Muhsinah
Encyclopedia
Muhsinah is an independent singer/songwriter, producer, composer and arranger.
She cites Chick Corea
, Herbie Hancock
, Quincy Jones
, Nirvana
and Chopin as among her influences.
and of Howard University
, Muhsinah's self-produced EP day.break 2.0 (2008) was described by XLR8R
magazine as "a beautiful smack in the face of mainstream hip-hop and R&B convention".
Though a small scale independent release, it attracted the attention of rappers Common as well as Phonte
of Little Brother/The Foreign Exchange, both of whom she later recorded with, appearing on Common's Universal Mind Control and The Foreign Exchange's Leave It All Behind.
The Washington Post has written of her as being "part of a new breed of young soul rebels who seamlessly meld electronic beats with layers of jazzy arrangements and unorthodox song structure", and as "equally at home chopping loops and tapping pads on an Akai MPC as she is behind a piano keyboard".
Muhsinah was acknowledged by Radiohead frontman, Thom Yorke
, on their website Dead Air Space
on March 15, 2010 when he listed the song, "Lose My Fuse (Produced By Flying Lotus
)" among his favorites at the time the post was published.
She cites Chick Corea
Chick Corea
Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, and composer.Many of his compositions are considered jazz standards. As a member of Miles Davis' band in the 1960s, he participated in the birth of the electric jazz fusion movement. In the 1970s he formed Return to Forever...
, Herbie Hancock
Herbie Hancock
Herbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet," Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound...
, Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
, Nirvana
Nirvana
Nirvāṇa ; ) is a central concept in Indian religions. In sramanic thought, it is the state of being free from suffering. In Hindu philosophy, it is the union with the Supreme being through moksha...
and Chopin as among her influences.
Musical career
A graduate of the Duke Ellington School of the ArtsDuke Ellington School of the Arts
The Duke Ellington School of the Arts is a high school located at 35th Street and R Street, Northwest, Washington, D.C., and dedicated to arts education. One of the high schools of the District of Columbia Public School system, it is named for the American jazz bandleader and composer Edward...
and of Howard University
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
, Muhsinah's self-produced EP day.break 2.0 (2008) was described by XLR8R
XLR8R
XLR8R is a magazine and website thatcovers music, culture, style, and technology. It was founded as anewsprint ‘zine in 1993 by publisher Andrew Smith in Seattle; themagazine currently has offices in San Francisco and New York...
magazine as "a beautiful smack in the face of mainstream hip-hop and R&B convention".
Though a small scale independent release, it attracted the attention of rappers Common as well as Phonte
Phonte
Phonte Coleman, better known as Phonte, is a Grammy nominated American rapper, formerly of the now defunct North Carolina trio Little Brother and one-half of the duo The Foreign Exchange. He has also recorded R&B-flavored output as a singer...
of Little Brother/The Foreign Exchange, both of whom she later recorded with, appearing on Common's Universal Mind Control and The Foreign Exchange's Leave It All Behind.
The Washington Post has written of her as being "part of a new breed of young soul rebels who seamlessly meld electronic beats with layers of jazzy arrangements and unorthodox song structure", and as "equally at home chopping loops and tapping pads on an Akai MPC as she is behind a piano keyboard".
Muhsinah was acknowledged by Radiohead frontman, Thom Yorke
Thom Yorke
Thomas "Thom" Edward Yorke is an English musician who is the lead vocalist and principal songwriter for Radiohead. He mainly plays guitar and piano, but he has also played drums and bass guitar...
, on their website Dead Air Space
Dead air space
Dead air space may refer to:*Dead Air Space, a blog maintained by the members of the band Radiohead*The spaces between panes of glass in insulated glazing...
on March 15, 2010 when he listed the song, "Lose My Fuse (Produced By Flying Lotus
Flying Lotus
Flying Lotus, is an experimental multi-genre music producer from Winnetka, California. His debut album, 1983, was released on Plug Research Records in 2006...
)" among his favorites at the time the post was published.
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Grammy Awards | Best Urban/Alternative Performance | |
Extended plays
| Year | Album Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | "day.break" (US) / "pre.lude" (JP) | Rxlngr / Circulations |
| 2008 | "The Oscillations: Sine" | Rxlngr - (Digital Only) |
| 2009 | "The Oscillations: Triangle" | Rxlngr - (Digital Only) |
Production
- Ruff Drafts Volume 1 (Track: 3) - JapaNUBIA Musik 2006
- Getback (Track: 6/7 Interlude ) - ABB 2007
- day.break (Tracks: All) - Rxlngr 2007
- pre.lude (Tracks: All) - Circulations 2008
- Higher Ground (Track: 3) - Quiet Power Productions 2008
- The Awakening (Track: 3) - JapaNUBIA Musik 2008
- Border Breaker (Tracks: 1,3,5) - Ghetto Falsetto 2009
- The Oscillations:Sine (Tracks: All) - Rxlngr 2009
- The Oscillations:Triangle (Tracks: All except 2,4,5 & 7) - Rxlngr 2009
Guest Appearances
- Ruff Drafts Volume 1 (Tracks: 3) - JapaNUBIA Musik 2006
- I Predict A Riot (Tracks: 1 & 18) - Soulspasm Records, Inc. 2007
- Cuba After Market (Tracks: 3 & 13 ) - Humble Monarch Music/Rawkus 50 2007
- Producer No. 1 (Track: 7) - Fat City Records 2007
- Suite903 No.15 (CD#2 Track: 16) - Fader Label 2007
- Blunt Park Sessions (413) (Track: 2 ) - Rude Squire/Rawkus 50 2007
- Higher Ground (Track: 3) - Quiet Power Productions 2008
- Leave It All Behind (Tracks: 1, 5 & 10) - Hard Boiled 2008
- Down To You 12" (Track: B1) - Planetgroove 2008
- Universal Mind ControlUniversal Mind Control-Chart positions:In its first week, Universal Mind Control sold 81,663 in the United States.As of December 31, 2008, the album has sold 211,781.- Release history :-External links:* at Metacritic*...
(Track: 7) - G.O.O.D/Geffen 2008 - Arale 01 (Are In Be) - Arale.tv 2009
- Odd Summer EP (Track: 8) - Oddisee Music 2009
- Adroit Adventures 12" (Track: A2) - Ubiquity 2009
- Kilawatt: V2 (Track: 1) - Kilawatt Music Limited 2010
External links
- Official website
- Muhsinah on Facebook
- "Construction", official Muhsinah video on Rxlngr Incorporated' channel @ vimeo.com]
- "Daykeeper" with The Foreign Exchange, video @ muhsinah.com]
- Radiohead