Secrets & Escapes is a compendium of Brother Ali's time with Evidence over the course of three trips to California. The project was recorded in a Venice garage with no regard for pleasing the internet or competing with the music industry.
Ev chopped up records on old-school samplers and ran them through a compressor (2 track) so they couldn’t be re-arranged or mixed. Ali sat with the mic and spit rhymes as they came to him, without writing or organizing them into songs. Evidence smoked a lot of weed, Ali prayed a lot, and their influences on each other can be heard in the recordings. Every time they made something that reminded them of what they’ve become known for, they threw it away and started something new.
Talib Kweli, Pharoahe Monch, and CS Armstrong all came through to bless the project with contributions too. This album is two friends making rap music for no other reason than because it’s what they love to do.
Written by Brother Ali
Produced by Evidence
Guest Performances by Pharoahe Monch, C.S. Armstrong, Evidence, and Talib Kweli
Released in 2019
