Baltimore native Maimouna Youssef is no rookie when it comes to music. The starlet has been singing songs, writing lyrics and spitting rhymes for the majority of her life. After the 2007 Grammy nomination with The Roots for the song “Don’t Feel Right” and creating her first solo EP Black Magic Woman in 2011, Youssef is ready to reintroduce herself in a major way.
Her mixtape The Reintroduction of Mumu Fresh—an alias she got while touring with The Roots—has a fresh take on the political and social issues of today while giving listeners insight on Youssef’s personality. “I am a person who loves to laugh,” Youssef told us. “This mixtape, you’ll get to see the humorous side of me, the wit, and definitely the emcee.”
When translated, Maimouna means one who is favored by destiny, and after hearing her melodic voice it is clear that she was born to sing. Her music cannot be solely be placed in genres like hip hop or soul. Instead, she defines it as progressive black music and invites her fans to experience all the different layers of her work. “You’ve got to listen to my music in its entirety,” she says. “I’m a panoramic, you can’t see in me in a 3×5.”
Flip through to see why Maimouna Youssef a.k.a. Mumu Fresh is NEXT.
Photo Courtesy of the Artist
