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BORN IN NEWARK, NJ NAJI ALI
WOULD GROW UP THERE UNTIL THE AGE OF THIRTEEN.
COMING UP ON UGLY STREETS
WASN’T AN EASY TASK
THERE WERE MULTIPLE OBSTACLES,
SHOOTINGS, STABBINGS, ROBBERY,
GANGS AND DRUGS. MANY COULDN’T HELP BUT TO FALL INTO THE TRAP OF BRICK CITY,A CRUDE NAME BEFITTING A CRUDE PLACE.
“I ALWAYS LOVED OUR NICK NAME,
IT LET ME KNOW MY TOWN WAS KNOWN FOR BEING SOLID, YOU HAD TO COME FROM THE TRENCHES AND EARN EVERYTHING. MEANING IT PRODUCED CELEBS LIKE REDMAN, SHAQ, WHITNEY HOUSTON, NAUGHTY BY NATURE AND MANY MANY MORE. ALL OF THESE BRICK CITY NATIVES BECAME LEGENDS IN THEIR OWN RIGHT AND ALL OF THEM CAME FROM THE STRUGGLE.
THE MUSIC THEY CREATED MOLDED HIP HOP, RnB AND RAP CULTURE IN A MAJOR WAY AND CAN STILL BE HEARD ANYTIME YOU TURN ON A RADIO.
“FAMILY WAS FAMILY AND WE HAD OUR PROBLEMS BUT WE WERE OKAY. “
“MY BROTHER KAS CAME TO MY GRANDMA’S HOUSE EVERY OTHER DAY AND SO DID MY SIS ASIA, THEY ALWAYS BROUGHT LIGHT TO MY LIFE. SO DID MY GRANDMA, EVEN THO I NEED THE BELT A LOT IN MY CHILDHOOD I UNDERSTAND NOW MORE THAN EVER WHY SHE FOUGHT SO HARD FOR ME TO TAKE A DIFFERENT PATH. “
“MY MOTHER ALWAYS KNOWS HOW TO IMPRESS ME. SHE’S BEEN CLEAN AND ON THE WAY TO A GREAT FUTURE. SHE GIVES ME HOPE AND STRENGTH THAT I CAN MAKE IT THROUGH ANY STORM AND ANY PAIN. “
THRU ALL HIS PROBLEMS MUSIC WAS ALWAYS THE ONE THING HE KNEW HE HAD. MUSIC BECAME HIS RELEASE AND HIS HOPE. HE LISTENED TO MAJOR ARTIST’S LIKE
2PAC, BIGGIE, JAY Z, NAS, EMINEM, 50, CUBE, SNOOP AND BONE THUGS. THEN YOU HAD RNB LIKE R KELLY, MICHAEL JACKSON, LUTHER VANDROSS AND THE LIST GOES ON.
“ME AND MY MOTHER TOOK OVER MY AUNT’S HOUSE BECAUSE SHE WAS MOVING,
WE WENT STRAIGHT TO SOUTH BEACH FOR SPRING BLING I WAS ONLY 14 BUT
FLORIDA HAD WON ME OVER.”
“WE LIVED IN LONGWOOD FLORIDA
STARTING MY FRESHMAN YEAR
IT WAS SO MUCH CULTURE IN LYMAN HIGH
THIS WAS ALSO THE DAY I FELL IN LOVE WITH TRAP MUSIC, AKA SOUTHERN RAP.”
“SCHOOL LET OUT AND I WAS IN ROUTE FOR HOME PASSING A CHURCHS CHICKEN WHEN
THE GROUND RUMBLED WITH BASS,
GUCCI MANES NEW SINGLE TRAP HOUSE BOOMED THROUGH THE STREETS.
IT WAS A DIFFERENT SOUND AND ELEMENT FROM EVERYTHING I KNEW RAP MUSIC TO BE; I LOVED IT INSTANTLY.”
“I BECAME POPULAR AT LYMAN FOR MY PERSONALITY AND A SWAG ALL MY OWN.
BUT LITTLE DID THEY KNOW WHAT I WAS GOING THROUGH AT HOME.
MY MOTHER WAS GOING THROUGH A DRUG ABUSE PROBLEM WHICH CAUSED MY BEHAVIOR TO BECOME DIFFERENT AND LATER DREW ME INTO A DIFFERENT CROWD OF PEOPLE. THE SAME PEOPLE MY GRANDMA HAD TRIED SO HARD TO KEEP ME FROM.
I STARTED PARTYING AND SLINGING ON CORNERS, GANG BANGING OUT LATE AT NIGHT BECAUSE I HAD NO ONE. I LEFT HOME AND MY FRIENDS BECAME MY FAMILY.
MY MOTHER LATER GOT ARRESTED
FOR BATTERY AND POSSESSION WHICH LEFT ME BELONGING TO THE STATE. AFTER THAT
I MOVED BACK AND FORTH FOR AWHILE UNTIL ABOUT 17 OR 18.
I HAD BECOME ONE OF THOSE GUYS WHO CALLED THEMSELVES “GANGSTAS”.
THAT’S THE SAME TIME I STARTED RAPPING AROUND FRIENDS JUST FOR FUN AND LACK OF OTHER THINGS TO DO.
BY THEN THE COMMENTS FROM PEOPLE AND THE ATTENTION FROM GIRLS CREATED ENOUGH NOISE TO BELIEVE THAT I COULD DO MUSIC FOR A LIVING.
AFTER THAT MY MOTHER GOT LOCKED UP AGAIN AND MY LIFE CHANGED BEFORE THE BLINK OF AN EYE. I HAD NO FRIENDS TO LEAN ON, NO FOOD AND NOWHERE TO BE.
TO THE WORLD I WAS DEAD AND TO ME I DIED.
BUT GOD DIDN’T LET ME THINK THAT FOR LONG. I WORE A THREE PIECE SUIT FOR 30 DAYS LOOKING FOR A JOB. ON THE LAST DAY MY SHOES BUSTED OPEN AND MY PHONE RANG. IT WAS A JOB!
FROM THERE I MET A WOMAN WHO INTRODUCED ME TO PEOPLE WHO WERE IN THE MUSIC SCENE AND I HAVE BEEN ON GO SINCE.”
NAJI ALI IS UNDOUBTEDLY TALENTED AND ORIGINAL, WITH A STYLE OF MUSIC AND FASHION ALL HIS OWN, HE BREAKS THE MOLDS SO MANY IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY HAVE CONFORMED TO. HE IS THE VOICE OF THE NEWER GENERATIONS WANTING TO BE UNIQUE AND CREATE WITHOUT LIMITS. ABOVE ALL OF THESE THINGS THAT HE HAS GONE THROUGH THOUGH, HE WILL TELL YOU BEING A FULL TIME DAD TO HIS STEP SON CJ IS THE HARDEST BUT MOST REWARDING TITLE AND JOB OF ALL. “HE (NAJI ALI) IS NOT ONLY AN AMAZING ARTIST , BUT ALSO AN AMAZING DAD AND FIANCEE. WE HAVE OUR MOMENTS BUT EVERYONE DOES. I BELIEVE HE IS AND WILL BE ONE OF THE GREATS. A LEGEND. YOU CAN DENY SO MANY THINGS IN LIFE , BUT WHEN THAT TRACK STARTS AND HIS HEART COMES THROUGH…. YOU CAN’T DENY THAT.” -MEA (NAJI ALI’S FIANCEE)
“WHEN I FEEL LIKE GIVING UP,
I THINK ABOUT WASHING MYSELF IN STEAK N SHAKE AND HAVING TO SLEEP IN BATHROOMS. I THINK ABOUT HOW I HAD TO BEG FOR MONEY JUST SO MY STOMACH HAD SOMETHING IN IT. I THINK ABOUT WHEN MY SON, MEA AND ME HAD NOTHING BUT KEPT PUSHING AND PRAYING. NOW WE HAVE PEOPLE LIKE VAL, SCOTT AND CHINA TO HELP GET ME TO MY DREAM AND I KNOW THAT WITH THEM THE SKY’S THE LIMIT! I MAY HAVE COME FROM NOTHING BUT I REFUSE TO LEAVE THIS EARTH AS NOTHING. I EAT, BREATHE AND SLEEP MUSIC, I LIVE FOR IT AND IT LIVES IN ME. THIS IS MY DESTINY AND I’M NOT GONNA STOP FIGHTING NO MATTER WHAT OBSTACLE IS PUT IN MY WAY.”
