If you like compelling vocals and music with a purpose, than be sure to check out and support Maimouna Youssef before November 1st.
Independent artist, activist, teacher and mother Maimouna Youssef is raising money to fund her studio album #TheMuvement and her first worldwide tour, the Mumu Fresh World Tour. She has been seen sharing the stage with some of hip-hop’s most prolific artists such as The Roots, Erykah Badu, Nas, Common, Jill Scott and more. Her Kickstarter campaign will raise money to reach markets in Europe (Germany, UK, France, etc.), South Africa, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Australia, Japan, and many others. Since receiving her Grammy nomination with The Roots in 2007 for their hit, “Don’t Feel Right,” Maimouna has made waves in the music scene with three independent projects: The Black Magic Woman EP (2011), her first full length studio album, The Blooming (2011), and her latest project, The Reintroduction of Mumu Fresh(2014). However, surviving as an independent artist without the support of a record label is challenging, so the artist took to Kickstarter to garner the funding & support she needs to spread her message & beautiful voice. As with all blessed individuals full of faith & God, Maimouna has built a loyal following in the DMV (DC, Maryland and Virginia) and abroad off the strength of her music and captivating stage performances alone.
I was first introduced to the talented Maimouna Youssef during my stint in local news as an audio mixer, where she performed live during the stations morning news show. In 2002, she competed, performed and won WBFF Fox45’s first ‘Baltimore Idol‘ winning her an opportunity to fly out to Los Angeles to audition for the first season of American Idol. At the time, this high school senior captivated the entire control room and studio with her powerful vocals. I immediately became a fan and had the pleasure of working with her capturing various performances around Baltimore, Maryland. I even interviewed Maimouna Youssef and her cousin Omari Foreman, which made up the duo Cirius B, for a local spoken word mini-series ‘B-More Poetic‘ that I directed & produced. Since then I have followed her success and make sure to purchase each album and mixtape she releases.
She’s known for remaking popular Top 40 songs into more consciously & afrocentric lyrics that usually outshine the original songwriters and performers: