Ali Shaheed Muhammad

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Ali Shaheed Muhammad

| image = Ali Shaheed Muhammad 2008.jpg

| landscape = yes

| caption = Muhammad performing in 2008

| alias = Mr. Muhammad

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1970|8|11}}

| birth_place = Brooklyn, New York City, U.S.Torres, Andre. [https://linearlabsmusic.com/artist/ali-shaheed-muhammad/ "Ali Shaheed Muhammad – About"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123163950/https://linearlabsmusic.com/artist/ali-shaheed-muhammad/ |date=January 23, 2021 }}, 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."

| genre = {{hlist|East Coast hip hop| soul| jazz}}

| occupation = {{hlist|Disc jockey|record producer|rapper|songwriter}}

| years_active = 1985–present

| label = {{hlist|Garden Seeker Productions|Jazz Is Dead}}

| past_member_of = {{hlist|A Tribe Called Quest|Lucy Pearl|The Ummah}}

| website = {{URL|alishaheed.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. 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. He was also a member of the R&B group Lucy Pearl, and is known in recent years for his jazz collaborations with producer Adrian Younge.

Early life

Muhammad was born in Brooklyn, New York City, and was raised in the Bedford–Stuyvesant neighborhood.{{Cite web |last=Madden |first=Sidney|date=2015-08-11 |title=Happy Birthday, Ali Shaheed Muhammad! - XXL |url=https://www.xxlmag.com/happy-birthday-ali-shaheed-muhammad/ |access-date=2024-10-01 |website=XXL Mag |language=en}} He began to DJ at age eight, and began programming music at age 13.Del F. Cowie {{cite web|url=http://www.exclaim.ca/articles/multiarticlesub.aspx?csid1=118&csid2=9&fid1=29398 |title=A Tribe Called Quest – Verses From the Abstract|access-date=September 5, 2024 |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080416215919/http://www.exclaim.ca/articles/multiarticlesub.aspx?csid1=118&csid2=9&fid1=29398 |archive-date=April 16, 2008 }} Exclaim! February 2008 He befriended Q-Tip as a freshman at Murry Bergtraum High School in Manhattan, and in 1985, they began making demos together, using recording equipment provided by Muhammad's uncle.{{cite web |url=http://www.redbullmusicacademy.com/lectures/q-tip |title=Q-Tip – Red Bull Music Academy |work=Red Bull Music Academy |access-date=September 5, 2024}} Shortly thereafter, Phife Dawg and Jarobi White joined the duo, forming the hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest. Muhammad is a Muslim.[http://www.muslimhiphop.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=2342]{{dead link|date=December 2017|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}

Career

File:Ali shaheed muhammad.jpg in New York City in 2006]]

Together with Jay Dee and Q-Tip, Muhammad formed the music-production collective the Ummah.

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. On October 12, 2004, he released his debut solo album, Shaheedullah and Stereotypes.

In 2013, Muhammad moved to Los Angeles to work with producer Adrian Younge on the Souls of Mischief album There Is Only Now, as the album's narrator.{{cite web|title=The Midnight Hour is giving a jazzy nod to soul and hip-hop in upcoming Charlotte performance|url=https://qcitymetro.com/2019/09/13/the-midnight-hour-is-giving-a-jazzy-nod-to-soul-and-hip-hop-in-upcoming-charlotte-performance/|access-date=August 14, 2020|website=QCityMetro|date=September 13, 2019 }}{{Cite web|last=Rys|first=Dan|title=Adrian Younge Talks New Concept Album With Souls Of Mischief, Narrated By Ali Shaheed Muhammad – XXL|url=https://www.xxlmag.com/adrian-younge-talks-new-concept-album-with-souls-of-mischief-narrated-by-ali-shaheed-muhammad/|access-date=June 14, 2020|website=XXL Mag|date=July 10, 2013 |language=en}} Since then Muhammad and Younge have collaborated to co-produce the soundtrack for both seasons of the Luke Cage TV series,{{cite web|url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/luke-cage-original-soundtrack/1160979391|title=Luke Cage (Original Soundtrack Album) by Various Artists|date=October 7, 2016|website=iTunes|access-date=July 2, 2018}}{{Cite web|title=Luke Cage season 2 soundtrack revealed: who are the musical acts in Netflix's Marvel series?|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/news/on-demand/2019-03-15/luke-cage-season-2-soundtrack-music-acts-artists-netflix/|access-date=June 14, 2020|website=Radio Times|language=en}} and they have toured together since 2018 as the Midnight Hour, releasing an album by the same name.{{Cite web|title=The Midnight Hour: Tiny Desk Concert|url=https://www.npr.org/2018/07/18/629744046/the-midnight-hour-tiny-desk-concert|access-date=June 14, 2020|website=NPR.org|date=July 18, 2018 |language=en|last1=Madden |first1=Sidney }}{{Cite web|title=Ali Shaheed Muhammad / Adrian Younge: The Midnight Hour|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/ali-shaheed-muhammad-adrian-younge-the-midnight-hour/|access-date=June 14, 2020|website=Pitchfork|language=en}}

In 2019, Muhammad contributed to Saadiq's fifth album, Jimmy Lee.{{cite magazine|last=Strauss|first=Matthew|date=June 7, 2019|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/raphael-saadiq-announces-jimmy-lee-first-new-album-in-eight-years/|title=Raphael Saadiq Announces Jimmy Lee, First New Album in Eight Years|magazine=Pitchfork|access-date=September 15, 2020}}

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.{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/jazz-is-dead-001-mw0003371342|title=Ali Shaheed Muhammad / Adrian Younge – Jazz Is Dead 001|website=AllMusic|access-date=September 7, 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ali-shaheed-muhammad-mn0000389128/discography|title=Ali Shaheed Muhammad – Discography|website=AllMusic|access-date=September 7, 2021}} Muhammad is the main bass guitarist for the project.

In 2024, Muhammad was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as a member of A Tribe Called Quest.{{cite web |title=2024 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees |url=https://rockhall.com/2024-inductees/ |website=Rock & Roll Hall of Fame |access-date=22 April 2024 |date=22 April 2024}}

Radio show

In 2013, Muhammad began co-hosting the Microphone Check radio show, which ran on NPR until 2016,{{Cite web|url=https://current.org/2016/09/reshuffling-of-npr-music-includes-farewell-to-microphone-check-team/|title=Reshuffling of NPR Music includes farewell to 'Microphone Check' team|first=Mike|last=Janssen|date=September 30, 2016|website=Current.org|access-date=August 11, 2024}} and on Spotify until 2019.{{Cite web|url=https://www.frannieandali.com/home/2019/3/27/wrap-up-episode|title=Wrap Up Episode|date=February 26, 2019|website=Frannieandali.com|access-date=August 11, 2024}}{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/blogs/microphonecheck/2013/08/29/216840663/about-microphone-check|title=About Microphone Check|website=Npr.org|date=June 2013 |access-date=July 2, 2018}}