Abdu Ali
Abdu Ali is an American 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[edit]
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[edit]
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 to 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]
Personal life[edit]
Ali identifies as non-binary[11][12][13] and uses they/them pronouns.[14]
Discography[edit]
Studio albums[edit]
- FIYAH!! (2019)[4]
Guest appearances[edit]
| Title | Year | Artist(s) | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Sour Patch Kids" | 2015 | Simo Soo | - |
| "DOTS Freestyle Remix" | 2019 | JPEGMafia, Buzzy Lee | All My Heroes Are Cornballs |
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Cooper, Wilbert L. (November 20, 2019). "Abdu Ali is creating space for radical black artists". i-D. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
- ^ "Abdu Ali: The Freedom Fighter". Cultured Magazine. July 24, 2019. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
- ^ Rao, Sameer (June 13, 2019). "Mining Baltimore's past and present, Abdu Ali releases album of "Fiyah!!!"". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
- ^ a b "ABDU ALI PUSHES US FORWARD WITH NEW ALBUM, FIYAH!!". AFROPUNK. April 19, 2019. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
- ^ a b "The Quietus | Reviews | Abdu Ali". The Quietus. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
- ^ "Black Musicians Write the Soundtrack of the City". Baltimore magazine. June 2, 2020. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
- ^ a b c "The Experimental Savvy Of Baltimore's New Underground Music Scene". Bandcamp Daily. March 9, 2020. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
- ^ "Abdu Ali, a Musician with Restless Charisma, Shares Their Camera Roll". Interview. April 1, 2019. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
- ^ "Baltimore's Abdu Ali dares to be free on the post-futuristic "Chastity"". The FADER. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
- ^ Callahan, Maura (February 2017). "Kahlon's Cut Up Series returns with audio-visual exhibition". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
- ^ June 2019, Lydia Woolever | (May 14, 2019). "Allow Abdu Ali to Reintroduce Themself". Baltimore Magazine. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Baltimore Legend Abdu Ali Is Ready To Make Their Formal Debut". BESE. August 20, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
- ^ "JPEGMAFIA, Abdu Ali and Gender Nonconformity in Hip-Hop". WKNC 88.1 FM. August 31, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
- ^ Burney, Lawrence (February 17, 2023). "Abdu Ali sees beyond music and Baltimore with national arts grant". The Baltimore Banner. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
External links[edit]
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- Living people
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- American non-binary writers
- American non-binary artists
- Non-binary activists
- LGBT people from Maryland
- 21st-century African-American artists
- 21st-century American LGBT people
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