Throwback Thursday-Lost Ya’ll Mind by Kilo Ali

by Dan-O

Netflix has a great documentary on Dungeon Family production team Organized Noize(The Art of Organized Noize) and its full of great old school southern rap name drops. I’ve been fascinated because because it feels like southern rap history is left to be the least explored outside of the south. Lots of us know every inch of 80’s east coast rap or 90’s west coast rap but if you hit the right Witchdoctor album you’ll be flabbergasted. One of the names dropped in a serious way, referenced as the heart of the sound, was Kilo Ali. I knew that I knew that name.

I checked out Kilo Ali’s 1997 Organized Bass album and had the strangest flashbacks. I’ve never owned this but I’ve heard every song on it nine or ten times. I was in the Army stationed in Fort Hood Texas at a time when DJ Screw was dominant. Al was in charge of showing me the ropes of southern rap when I had no footing in it. He was from East Point Atlanta, always got the important music six months before anyone else. He swore by Organized Bass; played it constantly while I crossed my arms and told him it sucked.

Organized Bass does Miami bass and mixes it with gospel, playful sex, discussions of racism, and religion. Lost Ya’ll Mind is the perfect example. I know the reason I missed it then. The blend was not just too unique but far too effortless. Back then my favorite emcees were people I watched strain for greatness. Kilo Ali is always saying something but he never loses his love of the melody, his grasp of the beat. People will dance to this! Every style of rap has a weird slept on classic that defines the very characteristics of its existence and the same way D.O.C.’s album No One Can Do It Better is west coast lyricism in a nutshell Organized Bass is the south. When he says “Money and clothes, and beamers and vogues, I’d rather go to heaven than any of those” I can still hear Al singing along. Getting the last laugh.