Maimouna ‘Mumu Fresh’ Youssef
Davey D on Monday, Jun. 25th
Baltimore native Maimouna Youssef is a breath of fresh air at a time when far too many musicians would rather be reality TV stars, or over-the-top controversial figures, than artists.
Because Maimouna who is best known via her nickname Mumu Fresh, stays focused on exploring and highlighting her art, there are many who are reading this who have never heard of her. It’s time to get familiar because the sista is no joke.
First you should know she’s a songwriter and producer. Yes, she gets busy behind the boards. Also, she’s a dope singer with a soulful, angelic voice.
The producer, songwriter and emcee has been nominated for a Grammy for her contribution on the song Don’t Feel Right by the Roots.
Over the years Mumu Fresh has performed and worked with everyone from Nas to Talib Kweli to Big Daddy Kane, Jill Scott, Mos Def, Eryka Badu, Zap Mama, dead prez, and Cody Chestnut to name a few. On top of all that Maimouna, ghostwrites for quite a few folks. She’s definitely well respected and sought out by her peers.
What really shines about this sista is the fact that she comes hard on the cultural and political tip. She doesn’t preach or get all up in your grill telling you how you need to act or what and who you should believe or follow, but her presence is strongly rooted in the tradition of revolution and freedom fighting. You hear that in songs like title track featuring Zap Mama on The Blooming album or in tracks like Wake Up, which takes on Monsanto.
The fact that Maimouna has remained independent by choice speaks volumes about where her head is at. In our interview featured below, she talks about the importance of positioning oneself to have true artistic freedom..With respect to her music, it goes beyond way beyond cheap sloganeering. It’s nurturing for both the mind and soul and defies all industry labeling limitation. On her new album The Blooming, you have songs that are rap, songs that are bluesy, and others that funk oriented. Mumu says it’s all Black music, and as an artist she goes deep and takes us on an incredible journey through all types of musical genres connected to the African diaspora.
Listen to our Breakdown FM/All Day Play interview with Maimouna Youssef HERE
