The Bay Area has long been a haven of eclectic, thought-provoking hip-hop, so it's no surprise that emcee prince Ali is the latest talent to emerge from this locale. This Fall, prince Ali has assembled one of the most provocative mix tapes ever, Corner Ensemble, on his own indie label, eye5 Recordings. Featuring all original production by Los Angeles hip-hop group the Destruments, along with gems from producers CHIII, Skavenger, J2, Sir Monocle Watson, Roy Butterfields Project, Big North, Corner Ensemble takes listeners on a lyrical and sonic sojourn through the mind of prince Ali. Moreover, this project features some of indie hip-hop's most revered lyricists today, including Iriscience (Dilated Peoples), Opio (Hieroglyphics), and Defari. And while this is prince Ali's first release, he's been steeped in hip-hop since he can remember. Born in Oakland and raised in Hayward, Cali Ali and his cousin CHIII were hip-hop heads as kids and spent days choppin’ it up about hip-hop and dreaming about making their own music. “It was all over for me after seeing RUN D.M.C with Dominique DePrima on the television’s show ‘Home Turf’ in 1984," explains Ali, who received his MFA NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. “It just sparked something inside me and I knew I wanted to be an emcee.” Undoubtedly, Ali's spiritual life has also profoundly influenced his music: "When we listen to music, the frequency in our brains actually change. It has the ability to change your mood, and that's powerful.” prince Ali is currently working in the studio on his debut LP, Curb Side Service, due out early next year while building his label that will nurture other like-minded artists. Curb Side Service will feature Pep-Love, Souls of Mischief, Planet Asia, Ahmar Khalil and Dwayne Wiggins of Tony, Toni, Tone, Aaron Goldstein aka Artik (Justin Timberlake, Talib Kweli), among others. Press Contact: Nicole Ballin, Ballin PR Ph: 323-651-1580| email: nik@ballinpr.com eye5recordings.com myspace.com/eye5movement myspace.com/alitheprince ###