The Reintroduction of Maimouna Youssef aka Mumu Fresh

September 27, 2018 12:38 PM

Maimouna Youssef aka Mumu Fresh is an artist that any fan of gospel, jazz, soul and hip-hop needs to know. The Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter and emcee is often playing a supporting vocalist role for The Roots, Femi Kuti, Common (and previously on NPR Tiny Desk) and many other big names in music. However, judging by her recent NPR Tiny Desk appearance, her talent definitely stands on its own. Want some more? Great! She has posted more than a dozen solo and group releases on Bandcamp.

And there's so much more on YouTube -- in addition to her own account, here is Mumu Fresh Tackling The 5 Fingers of Death Freestyle, from her visit to The 5 Fingers of Death with DJ Dummy and Julian Lennon (43 minutes), and Maimouna Youssef: Mixing soul music and social activism (25 minutes) for Al Jazeera English's The Stream, where she talks about her layered personal and musical history, learning Gospel, spirituals and Choctaw and Cherokee songs from her grandmother, while her parents and neighbors in Baltimore raised her with Muslim traditions and practices, and it all comes out in her music.

With the introduction of each of your albums and songs, I feel like I’m seeing different sides of your artistry. “You Ain’t Hard” and “Tell My Story” introduced me to the B-more chick who sits on stoops and can’t stand Neo-Soul. While your EP “Journey Home,” which paid homage to your Native American ancestry, sounds like Native gospel music! You’re soulful, but your sound isn’t limited to hip hop, R&B or even jazz.

A brief overview from Griots Republic the opening to a short interview with Maimouna.

posted by filthy light thief (2 comments total)

Had never heard of her music. A great weekend of exploring ahead. Thank you!
posted by greenhornet at 5:44 AM on September 28, 2018

She's in downtown la tomorrow.
posted by rdr at 6:46 AM on September 28, 2018 [1 favorite]