Why Ali Tomineek doesn’t need a stage name to rap
There’s a young, creative type from the Phoenix area who’s using hip-hop culture to make a dent in the world.
“Hip-hop is bigger than just rap,” Ali Tomineek said.
The guy is using his platform to fight bullying, help the homeless and appreciate teachers, and next week he’s headed to Chardon State College in Nebraska to talk about Martin Luther King’s vision.
“I’m just using my platform to spread positive energy,” he said.
Tomineek was one of the breakout stars on the Netflix series “Rhythm + Flow.” (For the uninitiated, it’s like “American Idol” for rappers — but with Cardi B in place of Simon Cowell.)
Tomineek considers himself a writer, producer, actor, director, editor and animator. And he’s proof that young people can take center stage in any arena with the right support network. His starts with his father, Thomasina.
“My dad has taught me basically everything I know, minus computers,” the 22-year-old Tomineek said.
It makes sense, then, why Tomineek is so singularly focused on positivity. That is, if Thomasina’s segment on the Netflix show teaches us anything.
“We slept in the car when you were 9 months (old),” father told son.
“I was three car payments behind, and I had $10. I didn’t give up. That’s what’s so great about hip-hop. It comes from a vibration. How I was thinking, and how I was feeling about myself. … You take nothing, and you make something. Whatever’s thrown at you, you can bounce back.”
Tomineek said there’s something else he picked up from his dad.
“Hip-hop is not about who’s the best. It’s about what you do when you have the mic,” he said. “What are you going to do when the light is on you, and you have this platform?”
His goal is simple.
“I aim to inspire,” he said.
He’s trying to make it big without the corporate support of major labels. And he’s not concerned with the negative and misleading tropes that weigh on his genre.
Hip-hop music has always been bigger than the flimsy stereotypes that radio stations lock in on. As an independent artist, Tomineek can resist any pressure that comes his way to conform to tropes that don’t apply.
He got his start performing at Boys &
Girls Clubs around the Valley when he was still in middle school. He began to realize just how much his words affected the kids he was speaking with, many of whom were no older than he was.
By the time he graduated from Peoria High School in 2014, he knew how he was going to stand out. He was going to be himself, up to and including performing under his given name.
“Be myself, man,” he said. “Gotta be myself. (Plus) I couldn’t think of anything cooler than ‘Ali Tomineek.’”
Who could?
This dude puts together a Rubik’s cube when he performs. He writes lyrics without profanity. And he keeps his message consistent.
“I went back to my old high school ... Showed the kids, man, I made it to Netflix. I’m in a movie (“High Strung: Free Dance”). All by believing in myself.”
He wants other people to ride the same wave.
“You don’t have to be anybody other than you,” he said.
At Chardon State, he’ll be talking about the importance of voting.
When he gets back home, he’s planning to partner with local nonprofits Zuri’s Circle and You Matter Too on a Peoria
anti-bullying and youth suicide prevention walk on Feb. 22.
He’s also planning a birthday concert at the Pressroom on Feb. 29 with other performers from the Netflix show, including Caleb Colossus and Flawless Real Talk. He plans for a portion of the proceeds to go toward a local homeless outreach program.
But his biggest push is a teacher appreciation campaign.
“We do a program called ‘Making Teachers Smile,’” he said. “I believe teachers have one of the hardest and most important jobs in the country and the world.
“So, what we do is give back to the teachers, since they put so much time and effort into shaping the minds of the next generation. We perform a motivational concert, basically.”
It’s not a conventional path, but so what? To hear Thomasina tell it, making your own way is part of the story.
“You take your own hip-hop, your own heartbeat,” he said on “Rhythm + Flow: Season 1, Episode 7.” “And you share that with the world.”
It’s the power of hip-hop culture. It’s also the power of father and son.