“Ali Boombaye”: The Kareem Ali Interview

Written by: Slangston Hughes

 

Slangston: So, who is Kareem Ali?

Kareem: It’s funny to me how you posed that question because it forces me to answer it in a way that I have to refer to myself in the first person, which I said I would never do. But, Kareem Ali is a visionary who is poised to move the culture of Hip-Hop in a progressive direction. I am mindful of the history of the music and its rich tradition, but I am not interested in taking it back to the 90’s, nor do I have any intention of emulating the nonsense and the grossly uncreative buffoonery that has been displayed in the current era. Kareem Ali is my given name. My father named me after Kareem Abdul- Jabbar and Muhammad Ali. So, I can tell that he eXpected great things from me, being as though he named me after greatness, and I don’t intend on letting him down. Many emcees choose a name for themselves and they fit and mold their artistry into that character. I don’t have a choice: I’m always Kareem Ali.

 

Slangston: What is Hip-Hop to you and what kind of Hip-Hop are you promoting and representing as an artist?

Kareem: Hip-Hop to me is the most ultimate form of verbal self-eXpression. It provides a way for the practitioner to truly and honestly eXpress themselves if they value the art form. Hip-Hop can be a very positive tool for uplifting if it’s used correctly. I just feel that it has been used irresponsibly and I want to help correct that. The type of Hip-Hop that I am about is creating awareness to various social issues that affect the human community. My music has both spiritual and political overtones to it, but, more than that, I aim to connect with people’s inner emotions, as well. That is why I usually tell people that what I do isn’t just Hip-Hop; it’s “Hip-Hop Soul” because, ultimately, it is the soul of the listener that I’m trying to communicate with.

 

“I grew up listening to Bob Marley and various other artists who infused different brands of spirituality in their music and I aim to do the same. I think that is an important factor that’s missing from the industry because
people are no longer spiritually connected to the music. Everything has become so artificial and disposable.
I think that we are spiritually disconnected as a society. Many of us have traded our religion for materialism…”

Slangston: What are some of your earliest influences as an emcee?

Kareem: I grew up listening to Rap music. In fact, I don’t ever remember a time when the genre did not eXist. However, I did not develop an appreciation for the art form until much later. When I began to listen to Rakim and really understand his lyricism on a deeper level, it made me want rhyme. I began to study Nas, Common, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Eminem, and Canibus. I started to see the social impact the music had. I saw how these artists told real stories through narratives that gave the listener an insight into their world. To see these artists accomplish this in a creative way really moved me. I guess I saw the poetic value in it. But, it started with Rakim. He was the blueprint and the foundation for most of these cats and for myself, as well. I tend to take different things from different artists; like Jay-Z, Ludacris, and Busta Rhymes have a particular style and entertainment value that I have learned from, also.

 

Slangston: Who or what inspires and drives you as an artist now?

Kareem: As an artist, I think inspiration comes from anywhere. Just being in tune with life and people and just understanding that everything has its own story to tell. One would need to look no further than Baltimore City. There are a million different stories to tell here. All the artist has to do is choose which words to use to paint those pictures and bring them to life. I think songwriters in other forms of music do a great job of doing this especially. Ne-Yo, soul artist Jill Scott, India Arie, Erykah Badu, and Maxwell among many others bring many elements to light in their lyrics. They continue the tradition of Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and all of the great song writers. One of my biggest inspirations musically was Michael Jackson. He was able to say things and still be entertaining at the same time. As entertainers, that’s what we all should be striving for.

 

Slangston: Seeing as how you’re a Muslim, how has and how does Islam play a role in your artistic approach and writing, if at all?

Kareem: Islam plays a role in every aspect of my life, from every decision I make, right down to the lyrical content in my rhymes. I grew up listening to Bob Marley and various other artists who infused different brands of spirituality in their music and I aim to do the same. I think that is an important factor that’s missing from the industry because people are no longer spiritually connected to the music. Everything has become so artificial and disposable. I believe that spiritual disconnect eXpands beyond just music. I think that we are spiritually disconnected as a society. Many of us have traded our religion for materialism. We worship things now and not the one who created them. We have embraced a new form of paganism and, as a result, we have moved further and further away from monotheism. That is one of the reasons there is so much social chaos and disorder in the world. We have ignored the divine order. There is a definite spiritual message in my music, but I’m not trying to convert anybody to Islam. I want people to fall back on the traditions of their own faiths. I simply want to do what poetry was meant to do and that’s stimulate thought, raise questions, and spark a dialogue. Get people to question everything. We need more independent thinkers. If more people had the courage to think for themselves, and didn’t just accept what they were programmed to believe, perhaps that would carry over to the music industry and artists would display more creativity in their work.

 

“My father named me after Kareem Abdul- Jabbar and Muhammad Ali. So, I can tell that he eXpected great
things from me, being as though he named me after greatness, and I don’t intend on letting him down. Many emcees choose a name for themselves and they fit and mold their artistry into that character. I don’t have a
choice: I’m always Kareem Ali…”

Slangston: What projects have you released to-date and what are you working on for the future?

Kareem: I released a series of mix-tapes when I first started called Mix Tape Madness. There were like 3 volumes of that. I released a mix-tape a few years ago called The Talented Mr. Ali. I released an album available on iTunes called Spiritual Homicide. The new project will be out next month, loosely titled Hip-Hop Apocalypse.

 

Slangston: What’s your take on the current state of Hip-Fop from both a nationally, as well as regional perspective?

Kareem: I think there is a recession in Hip-Hop and that recession has to do with creativity. I think there has to be a stimulus package, so to speak, from all the artists or some type of bailout plan has to be put in place to save the integrity of this art form. I think we all have to be more progressive or Rap music as we know it will cease to eXist. Perhaps it will just fade out like Disco. I do not, however, think the genre will disappear entirely. It’s to engrained in the fabric of our society. On the national level, I think the music industry as a whole, however, is crumbling down. This is the time for independent artists to make their mark. The way it is now has really evened the playing field. Record companies are losing money. There is not as much money in music as it was when it peaked early last decade. That is the reason I say it is a “Hip-Hop Apocalypse” because I believe that old regime has to be completely destroyed so that we can build something new on top of it. On the local level, being from Baltimore City, there, of course, is an overload of talent, but no one supports each other. It’s the same old story: it’s like we are our worst own enemy.

 

Slangston: What two emcees, any two emcees, would Kareem Ali like to see battle the most?

Kareem: That’s kind of a loaded question because there are so many matchups that would be intriguing. We already got Jay Z vs. Nas, so maybe Rakim vs. Krs One or Eminem vs. Canibus, Lupe Fiasco vs. Lil Wayne. If I was a gambling man, I would put my money on Lupe all day. There are also a host of local emcees that I would love to see duke it out. Slick Vic Low, Skarr Akbar, Ogun, Kane Mayfield, Labtekwon, Tha Scholars, Tai Theory, Rome Cee… Pretty much any combination of those guys matched up would work for me…

 

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