Mahershala Ali Recalls Rapping For 2,000 People At Age 12

Mahershala Ali traced his first rap performance to a Toronto club, where he said he faced a crowd of about 2,000 people at age 12.

The actor shared the story in a new Fresh Air interview. His father was performing in Dreamgirls in Toronto in 1986 when Ali and the son of another cast member began making music together.

Both boys loved Run-D.M.C. and LL Cool J. His friend beatboxed, and Ali had a rhyme ready. They surprised their fathers with an elevator performance. A week later, they were on a club stage for the show’s opening night.

Ali said, “But, you know, honestly, the first time I was ever rapping and on stage, I was 12 years old.”

The boys wore matching shirts and sat in a section without alcohol.

He had written his first poem at age 9. Ali later performed his own poetry for his father and his father’s friends, and their encouragement helped him move toward acting.

“It was about God. And it was, when I was young, I was blind, sad and lonely all the time. I felt like I was trapped in a shell, visiting Satan in his hell, until a person shared with me that God’s the glory of being free. So then I turned to Jesus, my friend, and he’ll stay with me till the end,” Ali rhymed in his revelation.

That early interest led to a recording career as Prince Ali.

After graduate study at New York University, he founded Eye5 Recordings in 2006. The label’s roster included his three-man group Pacific Sonz and the Los Angeles band Destruments.

His 2007 debut, Curb Side Service, featured Pep Love, Tajai and Casual of Hieroglyphics. Hiero Imperium and Fontana released it. The Oakland collective became interested in him through “Corner Ensemble,” his 2006 mixtape, and arranged wider distribution for both projects.

Music also became part of his preparation for screen roles. In a 2016 GQ interview, Ali explained that he made a separate soundtrack for each character.

For Cottonmouth in Luke Cage, he drew on Harlem and Bronx artists, including Big L and Diamond D. Jay-Z’s confidence informed his approach to Remy Danton in House of Cards.

He used that method again for Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother. As AllHipHop previously reported, Ka’s Honor Killed the Samurai helped him shape Latif, the film’s father and hit man. Ali credited the rapper’s deliberate delivery with helping him find the character’s pace.