The pond was stirred when young rapper Negash Ali first surfaced from the underground as part of Danish hip hop supergroup Majors along with DJs Noize and Static and MCs J-Spliff and Nat Ill on their eponymous 2008 release. Talent almost never deny itself, and building on his contribution to Majors the just 18 year-old Ali cements his status as one of the bigger ones out there with his solo debut ‘Asmarino’.

Born in 1990, shortly after his mother came to Denmark after fleeing Eritrea towards the end of the country’s conflict with Ethiopia, his life has been shaped by the challenges an African (or any) refugee faces in new and very different surroundings. These and his family are recurring themes in the personal and always strong lyrics along with more common teen reflections like restlessness and being sick and tired of school.

At a young age Ali fell in love with hip hop and original soul, and with production help from among many others Static, Noize, Providers, Madness4Real and The Gypsies it’s in the funky combination of the two ‘Asmarino’ (a term used about people from the Eritrean capital Asmara) shines bright. And then we shall not forget to highlight his solid flow and characteristic voice, adding another big, personal plus to the album.

Cutting a handful of the 14 tracks – especially from the last half – would’ve left everybody with an even stronger album, but it’s a flaw that can be ignored (pressing “skip” is one way) and it certainly doesn’t change the fact that Negash Ali is responsible for one of the most impressive debuts of 2009.

Genre: Urban
Who: Negash Ali
Album: Asmarino
Label: City Hall Music/Playground Music
Year: 2009
Country: Denmark
Language: English
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Recommended tracks:
Stronger Now – Feel The Heat – Higher Ground – Asmarino – Go Getter – Reach For The Sky