Abdu Ali
Abdu Ali is a black multidisciplinary musician, community activist, poet and artist based in Baltimore.[1][2] In 2019, Baltimore City Major Jack Young's Office and the LGBTQ Commission honored Ali with the Artist of the Year Award.[3] They released their first album FIYAH!! in 2019.[4][5]
Musical style[]
Their musical style has been described as fervent jazz with a futuristic punk rap poetry while also weaving noise punk to avant-garde rap.[6][7] Their work is inspired by Baltimore Club legend and black queer icon Miss Tony.[7] Ali's lyrics and poetry are influenced by Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Wallace Thurmon, and Richard Nugent.[8] The FADER described their single "Chastity" as "an unconventional, and daring call for self-love and acceptance".[9]
Projects[]
Ali has been involved in various projects including Kahlon,[10][5] an experimental music and art event in Baltimore that hosted notable acts including Juliana Huxtable, Princess Nokia and others that lasted from 2014-2017.[1] In 2017 they created drumBOOTY, a podcast for black creativity and social dialogue.[7] They are also the founder of As They Lay, which Ali states as a "creative protect-based organism" that brings black artists together for events, programs and dialogues.[1]
Discography[]
Studio albums[]
- FIYAH!! (2019)[4]
Guest appearances[]
| Title | Year | Artist(s) | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "DOTS Freestyle Remix" | 2019 | JPEGMafia, Buzzy Lee | All My Heroes Are Cornballs |
References[]
- ^ a b c Cooper, Wilbert L. (2019-11-20). "Abdu Ali is creating space for radical black artists". i-D. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
- ^ "Abdu Ali: The Freedom Fighter". Cultured Magazine. 2019-07-24. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
- ^ Rao, Sameer. "Mining Baltimore's past and present, Abdu Ali releases album of "Fiyah!!!"". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
- ^ a b "ABDU ALI PUSHES US FORWARD WITH NEW ALBUM, FIYAH!!". AFROPUNK. 2019-04-19. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
- ^ a b "The Quietus | Reviews | Abdu Ali". The Quietus. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
- ^ "Black Musicians Write the Soundtrack of the City". Baltimore magazine. 2020-06-02. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
- ^ a b c "The Experimental Savvy Of Baltimore's New Underground Music Scene". Bandcamp Daily. 2020-03-09. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
- ^ "Abdu Ali, a Musician with Restless Charisma, Shares Their Camera Roll". Interview. 2019-04-01. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
- ^ "Baltimore's Abdu Ali dares to be free on the post-futuristic "Chastity"". The FADER. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
- ^ Callahan, Maura. "Kahlon's Cut Up Series returns with audio-visual exhibition". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
External links[]
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- Living people
- African-American musicians
- LGBT musicians from the United States
- Musicians from Baltimore
- Non-binary musicians
- Non-binary writers
- Non-binary artists
- Non-binary activists
- LGBT people from Maryland
- 21st-century African-American people
- 21st-century LGBT people
- American musician stubs