Ali B

Ali Bouali (born 16 October 1981), known professionally as Ali B is a Moroccan-Dutch rapper and entertainer. He is one of the most prominent rappers in the Netherlands and has collaborated with musicians such as Akon and Marco Borsato. He is seen as a leading figure in Dutch inter-ethnic relations.

Ali B has released three albums and various singles, including the 2004 Dutch number-one hit "Wat zou je doen" with Marco Borsato. He has performed at national events including the 2005 Queen's Day celebration and the 2013 inauguration of Willem-Alexander. He has been a judge on the television talent shows The Voice of Holland, The Voice Kids, X Factor, Holland's Got Talent and Ali B op volle toeren.

Following sexual misconduct allegations made against him in 2022, which resulted in two criminal charges for rape and two charges for assault, Ali B lost many of his endorsement deals and positions.

Life and music career Ali B was born in Zaanstad and moved to Amsterdam's De Pijp neighbourhood when he was two, and later to Amsterdam-Oost. When he was 14, he moved to Almere. In his teenage years, he dealt drugs to make money, regularly smoked marijuana, and stole shoes from his local mosque. Seeking to set him straight, his mother made Ali B live with his grandparents in Morocco for ten months. He found refuge in Islam and rapping. He collaborated with Akon on the international remix of his single "Ghetto". In 2006, Ali B was knighted as the "Baron of Ooit" in the children's theme park Land van Ooit and given a statue in the park's Main Street. He received the honor because the park felt that "he is committed to children in a special way."

After hugging Queen Beatrix at the 2005 Queen's Day celebration, he was often called the "knuffelmarokkaan" (cuddle Moroccan), which at first he did not like because it suggested he was only cuddly because of the low standards applied to Moroccans. However, he tried to paint the phrase in a more positive light.

In 2015, The Economist noted how his "empathetic moments have probably done more to promote Dutch acceptance of Muslims than any policy could have achieved." This came amongst growing anti-Muslim tensions in the Netherlands owing to the rising popularity of far-right politician Geert Wilders and his Party for Freedom. It was noted that Ali B was such a cross-cultural icon that he "is the one prominent Moroccan-Dutch figure whom the PVV’s leaders never attack." He eventually apologised to the Central Jewish Organisation.

In 2020, Ali B started "Ik Wil Groeien" (I Want to Grow), an online coaching and self-help platform. In 2021, he published the book De Ali B-Methode (The Ali B Method), featuring 12 life lessons shared by him.

Following accusations of sexual assault and rape in 2022, two of which became criminal convictions in 2024, companies severed ties with Ali B. Maven Publishing ceased all printing and sales of his book The Ali B Method, and LikeMeat pulled his "Mocro Flavour" vegetarian chicken brand from shelves. Telecom magnate Jasper de Rooij scrapped his planned million-dollar investment into an Ali B-promoted invention. RTL Nederland removed Ali B as a judge from all its programs, NPO 1 announced it would no longer play Ali B songs on the radio, and many Dutch celebrities unfollowed him on Instagram.

Personal life Ali Bouali is married to Breghje Kommers, the half-sister of professional footballer Abel Tamata. They have three sons together. His cousin is Yes-R, who is also a rapper and television personality.

Rape conviction In January 2022, the Dutch Public Prosecution Service received reports against Bouali for sexual misconduct, including one rape. This took place while he was working as a judge at The Voice of Holland, as reported by the Dutch YouTube show BOOS episode "This is the Voice". Bouali denied all allegations. In March 2023, he was charged with two rapes and two assaults, with a total of three victims. The incidents occurred between 2014 and 2018 in Morocco, Amsterdam, and Heiloo. Singer Ellen ten Damme accused Bouali of raping her in a hotel in Meknes during the recording of the show Ali B en de Muziekkaravaan. In another incident, he was accused of assaulting The Voice of Holland contestant Jill Helena in the Amsterdamse Bos.

On 12 July 2024, Bouali was convicted on one count of rape for the incident in Heiloo and an additional count of attempted rape, and sentenced to two years in prison. Both the defense and the prosecution indicated that they would appeal against the sentence. A preliminary hearing was held at the Amsterdam Court of Appeal on 17 April 2025 and the case against Bouali continued in 2026. Bouali lost his appeal on 7 May 2026, with the court calling his repeated denial "totally unacceptable". One conviction was changed from a count of sexual assault to a count of rape, increasing his sentence from two years in prison to three years in prison.

Discography Albums

Singles YearSinglePeak positionsAlbum NEDDutch Top 40 NEDSingle Top 100 2003"Waar gaat dit heen?"(with Karima)Tip 19572004"Ik ben je zat"(feat. Brace)32"Wat zou je doen"(with Marco Borsato)112005"Leipe mocro flavour"(feat. Yes-R & Brace)22"Wat zullen we drinken (7 dagen lang)"(with Bots)-982006"Rampeneren"(feat. Yes-R & The Partysquad)46"Wij houden van Oranje (2006)"(feat. André Hazes )22"Zomervibe"2850Till morning"(feat Ziggy)38422007"Dit gaat fout"(feat. Gio)2023"Je weet zelluf"(with The Opposites)-59"Groupie love"(feat. Yes-R, Gio & Darryl)932008"Baas"(with Sjaak)-192009"Me boy"(with Yes-R & Lange Frans)Tip 11-2011"Troubadour 2011"(with Kaiser)-50"Rosamunde 2011"(with Yes-R & Brownie Dutch)387"Summertime"(feat. Brace & the Sleepless)Tip 16202015"Terwijl jullie nog bij me zijn"(feat. Ruben Annink)324"Wanneer gaan we weer naar huis?"(feat. Glen Faria)-57"Gekke kleine jongen"(feat. Glen Faria)-202017"Glimp van de duivel"(feat. Nielson)2894"Ik ga weg"(with Boef)-5"Voy a Bailar"(feat. Boef, Rolf Sanchez & RedOne)917"Obesitas"(with Mula B feat. Dopebwoy)-58"Paranoia"(with Glades, Mula B feat. Lijpe)--2018"Niet verwacht"(with Lijpe & Ismo)-70"Bentayga"Tip 2-"Amsterdam Marrakech"(feat. Ahmed Chawki, Soufiane Eddyani & Brahim Darri)-71"Dana"(with Cheb Rayan, R3HAB feat. Numidia )Tip 1042"Meli meli"(with Numidia feat. Ronnie Flex)Tip 46"Spectakel"(feat. Boef & Ronnie Flex)-55"Waar Ben jij Nou"(feat. Jim van der Zee)--2019"Sneaky Money"(featuring Chivv & Boef)-182020"Anderhalf"(featuring Poke and Judeska)27 5

Featured in YearSinglePeak positionsAlbum NEDDutch Top 40 NEDSingle Top 100 BEL(Fl)2005"Hartendief"(Brace feat. Ali B)75-"Het kind"(Brace feat. Ali B & J-Rock)3835-2006"Ghetto (remix)"(Akon feat. Ali B & Yes-R)32-"Hard to Get"(Gio feat. Ali B, Party Squad & Ambush)Tip 441-"De leipe Bauer flavour"(Frans Bauer feat. Ali B & Lange Frans)-14-2008"Eeyeeyo"(Darryl feat. Ali B, Soumia & Rio)2910-2013"Koningslied"(Nationaal Comité Inhuldiging featuring various artists including Ali B)2141"Muziek"(Marco Borsato feat. Bag2Bank & Ali B)91Tip 82017"Ego"(Mula B feat. Ali B)-77-"Money voor mij"(Kosso feat. Ali B & Boef)-74-2018"Slow down"(Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike x Quintino feat. Boef, Ronnie Flex, Ali B & I Am Aisha)184-"Willie"(Oualid feat. Ali B, MocroManiac & Kippie)-80-

Awards and nominations