Ali came from a tough council estate in Wandsworth, South London where he developed his passion for UK rap, grime and hip hop music, growing up alongside some of today’s major rap artists and facing the same life challenges together. He was drawn into the prevalent gang culture which led to him operating as a drug dealer and ultimately, being shot in the head at age 17. Although fortunate to survive, the bullet can’t be removed and serves as a constant reminder to Ali of the downward spiral his life was on. He was convicted of possession with intent to supply a class A drug at age 18, receiving a 4 year sentence of which he served two.
In prison, Ali turned his life around, studying intensively and working on a day release scheme which exposed him to the legitimate business world, leaving him determined to embark on a new path post prison.
On release, and with the support of mentors, Ali re-entered the education system culminating in a Cambridge University postgraduate course in Sustainable Leadership In Business for which he won a full scholarship. Alongside his academic studies, he trained to be a life coach and established a social enterprise to warn of the dangers of gang culture.
After a long journey, Ali has finally been able to pursue his absolute passion in life, returning to his UK rap, grime and hip hop roots and has been successfully managing artists in the genre prior to becoming the Co-Founder of BPureSounds. Ali also joined the Responsible Business Initiative for Justice as a consultant in early 2020, working on developing UK criminal justice advocacy and helping to build a movement of businesses engaged in fair chance hiring.
