Up next in 10
Sura Ali is the raw, uncut voice hip-hop needs right now. From her standout run on Rhythm and Flow to her deep roots in Brooklyn, she joins Sway in the Morning to showcase why her penmanship and presence are unmatched. Get ready for an interview that dives deep into spirituality, the art of the pen, and the reality of being a black woman in the spotlight.
In this episode, Sura Ali breaks down her origin story, moving from Brooklyn to the dirty south and back again. She shares the spiritual meaning behind her name and how African spirituality grounds her creative process. We also hear from industry heavyweights Jason Rodriguez and Miabelle about why Sura is a certified star with the penmanship to back it up.
Beyond the conversation, Sura brings the heat with two incredible performances. First, she delivers a high-energy rap track that proves she is ready for any stage. Later, she returns to her roots with a powerful spoken word piece titled Black Bodies that will leave you speechless. This is a must-watch for anyone who appreciates real lyricism and authentic storytelling.
Chapters
0:00 Intro and Welcome Sura Ali
2:45 Growing Up Across the Country
5:10 The Meaning of Sura Ali and Spirituality
8:20 Influences and Hip Hop Lineage
10:45 Miabelle and Jason Rodriguez on Sura’s Star Power
14:15 Live Performance: Sura Ali Raps in Studio
17:50 Navigating Fake Love and Discernment
20:30 The Art of Performance and Hosting Events
24:00 Handling the Spotlight on Rhythm and Flow
27:15 Spoken Word Performance: Black Bodies
30:45 The Transition from Poetry to Rap
Make sure to like this video and subscribe to the channel for more exclusive hip-hop content and interviews. Let us know your favorite bar from Sura’s performance in the comments below.
Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:00
Shade 45, Sway in the Morning.
0:02
>> Yes, sir.
0:03
>> You know what we do here, citizens. We
0:05
like to put the spotlight on those who
0:06
got light but don't get light.
0:08
>> Mhm, that part.
0:09
>> Wow, that was a bar, Mike Muse.
0:10
>> Bars.
0:11
>> That was off the top of my head. And
0:13
inspired by our next artist who I got a
0:16
chance to watch on Rhythm and Flow and
0:18
thought she was extremely incredible.
0:20
Um one of the things I admire most about
0:22
her is she's raw and uncut, Mike Muse.
0:26
Um when she talks about life and when
0:28
she especially when she talks about
0:29
relationships. That song Foolish we just
0:31
played was something I dug out of her
0:33
crate um cuz I really enjoyed it and I
0:36
like her point of view. I like her
0:38
perspective on things and I just think
0:40
she's just raw and confident and know
0:42
she's the [ __ ] You know what I mean and
0:45
and don't have to say it. She don't have
0:47
to wear it on her chest. And I want to
0:49
welcome her to the show for the first
0:50
time, the one and only Sa-Roc Ali.
0:59
Welcome to the show.
1:01
>> Thanks for having me. Thanks for having
1:03
me. What's up, New York Tri-State area
1:05
and
1:06
everybody else that's listening.
1:09
>> [laughter]
1:10
>> You something else, man. Tell tell tell
1:12
me a little bit about your origin story.
1:14
Like you you grew up in Brooklyn, right?
1:16
>> Brooklyn, Bed-Stuy, but I'm seasoned all
1:18
over New York. I don't live in Harlem
1:21
>> Mhm.
1:21
>> two times in my life. I got to say I'm
1:24
sprinkled in Harlem just a little bit,
1:25
not too crazy.
1:27
>> Okay.
1:27
>> Uh I don't live in Mississippi.
1:29
>> Wow.
1:29
>> I don't live in Maine. I don't live all
1:31
over, but I'm really like New York New
1:34
York New York.
1:35
>> What were you running from? I'm trying
1:36
to understand why you live so many
1:38
places.
1:38
>> [laughter]
1:38
>> Uh no, I was I was younger. I was
1:41
younger. I just got sent away a lot of
1:43
places, you know.
1:43
>> Okay. You got sent away?
1:45
>> Yeah, yeah. For for
1:47
um
1:48
to explore my
1:51
my wild side. Yeah.
1:53
>> Okay.
1:53
>> [laughter]
1:53
>> Okay. So, [snorts] uh I get that, you
1:55
know, when when kids are bad.
1:57
>> [laughter]
1:58
>> That's why I said I was always
1:59
misunderstood. Let's say that.
2:01
>> Yeah, misunderstood.
2:03
>> You feel like you were misunderstood,
2:05
not bad.
2:05
>> Yes.
2:06
>> What kind of stuff would you get This is
2:07
you you you know, you passed the
2:08
statutory length of You won't be charged
2:11
for any of these crimes and nothing, but
2:13
what kind of
2:13
>> [laughter]
2:13
>> What kind What was for you What was How
2:15
was
2:16
>> Nah, I was just I was just the
2:18
different. That's it. I was just
2:20
different, but I needed those
2:22
experiences so that I know how my people
2:24
live in other places so I could have a
2:27
perspective of what their lifestyles are
2:30
and that's
2:31
certain things that helped me
2:33
with my creative process as I got older,
2:36
you know?
2:37
Really connecting with my people all
2:39
over. Like I could say I don't been
2:43
in the dirty, dirty south, but I don't
2:45
been upstate and the racism is the same.
2:48
Like if you go far up north, you go far
2:50
down south, it's the same. So it's like
2:53
all of those things were uh necessary
2:56
for me to develop and to grow. So, yeah.
3:00
>> Yeah. What what What age This is Surah
3:02
Ali. First of all, Surah, what does that
3:05
mean in what language?
3:06
>> Well, Surah is
3:08
for most people is Arabic, right?
3:10
>> Mhm.
3:11
>> Um my my I have a full name. I have a
3:13
15-letter name my my government. We're
3:16
not going to get into that. So, Surah is
3:18
just like a part of it. So, for people
3:20
we're not going to get into my full
3:22
meaning, but Surah
3:24
chapter, right, in the Quran. But Ra is
3:27
also the sun god. So, it's really about
3:30
light for me, you know?
3:32
>> Mhm.
3:32
>> Light. Like I bring light where I go.
3:34
So.
3:35
>> I love that.
3:35
>> Yeah.
3:36
>> Well, you Did you grow up
3:38
Muslim or
3:40
How did you adapt?
3:41
>> I um grew up around African
3:43
spirituality.
3:44
>> Okay.
3:45
>> Very nice.
3:45
>> I have Muslim family, of course, my
3:47
aunt.
3:48
I went to Muslim camp growing up.
3:51
>> Mhm.
3:51
>> Um
3:52
one of them, but yeah, really really my
3:55
household is based in African
3:57
spirituality and you know, black power,
4:01
all right? Like Afrocentricity, yeah,
4:04
that's the word. Mhm.
4:06
>> People, I found a lot of power. I I grew
4:08
up around a lot of
4:10
Yoruba priestess
4:12
and and and different origins of African
4:14
spirituality. And for me, that was my
4:17
cape. You know, that's what protected me
4:20
as I
4:21
walked in the world, as I walked in
4:23
today's society. How has
4:25
it benefited you just having that kind
4:27
of knowledge, would you say? Cuz people
4:29
sweep that under the rug and
4:31
won't will try to devalue that, but
4:33
>> Right.
4:33
>> I promise you what I learned um over the
4:36
years has helped to shape and mold me to
4:38
who I am today. What about you?
4:40
>> I think that for me, um of course,
4:43
everybody needs something that grounds
4:44
them. It helped me understand my faith.
4:47
It helped me understand that
4:49
you know, my direct connection to God is
4:51
through my ancestors, you know? The
4:54
people that's walking with me, my
4:55
guardian angels, as y'all would call it.
4:58
Whether that be somebody from 100 years
5:00
ago or 10 years ago, you know? So, I
5:03
know that from the things that I've been
5:05
through in my life and where I'm going,
5:08
like my ancestors is heavy on my back,
5:11
so
5:12
that's how, you know, it opened me up to
5:16
just knowing that and just having that
5:17
faith, so.
5:19
>> Surah Ali, man. I'm wondering, too,
5:22
because you do a lot of different
5:24
things. You're a MC, you spit crazy
5:26
bars.
5:27
You're a poet, too.
5:28
>> Yes.
5:29
>> Um when when you write, do you do you
5:31
carry that with you? The energy of your
5:34
ancestors, the things that you learn,
5:37
because we tend to channel things
5:40
that ain't always from us, it feels
5:42
like.
5:42
>> I feel like it's from my people.
5:44
>> Mhm.
5:45
>> Like I be writing not just my story, but
5:47
the story of
5:49
the people that's around me, you know? I
5:51
feel like I've always said that I feel
5:53
like I'm the voice for people that are
5:56
afraid to speak or that are voiceless,
5:58
that don't really know that certain
6:00
things need to be said or spoken about,
6:03
or maybe they might feel alone in their
6:05
struggle or their trials and
6:07
tribulations, and they think that
6:08
there's nobody that can relate with them
6:11
until they hear my [ __ ] And they like,
6:13
"Oh, I feel that. I know that. Like,
6:16
that's my life." And sometimes I don't
6:18
even have to go through the things that
6:20
I'm talking about. But, like I said, if
6:23
my people is going through it, I'm going
6:24
to feel it. So.
6:26
>> Wow, man. I like this
6:28
Ali. I'm reading your hat, Lauren, Lil'
6:30
Kim, and Foxy.
6:31
>> Mhm. Shout out to Bad Style Fly.
6:34
>> So, do do you you you're of that lineage
6:36
when you you you feel like you're a
6:37
combination of all of those folks?
6:39
>> Um no, no. They're definitely before me.
6:42
Uh
6:42
>> [laughter]
6:42
>> But, I mean, you know, that
6:44
>> set the tone, but um I I have respect
6:47
for everybody that has you know, made a
6:49
contribution to hip-hop. Hip-hop only
6:51
been around for what, like 55 years now,
6:55
right? So, oh, 52 years? Yeah. Okay, so
6:58
52
6:58
>> But, that's close, though. That's pretty
6:59
good, right?
7:01
>> So,
7:01
>> Yeah.
7:02
>> Let Let's say 55 for the future, all
7:03
right?
7:04
>> Yeah, [laughter] man.
7:05
Yeah.
7:07
>> But,
7:08
yeah, it's been around for uh that
7:10
amount of time, so it's just like you
7:13
know, that's very close. That's
7:16
That's That's recent, you know? So.
7:19
>> Yep. Uh Sura Ali is here. I got a lot of
7:22
questions, but I'm going to let Tracy
7:23
and and I I really dig what you do.
7:26
Um I've saw some of the freestyles that
7:28
you've done in in some of the things
7:29
you've said in them. It's just hilarious
7:32
to me. Like,
7:33
>> [laughter]
7:33
>> very clever. Tracy, you want to jump in?
7:36
Wait, hold up, man. We got guests with
7:37
us here. We got the legendary Jason
7:40
Rodriguez.
7:43
>> [applause]
7:43
>> Show show them on camera.
7:49
And you're amazing person to work in
7:51
your management.
7:52
>> Yes, me and Bow and I
7:58
>> [applause]
7:59
>> Mia, where can people find you?
8:01
>> Which mic you want me
8:04
Hot 97 Monday through Friday 6:00 a.m.
8:07
to 10:00 a.m.
8:10
And me and Bow and I NYC on all social
8:12
media platforms. I'll be at Roots Picnic
8:14
this weekend. I also have a new
8:15
situation here with SiriusXM and
8:18
SoundCloud. It's called Fem Sees. It's
8:22
debuting tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern
8:24
Standard Time, 5:00 p.m. Pacific. And of
8:27
course, Fem Sees, I got my number one
8:29
Fem See in the building, Surah Ali.
8:32
Season 2 Rhythm and Flow, the winner.
8:35
>> [laughter]
8:40
>> Jason Rodriguez is my executive
8:42
producer.
8:44
To Sway in the morning, you guys are so
8:46
amazing. I told Sway earlier, I am
8:48
fanned out. This is my OG, Tracy. You
8:52
are the best. And all of you guys,
8:55
amazing. Torch, the whole team, amazing.
8:58
Thank you.
8:58
>> doing a great job. Mike you too.
9:01
Tell me I said peace. You guys are doing
9:03
a great job. You're the undertaking
9:05
you're taking on, man. And
9:07
it's that of which icons are made. And
9:09
you're walking in that path. So,
9:11
congratulations that you're on the for
9:13
you two. Jason Rodriguez is one of the
9:15
most celebrated journalists to ever come
9:17
out of hip hop culture, music culture
9:20
across the board. I know I've worked
9:21
with him and even prior to that the work
9:23
he's done. What is it about we've seen a
9:25
lot of artists, right? We we've helped a
9:27
lot of artists break and come out. But
9:29
what you two are so steadfast about
9:31
Surah Ali. What is it about her? If
9:33
there's one thing that you think makes
9:35
her different, Mia Bella and Jason, What
9:37
do you think it is?
9:38
>> So
9:40
for me when I first met Sura just the
9:43
presence. She walks in a room and you
9:45
can already tell she's a star. She opens
9:47
her mouth and she has the voice quality.
9:49
So when you hear her rap, when you hear
9:51
her spin, when you hear her do her
9:52
spoken word, it's believable in all
9:56
spheres. You know what I'm saying? And
9:58
not only that, she's very conscious. She
9:59
knows who she is as a black woman that
10:01
is very important to me.
10:03
Um I think that's a word that needs to
10:05
be spread. Not only that, but when it
10:07
comes to women and sexuality and just
10:10
being free and being able to really just
10:13
speak your truth in all ways and to
10:15
support women in a way that is not
10:19
as avid these days. So for me that's
10:23
where I saw all the star quality, the
10:25
potential of course. You know, she's
10:27
fire.
10:28
>> She's fire. Come on man. Jay, what about
10:30
you Jay? You
10:31
Jay, you was the first to do Drake
10:32
interviews back in MTV days man. Come on
10:35
man.
10:35
>> Um no, I think you know, like as much as
10:37
hip hop changes and like what's the like
10:39
uh thing that we put emphasis on from
10:41
like era to era like I mean you know,
10:43
like penmanship still matters, right?
10:44
And so like you can tell like underneath
10:46
everything like delivery, packaging,
10:48
everything like it's still the
10:49
penmanship, right? And so like when you
10:51
listen to her it you hear it. It comes
10:52
through.
10:53
>> It comes through. That's Jason
10:54
Rodriguez. He authored the we used to do
10:57
a show called Rap Fix.
10:59
First of its kind live streaming show
11:01
every single week we would have just a
11:03
combination of every artist.
11:05
>> Wiz Khalifa, Currency
11:07
>> Mac Miller
11:08
>> Mac Miller
11:09
>> DMX, Nicki, Eminem, the whole nine. The
11:12
name Rap Fix was something that he came
11:14
up with.
11:15
>> Yeah.
11:15
>> So he named that show Rap Fix. Jason
11:17
Rodriguez
11:18
>> creating franchises
11:20
>> And since then we raised a lot of
11:21
generations of children who have come
11:23
after us.
11:24
>> [laughter]
11:24
>> But like Swayze said, don't call me unc,
11:26
call me big bro.
11:27
>> There you go.
11:28
>> Get that right. Get that right.
11:30
>> All right Jay, love y'all man. I just
11:31
had to get y'all on camera.
11:33
>> [laughter]
11:35
>> All right, man. Uh
11:36
let's let's play a song and then we'll
11:38
we'll come back with some more Su Ra
11:40
Ali. Shade 45 Sway in the Morning.
11:44
We got it right this time, Su Ra.
11:47
Brooklyn's finest worldwide.
11:49
Let the world know what you do.
11:52
It's time to shine.
11:53
>> Who this fake love? I can't shake it.
11:55
[ __ ] talking gun play, we in the Matrix.
11:58
Every day I spend a [music] bag then go
11:59
[singing] make it. As far as life
12:01
blessings, I'mma take it or the risk
12:02
that I've been making. I want the
12:04
cheese, [music] hold the egg and the
12:05
bacon. [ __ ] the pigs. Hustle I'mma wake
12:08
them to my God. I'll be praying in the
12:10
mirror. I'll be staring at the demons
12:11
[singing] that I'm facing. It's a heavy
12:12
conversation. Yeah, if it ain't one
12:15
thing it's another. [singing] I love my
12:17
mama but sometimes I don't hug her. We
12:19
in [music] a time [ __ ] showing me
12:20
their colors. [ __ ] [ __ ] [ __ ] [ __ ]
12:22
[ __ ] lovers. We too live to chilling in
12:24
the summer. I'll be feeling like we
12:26
going under. [ __ ] lie, [ __ ] lie,
12:28
show me the numbers. Fake vibes, whole
12:30
the time I feel out numbered. I'll be
12:32
going up and [ __ ] is going dumber.
12:35
I've been feeling down so long. I don't
12:37
know which way is up.
12:40
Hey, I've been on my grind so
12:41
[singing and music] long. Tell me is it
12:43
making sense?
12:45
I've been feeling down so long. I don't
12:48
know which way is up.
12:50
I've [singing] been on my grind [music]
12:51
so long.
12:53
Love, yeah.
12:54
Caught him up in a [ __ ] but she my
12:56
[ __ ] I treat her with respect cuz she
12:58
passive. [music]
12:59
Hey, she don't give a [ __ ] about her
13:00
league close to average so I ain't
13:02
worried about her fat ass or no bad
13:04
[ __ ]
13:04
>> [music]
13:04
>> I'm focused on the bag, [ __ ] the
13:06
baggage. We could live lavish. I want to
13:08
see us rocking them carrots. When we
13:10
taking flights, we be first class and my
13:12
[ __ ] going get it on go so [ __ ]
13:14
asking. I don't put my [music] eggs in
13:16
one basket but I had to learn that. When
13:18
you down and out and by yourself, you
13:20
got to earn back. I don't trust [ __ ]
13:21
they too funny, got to move tact. Guess
13:23
I'm really hurt. Never who that. Guess
13:25
I'm really hurt. Never who that. Send
13:27
you on my dick. Post is constantly in
13:29
your group chat. I ain't in the cap and
13:30
the [ __ ] I ain't the do-rag. I ain't
13:32
fooling back on no [ __ ] I never do
13:34
that. Fry.
13:35
>> Wow.
13:36
>> I've been feeling down so long. I don't
13:39
know which way is up.
13:40
>> [music]
13:40
>> Put your hands together, y'all.
13:42
>> [singing]
13:42
>> Hey.
13:43
>> Come on.
13:43
>> Hey.
13:45
>> [music]
13:45
>> Hey.
13:47
>> I've been feeling down so long. I don't
13:49
know which way is up.
13:51
>> [singing and music]
13:52
>> I've been on my grind so long.
13:54
Tell me which way is up.
13:56
>> Fry.
13:57
I leave.
13:58
>> Yeah. Yeah. We got a [ __ ] hyena
14:02
up in here. We got a hyena up in here.
14:07
Damn.
14:08
Bar stories, similes, metaphors.
14:11
>> Mhm.
14:11
>> Hello.
14:13
>> Most people don't know what a simile is.
14:16
>> [laughter]
14:17
>> You're incredible.
14:18
>> Thank you. Yes.
14:19
>> And
14:20
me and Nail did when you rap, I believe
14:23
it.
14:23
>> Yes.
14:24
>> And you hug your mom
14:26
enough.
14:27
>> [laughter]
14:30
>> [ __ ] [ __ ] [ __ ] [ __ ] [ __ ] it. Show
14:32
me the numbers, man. Y'all [laughter] be
14:34
lying.
14:35
>> [ __ ] everybody.
14:35
>> [ __ ] everybody. I ain't mad about it.
14:38
>> But we always drawn to to
14:40
multi-dimensional women. And it's very
14:42
clear that you're rooted in character,
14:45
you're rooted in consciousness, like Me
14:47
and said, you're rooted in creativity.
14:49
The way you started off that song when
14:51
you said something
14:52
um
14:53
so much fake love, I can't take it.
14:55
>> Mhm.
14:56
>> It made me curious because you carry
14:58
that spiritual side of you wherever you
15:00
go. I wanted to know about your
15:02
discernment. Because sometimes when it
15:05
comes to fake love, people are
15:07
incredible with presenting a counterfeit
15:10
version of love.
15:11
>> Mhm.
15:11
>> That folks have no idea is inauthentic,
15:15
and years pass, and then finally you're
15:18
like, "Wow, you've been wearing this
15:20
mask for so long." Do you feel like you
15:22
can immediately tell when someone is
15:25
heart-centered and moving from an
15:27
authentic place versus when they're just
15:31
a complete falsehood?
15:32
>> It's levels. Um I feel like I give
15:35
everybody the benefit of doubt. That's
15:37
one.
15:38
>> Mhm.
15:38
>> Two, if I feel something funny
15:41
or if something is said and I could
15:43
remember it
15:44
>> Mhm.
15:45
>> and it plays back to me, then it's like,
15:47
okay, I got to dissect that. But I don't
15:49
really be thinking too much into certain
15:51
things. I keep my circle how my circle
15:53
is. If people want to be around me,
15:57
whatever it is,
16:02
they can, you know? Um
16:04
I just wait to see. It's like one of
16:06
those things like you don't got to earn
16:09
my respect. You just going to get
16:11
respect off rip. And it's the same thing
16:13
with me for trust. Like I try not to be
16:16
too
16:17
too um
16:20
opposed to letting people into my life.
16:22
>> Mhm.
16:23
>> Even though I've been through a lot of
16:24
different things where, you know,
16:26
betrayal has presented itself,
16:28
I still
16:30
I still carry a a light heart.
16:33
>> Mhm.
16:33
>> So
16:34
>> It's in your name.
16:35
>> Yeah, I I really I could say no, maybe I
16:38
don't always have the best discernment.
16:40
I've just learned from experiences that
16:42
I've had and move off of the the
16:45
character traits that I ain't like from
16:47
them, I won't like in somebody else, but
16:50
yeah, not so much on Sometimes I don't
16:52
know.
16:53
>> Right.
16:55
>> Sometimes you don't know.
16:56
They be disguised sometimes.
16:58
>> Mhm.
16:59
>> Smiling in your face.
17:01
>> Mhm.
17:01
>> And all the time they want to take your
17:03
place, the backstabbers.
17:06
Mike Muse, what's up, man? Let's keep it
17:07
positive, Mike.
17:08
>> Yo.
17:09
>> [laughter]
17:11
>> Really? That's your segue for me.
17:14
Uh Siraj, um I've been enjoying this
17:16
conversation and I was enjoying you, but
17:18
the moment I became a fan was when you
17:21
realized that we weren't actually
17:23
playing the song and we were playing the
17:25
performance track and you didn't let 2
17:27
seconds go by before you start rhyming
17:29
immediately.
17:30
And for me, that is a sign of a star.
17:33
And so, I wanted to know
17:35
>> Facts.
17:35
>> not your writing process cuz I'm a fan
17:37
of artistry, but what is your
17:39
performance process, right? The artistry
17:42
process. You guys had You made us clap
17:44
our hands that this was your stage and I
17:46
rarely see that in a studio like this.
17:49
Talk to us about the performance
17:50
process.
17:51
>> All right, so I have this event that I
17:52
do called Black Like Me, right? It's a
17:54
community event for black artists and
17:56
black artists alike to come and share
17:58
their stories through their artistry,
18:00
whether that be, you know, singing,
18:02
rapping, spoken word, right? So, I have
18:05
to host that, right? So, I have to get
18:07
the crowd lit every time. It's usually a
18:10
intimate space. So, if you're if he's
18:13
performing
18:15
and everybody in the back is like not
18:17
really paying attention or whatever, I
18:19
got to go back there and and let them
18:21
see like, yeah, I'm jamming with this.
18:23
I'm vibing to this. Like, everybody get
18:25
in tune with this, you know? So, that's
18:27
always my thing to like bring the energy
18:30
up, you know? Cuz all my songs don't
18:32
really require that kind of energy, but
18:35
everybody needs the energy like, you
18:37
know, it bounces off each other.
18:40
Yeah. So, I think that my process is
18:43
rooted in the fact that I do have to
18:45
host like my own events. And that's
18:48
really where I started. Um I used to do
18:50
a lot of uh what is that thing called?
18:53
>> Open mic.
18:54
>> Open mic.
18:55
>> I used to do a lot of open mics. That
18:56
was my first level groundwork stuff and
18:59
then I was just like, I'm going to all
19:01
of these people's events and I'm getting
19:03
it lit. Like, I'm I'm getting it lit. I
19:06
need to have my own, you know? So, I
19:09
guess that's just my answer. Like, it's
19:11
rooted in the fact that I'm trying to
19:13
have my own [ __ ] you know? So.
19:16
>> Thanks.
19:16
>> The work shows, and I think that's the
19:18
difference from good to great, and
19:19
particularly in rap, I think a lot of
19:20
times rappers forget the stage
19:21
performance aspect of it. I've gone to
19:23
so many rap shows I've been bored out of
19:25
my mind because they just stand there
19:27
and don't know how to engage and rock
19:29
the crowd, and they don't come ready to
19:31
spit, and you came here ready to spit,
19:33
so I appreciate you.
19:34
>> Thank you.
19:34
>> Man, we got Sou Ali is here with us.
19:39
We got Dave on the line. He's in Ohio.
19:41
Dave, welcome to the show.
19:42
>> What's goodie, Dave?
19:43
>> What's up? What's up, family? This is
19:45
Dave from Cleveland, to be exact.
19:47
>> Okay. Oh, Dave from Cleveland.
19:49
Unfortunately,
19:51
a lot What went down last week? You want
19:54
to talk about the Knicks? Okay, my bad.
19:56
My bad.
19:57
My bad.
19:57
>> Hey, bring it back to center. We going
19:59
to talk about Sou Ali.
20:01
>> [laughter]
20:03
>> Hey, Bernard, man, real talk, man. I'm
20:05
on my route for work. I just hopped in
20:07
the van and turned on the app, and I
20:09
recognized her voice instantly from the
20:11
Netflix joint.
20:12
>> Rhythm and Flow, season 2.
20:14
>> Yeah, man, I'm just glad to hear our
20:16
voice on Sway in the Morning, man. That
20:19
[ __ ] so dope. So, keep doing your thing,
20:21
sis. You already know you got it. Just
20:24
keep your foot on they neck.
20:26
>> I appreciate you.
20:27
>> Wow, man, Rhythm and Flow, season 2.
20:30
What a great platform to be seen on,
20:33
right? What What you You get response
20:34
from that constantly, right?
20:36
>> Mhm. Mhm.
20:37
>> Yeah, and what was it like being
20:40
being um
20:43
not judged, I guess. Being judged.
20:45
>> most loved and most hated?
20:47
>> Yeah. Being both sides of it, right?
20:49
Yeah. [laughter] What was that like for
20:51
you?
20:52
>> Um which part, though? Like, at what
20:54
point
20:55
>> [laughter]
20:57
>> At what point? In the beginning, the
20:58
end, like, afterwards, like
21:01
>> Afterwards, I I would imagine you got
21:03
nothing but praise, but but
21:05
>> Both?
21:05
>> Yeah, yeah, definitely. Um you know, a
21:08
lot of people don't understand New York
21:10
energy, right? Let's start it there.
21:11
Like, as New Yorkers, we are very
21:13
fast-paced. Everything is
21:16
A person could bump past me in the
21:18
street. I'm not going to budge. I'm not
21:20
going to get an attitude. I'm going to
21:21
keep moving because that's how we move.
21:23
We move quick. So, I think that What was
21:27
the question again?
21:29
>> [laughter]
21:29
>> Okay. How did you deal with the the full
21:32
gamut of emotions of some people who
21:35
were fans of yours?
21:36
>> Okay. Okay.
21:37
>> Some people weren't fans of yours.
21:39
>> All right, great. So, look, let's get
21:41
into it. [laughter] So, I think that
21:43
because, again, like I said, a lot of my
21:46
life experiences have prepared me for
21:49
things like that, right? Like, I feel
21:51
like God knew that,
21:53
you know, it would be a time where I
21:54
would be in the spotlight and I would I
21:56
wouldn't have control over how people
21:58
feel about me or what they think about
22:00
me. They don't even know me. They know a
22:02
small portion of what they seen on TV.
22:05
Somebody that's from the hood that's
22:07
trying to make it and y'all got a
22:09
quarter mil on the line and y'all think
22:12
that I'm about to be friendly on the
22:13
show? That's just crazy to me. Like, I'm
22:16
not here.
22:17
I'm not I'm I'm not here. I'm not I'm
22:19
I'm cool with y'all, but I'm not having
22:21
sex with nobody here. I'm not in cahoots
22:24
with I'm I got my eye on the prize. So,
22:26
I think that they was confused about
22:28
that. Y'all was just Y'all here trying
22:30
to just, you know, get in where you fit
22:33
in. I'm actually trying to take the
22:34
whole [ __ ] for real. But, um, after the
22:37
show had dropped, it was just like a
22:39
bunch of people that, you know, liked
22:42
me, but then it seemed like it was a
22:44
bunch of people that didn't like me.
22:46
And, like I said, how I grew up, it's
22:49
always been like that. It's been people
22:51
that's always gravitated towards me and
22:53
there's been a group of people that
22:54
hasn't liked me, you know? And I just
22:57
think that it is what it is.
23:00
>> And then, you didn't lose no sleep over
23:01
the ones who
23:02
>> at first. Yeah. This is my first time
23:04
being in the spotlight like this, you
23:06
know? I've had things that that has gone
23:08
viral, but it's been it's never been
23:10
people that's been around the world.
23:12
They come from different customs,
23:14
different value system. [clears throat]
23:15
They don't even know again, they don't
23:17
know how it is living in America or
23:19
being from New York or being a woman
23:21
with a voice. You get what I'm saying? I
23:23
feel like when it comes [snorts] to
23:25
black women especially, people always
23:27
try to humble us. And then it be some
23:30
black women, too. You know, my skin folk
23:33
are like that.
23:34
Try to do the same thing because they
23:36
haven't had a chance to fully blossom or
23:39
they haven't had a chance to unravel
23:41
from their cocoon. You get what I'm
23:43
saying? So, it's like y'all be
23:45
projecting a lot of times. I'm just
23:48
living. I'm being myself. Like, and as
23:51
time goes by, there's things that I've
23:53
grown from, you know? I realize I can't
23:55
beat the internet.
23:56
>> Yeah. That's what you learned from this.
23:57
>> Yeah, I can't beat the internet. And
24:00
in the spectrum of love and hate is
24:02
literally on the same thing. Just as
24:04
much energy as it take for you to hate
24:06
me, them same people are still going on
24:09
my page, oh, let me see what I don't
24:10
like about her. Like, great. Get my
24:12
views up. Like,
24:14
get my streams up.
24:15
>> Turn them into a metric.
24:17
You know what I mean? I love that, but
24:18
listen,
24:19
for every person that may have not found
24:23
you in their favor,
24:24
there were 10 times as many people that
24:26
knew you were dope. All right. And I'm
24:28
one of those people. Yeah, that's why
24:30
I'm glad you're here today.
24:31
>> Thanks for having me.
24:32
>> Absolutely. You come by our show
24:34
anytime. And when I say that, that's
24:36
that's that's you know, that's all
24:38
seriousness. That's real. You know, but
24:40
we be a lot of places, though, Su Ra.
24:42
So, you got might have to come to LA
24:43
next time.
24:44
>> I'm coming. I'm I'm going to be at the
24:45
BET Awards.
24:46
>> Oh, come through. Partner.
24:48
>> Yeah.
24:48
>> Me and just do it.
24:49
>> Come on. You know, we got to we got to
24:52
>> I'm thinking garage series.
24:54
>> Yes. That would be a dope garage series.
24:56
>> Oh, yeah. Yeah.
24:57
We can do that.
24:59
She
24:59
>> ready.
25:00
>> Okay. She's ready. She's ready.
25:02
>> is there.
25:02
>> That's right. Is it Is it possible to
25:05
get a a poem before we go?
25:07
>> Oh, you want a poem? Yeah, sure. What
25:09
kind of poem?
25:11
>> [laughter]
25:11
>> Ready. Well,
25:13
that was
25:14
I think it was what you said.
25:16
>> black bodies for you.
25:17
>> Do black bodies.
25:18
>> you think me and Bell?
25:19
>> Yeah.
25:20
>> Bell like that, right?
25:21
>> A cappella? A cappella? Okay, great.
25:24
Yeah.
25:24
>> Yeah, you like that.
25:25
>> I want to hear that.
25:25
>> All right.
25:26
>> Let's turn [clears throat] the other
25:27
mics down if you want me to.
25:28
>> This is
25:29
um a poem for This is very very like
25:32
political, you know? I always say like I
25:35
don't get into politics, but that's not
25:37
true cuz when you're black, everything
25:39
is politics. How you look, how you act,
25:41
the way you dress, the school you go to,
25:43
you know what I'm saying? So, I'm not
25:45
into
25:47
presidential politics, but I'm into all
25:49
of the politics.
25:51
>> What was that you just spit out?
25:52
>> Her grill.
25:53
>> My grill.
25:54
>> I've never seen
25:56
>> [laughter]
25:59
>> I've never seen a woman spit her grill
26:01
out.
26:02
>> Cuz I I [laughter] don't want to have uh
26:04
>> That was great. I like that.
26:06
>> Wait, wait, do you think that I should
26:08
do the I ain't never sold crack before?
26:11
>> Do black bodies first.
26:13
>> Black bodies, okay.
26:15
>> All right. I like Mia.
26:17
>> All right, all right. So, y'all can I
26:18
get to yelling, so y'all can hear me
26:20
good?
26:20
>> Yeah, yeah, okay. Let me make sure my
26:22
mic
26:22
>> [laughter]
26:22
>> is down.
26:22
>> that I poem that I do for people that I
26:24
never heard my spoken word before.
26:26
Again,
26:31
again, um
26:32
y'all going to hear it. It's everything
26:34
that I talk about is black people [ __ ]
26:36
cuz I'm black today, tomorrow, when I
26:38
die, and when I'm reborn, I'll be black
26:40
again.
26:41
I heard that. Sometimes bags are made
26:44
for bodies.
26:45
Body bags, they said that. Sometimes
26:48
bags are made for bodies.
26:50
Body bags, they said that. Sometimes
26:52
bags look better over bodies and if it's
26:54
a buoyant blue that's booming at me then
26:56
it won't be labeled a homie. They said
26:58
that sometimes bags
27:00
look better over black bodies.
27:03
And if it's a buoyant blue that's
27:05
booming at me then it won't be labeled a
27:06
homie. In that split second I'm thinking
27:09
like damn, what they going to tell my
27:10
mommy? That I was reaching for a gun?
27:13
Or I tried to run? Or my hands wasn't
27:16
raised? But I was reaching for the sun
27:18
asking God, can you bring me better
27:20
days?
27:21
But God don't have nothing to do with
27:23
this. God is not the reason for my torn
27:25
ligaments or my torn spirit that bleeds
27:27
blood from my open wounds or the fact
27:29
that I'm going to be gone before my
27:30
time.
27:32
Yes, I'm going to meet my maker soon.
27:34
Red dot head shots. Now there's five
27:37
[ __ ] dead. His spine broke, he barely
27:39
woke, but we going to label it as an
27:40
involuntary manslaughter instead. He
27:42
said, "Boy, what you think your life
27:44
worth is?" A [ __ ] like him knew that
27:46
the answer was worthless, but he didn't
27:48
forget that his hands built the surface
27:50
of his melanated dick that was just as
27:52
big as his brain is what made them
27:53
nervous. We raised them from reptiles
27:55
and they transformed into serpents and
27:56
that's why I'm giving them service
27:58
because they made me their servant.
28:00
No.
28:02
They made us their slaves. That's why I
28:04
have my hands raised to the sun asking
28:06
God, can you bring me better days?
28:09
But God don't have nothing to do with
28:10
this. God is not the reason for my torn
28:13
ligaments or my torn spirit that bleeds
28:15
blood from my open wounds or the fact
28:17
that I'm going to be gone before my
28:18
time. Yes, I'm going to meet my maker
28:20
soon. Fry.
28:22
>> Mhm. Come on.
28:24
>> Come on, man. You know that [ __ ] is
28:25
standing [applause] on the base.
28:26
>> Yes.
28:27
>> What we doing, man?
28:28
Stand up, man.
28:30
It's powerful.
28:31
>> [applause]
28:31
>> You like that one?
28:32
>> I love that one.
28:36
Man, talk to my spirit right there. I
28:38
wish I could put words together like
28:39
that.
28:41
>> Thank you.
28:41
>> She's powerful, man.
28:43
>> When did you start with spoken Did
28:45
spoken word come before hip hop?
28:47
>> Yeah. I mean, yeah.
28:49
>> Yeah.
28:49
>> Way way rap or not?
28:50
>> Before rap?
28:50
>> Yeah.
28:52
>> Well, a lot of poets
28:54
you make great songs. A lot of poets had
28:56
a difficulty transitioning into making
28:58
great songs. It was that a a a challenge
29:01
for you at first or it just came
29:03
naturally?
29:03
>> Um I I started doing my poetry really in
29:06
2015. I was a I can't really hear
29:09
>> Oh, turn the volume down on the stream.
29:11
Okay, there you go.
29:12
>> I um I went to Delhi, SUNY Delhi,
29:16
upstate New York. I did two semesters
29:18
there. That's uh that's a racist town in
29:21
short. We going to call it what it is.
29:22
It's a
29:23
it's a gated community, too. It's like
29:25
one of them It's like one of them places
29:27
where cousins be marrying they cousins
29:30
and [ __ ]
29:30
>> Incestuous.
29:32
>> Incestuous, yeah.
29:33
>> So, it was a very small community of
29:36
black kids in there and they also was
29:39
they was just like a little bit confused
29:41
because the black student union that I
29:42
was a part of
29:44
um
29:46
they had
29:48
like a
29:49
It was just crazy, all right? I'll tell
29:51
y'all about that.
29:51
>> a white guy at the head of it?
29:53
>> Oh, no.
29:53
>> A white girl at the head of it?
29:55
>> Girl, one day one day
29:56
>> The black student union was ran by a
29:58
white girl?
29:58
>> It wasn't ran by her, but she used to be
30:00
at the table like doing like the
30:02
workshop stuff, right? And then one day
30:04
I heard her and another girl say, "Oh,
30:07
those those boys were saying, 'Oh, we
30:09
have slaves serving us for breakfast and
30:11
we're not even colored.'"
30:13
I said, "Oh, y'all y'all just got
30:15
anybody here. Who's colored?" I ain't
30:17
never been colored in my life. Like,
30:19
that's 1960s. I'm confused. We're in the
30:22
2000s. So, then I just started writing.
30:25
Like, I used to watch Brave New Voices,
30:27
right? So, one day I'm in I'm in
30:30
my college or whatever. The black
30:32
student union they they hired some poets
30:34
to come there. It was a Japanese guy. He
30:35
was hard. After that, I started writing
30:38
my own stuff or whatever and that was
30:41
2015. 20 2016 I was rapping.
30:45
Like So, it wasn't that good. I wasn't
30:49
as good as I am now, [laughter] but my
30:51
friends kept saying, "Oh, you can do it.
30:53
You can do it." And I was like, "All
30:54
right, bet." So, I did it.
30:57
>> And here we are 2026.
31:00
Come on, man, on the cusp of
31:02
What's the what? Precipice?
31:03
>> Precipice.
31:04
>> Precipice of blossoming into something
31:07
even more colossal than what you've
31:08
already witnessed on the element flow,
31:11
than what you've already witnessed
31:12
online, on DSPs, what you've already
31:16
witnessed on On the Radar and other
31:18
platforms where she burned down the mic,
31:20
and where you are witnessing now on Sway
31:22
in the Morning with Heather B, Tracy G
31:24
on Shade 45 Sirius XM. Sa-Roc Ali,
31:28
ladies and gentlemen.
31:29
>> [applause]
31:31
>> Come on, man. Thank you for coming by.
31:33
This is beautiful. I hope you had a good
31:35
experience with us.
31:36
>> Of course. Of course.
31:37
>> And and and come back and we'll work on
31:38
that BET.
31:39
>> Yeah, wait. Can't
31:40
>> Okay, so we'll be we'll be out there
31:42
again.
31:44
Right. We got Raheem DeVaughn that's
31:46
going to be doing it. It's going to be
31:48
some names on that. I want to see you
31:49
next to those names. Okay? Right. Sa-Roc
31:52
Ali, thank you for joining us.
31:54
>> Thank you. Thank you.
31:55
>> Absolutely.
#Arts & Entertainment