
Line by Line Meaning
I shed my ex-wife kept my son with me
After the divorce, I got custody of my son, and it makes me really happy.
Now me smiling ear to ear now that's something to see, shit
I'm so happy that I'm smiling from ear to ear, and it's really something to see.
Man no question use to always know that I was crazy
People used to think I was crazy without any doubts.
Guess it's safe to say I came a long way baby
But now, I've come a long way, and it's safe to say that.
Mama throwing dishes at my ex-wife bitching at me
My ex-wife and I had a lot of issues, and my mom wasn't happy with her either.
never did envision daddy could be this happy, shit
But I never thought that I, the daddy, could be this happy.
To me not broke is rich
To me, not being broke is being rich.
Got a two bedroom a new sofa to sit
I have a two-bedroom apartment and a new sofa to relax on.
For the first time ain't go to Good Will or St. Steven's
For the first time, I didn't have to go to Goodwill or St. Steven's to get furniture.
Out in NY I met a fly Puerto Rican
While out in New York, I met a beautiful Puerto Rican woman.
Dimed out sales girl Victoria's Secret
She worked at Victoria's Secret and was incredibly attractive.
Took her on a train to Pennsylvaina for a weekend
I took her on a train to Pennsylvania for a weekend getaway.
that's eighteen months ago dog, guess where she been?
That was eighteen months ago, but guess where she's been since then?
Frozen tundra chillin with boy wonder
She's been living with me, staying warm during the freezing winters with her boy wonder.
Done discovered love like a mother fucker
We've fallen deeply in love with each other.
I tried to warn my baby that the winters no joke
I tried to warn my girlfriend that the winters here are really harsh and not to be taken lightly.
She said "Big dick daddy I'll just get me your coat"
But she joked that she could just take my coat since it's so big.
Feeling fly as hell right about now
I'm feeling really good right now.
I done pushed a whole heap of hell out of my house
I've gotten rid of a lot of negativity from my life.
Any orphanage will clove and feed a kid
Any orphanage can provide clothing and food for a child.
but I raise my little man teach him to live
But I raise my son and teach him how to live a fulfilling life.
That's why he's 4 years old and can read like he was 6
That's why my 4-year-old son can read at such an advanced level for his age.
Behave and recite the Qur'an in Arabic
I've taught him discipline and to recite the Qur'an in Arabic.
Eat healthy, knows all the words to Laddy Daddy
I've also taught him to eat healthy and all the lyrics to Laddy Daddy.
Taught him to use the potty without his Mummy
I've even taught him to use the bathroom without mommy's help.
It's three years away I ain't the least bit nervous
It's still three years away, but I'm not nervous about it at all.
I feel like I'ma do it real big in my thirties
I feel like I'm going to make some big moves in my 30s.
Honestly love everybody in my circle
Honestly, I love everybody in my inner circle.
Been with me since the scrimmage and the dress rehearsal
They've been by my side since the beginning, through the tough times and the early stages of my career.
Oh let me tell you that my sweet potato pie
And I have to tell you, my sweet potato pie is amazing.
Will curl your toenails and bring tears to your eyes
It's so good that it will make your toes curl and bring tears to your eyes.
And all corny bullshit aside
And I'm not just saying this to sound cheesy or corny.
your boys smiling for real the first time in my life
I'm really smiling for the first time in my life.
Contributed by Nathan D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.