Brother Ali stands onstage in a cowboy bar. He’s in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. That’s how »Two Dudes«, one of the stranger tracks on Satisfied Soul, begins. The song is a dream in which reality and fiction blur. It clearly nods to Kanye and his ranch episodes: a taxidermy pig stares at Ali at his first rap party in the bar; someone beatboxes and briefly steals the show. »Hell to the nizzo, no to the wizzay / I snatched the mic from him, escorted him off the stizzage.« The intruder? Justin Timberlake. These absurd, yet charming, images are accompanied by circus-like piano tones, courtesy of Anthony »Ant« Davis. The Atmosphere producer crafted the entire album, bringing early-2000s hip-hop into the present with boom bap, MPC aesthetics, and dusty samples.
»D.R.U.M.« could easily pass for a soulful Kanye beat from the »College Dropout« era. And in the intro to »Satisfied Soul«, following a quick shoutout from Yasiin Bey, Ali channels Sage Francis circa 2005, distortion and all. Thematically, the album navigates homelessness, complex family ties, and the pursuit of inner peace in an age of collective exhaustion. Ant’s production and Ali’s laid-back conscious vibe are a perfect match. Together, they deliver a homage to classic hip-hop that steers clear of nostalgic clichés.
