Ali Shaheed Muhammad

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ali Shaheed Muhammad
Muhammad performing in 2008
Muhammad performing in 2008
Background information
Also known asMr. Muhammad
Born (1970-08-11) August 11, 1970 (age 53)
OriginBedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.[1]
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Disc jockey
  • record producer
  • rapper
  • songwriter
Years active1985–present
Labels
Formerly of
Websitealishaheed.com

Ali Shaheed Muhammad (born August 11, 1970) is an American hip hop DJ, record producer, rapper and bass guitarist, best known as a member of A Tribe Called Quest.[1] With Q-Tip and Phife Dawg (and sometimes Jarobi White), the group released five studio albums from 1990 to 1998 before disbanding; their final album was released in 2016. A native of Brooklyn, New York, as of 2020, Muhammad lived in Los Angeles.[1][2]

Career[edit]

Muhammad speaking at Apple Fifth Avenue in New York City in 2006

Muhammad is a Muslim.[3] Together with Jay Dee and Q-Tip, he formed the music-production collective the Ummah.[1]

After A Tribe Called Quest disbanded, Muhammad formed the R&B supergroup Lucy Pearl with Dawn Robinson, formerly of En Vogue and Raphael Saadiq, formerly of Tony! Toni! Toné!, releasing one album in 2000.[1] On October 12, 2004, he released his debut solo album, Shaheedullah and Stereotypes.[1] Muhammad co-hosted the Microphone Check radio show, which ran on NPR until 2016,[4] and on Spotify until 2019[5].[6]

In 2013, Muhammad worked with producer Adrian Younge on the Souls of Mischief album There Is Only Now, as the album's narrator.[7] Since then Muhammad and Younge have collaborated to co-produce the soundtrack for both seasons of the Luke Cage TV series,[8][9] and they have toured together since 2018 as the Midnight Hour, releasing an album by the same name.[10][11]

In 2019, Muhammad contributed to Saadiq's fifth album, Jimmy Lee.[12]

In 2020, Muhammad and Younge launched the Jazz Is Dead album series, in which the two of them collaborate with jazz musicians. Album partners in this series have included Roy Ayers, Marcos Valle, Doug Carn, Gary Bartz, João Donato, and the trio Azymuth.[13][14] Muhammad is the main bass guitarist for the project.

Discography[edit]

Studio albums

with Lucy Pearl

with Adrian Younge

  • Luke Cage (Original Soundtrack Album) (2016)
  • Luke Cage: Season 2 (Original Soundtrack Album) (2018)
  • The Midnight Hour (as The Midnight Hour) (2018)
  • Jazz Is Dead 001 (2020)
  • Roy Ayers JID002 (2020)
  • Marcos Valle JID003 (2020)
  • Azymuth JID004 (2020)
  • Doug Carn JID005 (2020)
  • Gary Bartz JID006 (2021)
  • João Donato JID007 (2021)
  • Brian Jackson JID008 (2021)
  • Instrumentals JID009 (2021)
  • Remixes JID010 (2021)
  • Jazz is Dead 011 (2022)
  • Jean Carne JID012 (2022)
  • Katalyst JID013 (2022)
  • Henry Franklin JID014 (2022)
  • Garret Saracho JID015 (2022)
  • Phil Ranelin and Wendell Harrison JID016 (2023)
  • Lonnie Liston Smith JID017 (2023)
  • Tony Allen JID018 (2023)
  • Instrumentals JID019 (2023)
  • Remixes JID020 (2023)

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f Torres, Andre. "Ali Shaheed Muhammad – About" Archived January 23, 2021, at the Wayback Machine, Linear Labs, Accessed February 27, 2019. "The soft-spoken and contemplative Brooklyn native began a life of music at an early age, spending years DJing parties in his Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood before co-founding Tribe in 1985."
  2. ^ "The Midnight Hour is giving a jazzy nod to soul and hip-hop in upcoming Charlotte performance". QCityMetro. September 13, 2019. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  3. ^ [1][permanent dead link]
  4. ^ "Reshuffling of NPR Music includes farewell to 'Microphone Check' team".
  5. ^ "Wrap Up Episode".
  6. ^ "About Microphone Check". Npr.org. June 2013. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  7. ^ Rys, Dan. "Adrian Younge Talks New Concept Album With Souls Of Mischief, Narrated By Ali Shaheed Muhammad – XXL". XXL Mag. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  8. ^ "Luke Cage (Original Soundtrack Album) by Various Artists". Itunes.apple.com. October 7, 2016. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  9. ^ "Luke Cage season 2 soundtrack revealed: who are the musical acts in Netflix's Marvel series?". Radio Times. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  10. ^ Madden, Sidney (July 18, 2018). "The Midnight Hour: Tiny Desk Concert". NPR.org. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  11. ^ "Ali Shaheed Muhammad / Adrian Younge: The Midnight Hour". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  12. ^ Strauss, Matthew (June 7, 2019). "Raphael Saadiq Announces Jimmy Lee, First New Album in Eight Years". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  13. ^ "Ali Shaheed Muhammad / Adrian Younge – Jazz Is Dead 001". AllMusic. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
  14. ^ "Ali Shaheed Muhammad – Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved September 7, 2021.

External links[edit]