The Travelers Podcast with Brother Ali · Travelers Media

Passion Project

·1 hr 41 min·5 clips

Love and Service came out of leaving Rhymesayers, George Floyd, and a move to Istanbul.

Brother Ali opens with a direct hello and a plain explanation for the unexpected break. He thanks listeners who checked in when the show came back. He says people do not always read him the way he reads himself. To him, his life feels ordinary because it is the one he lives, but he moves through different communities and cultures, so the outside version can look a little strange to him. He laughs about not always knowing when women like him, and says his wife usually has to fill in the blanks. That turns into a small tribute to her instincts. He then answers the listeners who sent money and asked whether the family needed help. He says the family is not broke and is getting by. From there, the episode shifts into the work behind the music. He talks about a text he sampled for the album and says there is one passage he does not like. The rest of it he loves. The passage about marriage and women does not fit what he has learned from his teachers or from the Islamic tradition he follows. He recalls bringing that passage up to a young woman who was interested in Islam and worrying it may have pushed her away. He moves on to The Alchemy of Happiness and the audiobook material he sampled for the record. He speaks warmly about Rekia, who happened to be in Istanbul and recorded vocals for the album. He introduces track two, "Ottomans," and says he first performed it a cappella on Chinatown Sound before reshaping it into a more cinematic cut. He notes that the performance got a burst of semi viral attention. He also talks about Unjust, the producer behind the album, and traces that collaboration back through his Bay Area years and the spiritual path that eventually led him to Istanbul. The episode closes with practical housekeeping. He sends listeners to the booking section for feature requests or proposals and says people can make an offer if they want to collaborate. He is clear that there is a financial side to those choices, and that many offers get turned down. He thanks listeners for supporting the work and says the family appreciates it, then promises to be back next week.

As heard by us

A return episode that turns a hiatus update into a thoughtful look at perception, faith, marriage, and music.

Brother Ali comes back after an unexpected break and spends much of the episode explaining why he was away, answering listener concern, and clearing up that his family is not broke, even if people offered money.

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Why you'd press play

A warm return where Brother Ali explains the hiatus and talks candidly about money, faith, and making music.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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