Key Takeaways
- Mahershala Ali says he has retired from rapping and now feels more connected to producing and making beats.
- Ali still writes occasional rhymes for himself, explaining, “If it’s in you, it’s just in you. Don’t mean anyone needs to hear it.”
- The former Prince Ali fully produced Radamiz’s five-song EP Bottom Of Heaven I after the pair collaborated on the 2024 single “Thin Ice.”
Mahershala Ali isn't planning a full-fledged return to rapping, but he's found another way to stay connected to hip-hop.
During a recent conversation with Ebro Darden, Laura Stylez and Peter Rosenberg, the two-time Oscar winner revealed that he's been focusing more of his musical energy on producing and making beats.
“I produce now [...] we looking to do some stuff where I'm, like, basically, like, you know, doing some beats,” Ali said.
When Rosenberg asked whether producing interests him more than getting back on the mic, Ali didn't hesitate.
“Yeah,” he responded. “I feel more connected to producing and beat making.”
That doesn't mean Ali has completely stopped writing rhymes. He revealed that inspiration still strikes occasionally, including during a recent drive to New York.
“I just wrote something the other day. It's, like, checking in,” he explained. “You know, like, literally on my drive to New York, I just wrote something. Just 'cause, you know, if it's in you, it's just in you. Don't mean anyone needs to hear it.”
Ali has already put his production skills to work with New York rapper Radamiz. The pair released Bottom Of Heaven I, a five-song EP that arrived in August. Ali handled the project's production and executive production after previously collaborating with Radamiz on the 2024 single “Thin Ice.”
Ali's connection to hip-hop stretches back well before his success in Hollywood. While studying acting at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, he performed under the name Prince Ali. He later launched Eye5 Recordings and released Corner Ensemble in 2006, followed by Curb Side Service in 2007.
He's since made it clear that he considers his career as a rapper finished, previously declaring on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, “I'm retired, brother! I'm retired.”
