Ali Shaheed Muhammad

Early life

Muhammad was born in Brooklyn, New York City, and was raised in the Bedford–Stuyvesant neighborhood. He began to DJ at age eight, and began programming music at age 13. 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. Shortly thereafter, Phife Dawg and Jarobi White joined the duo, forming the hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest. Muhammad is a Muslim.

Career

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. Since then Muhammad and Younge have collaborated to co-produce the soundtrack for both seasons of the Luke Cage TV series, and they have toured together since 2018 as the Midnight Hour, releasing an album by the same name.

In 2019, Muhammad contributed to Saadiq's fifth album, Jimmy Lee.

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. 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.

Radio show

In 2013, Muhammad began co-hosting the Microphone Check radio show, which ran on NPR until 2016, and on Spotify until 2019.

Discography

Studio albums

• Shaheedullah and Stereotypes (2004)

with Lucy Pearl

• Lucy Pearl (2000)

with Adrian Younge

• Luke Cage (Original Soundtrack Album) (2016)
• Luke Cage: Season 2 (Original Soundtrack Album) (2018)
• The Midnight Hour (as The Midnight Hour) (2018)
• Jazz Is Dead 001 (2020)
• Roy Ayers JID002 (2020)
• Marcos Valle JID003 (2020)
• Azymuth JID004 (2020)
• Doug Carn JID005 (2020)
• Gary Bartz JID006 (2021)
• João Donato JID007 (2021)
• Brian Jackson JID008 (2021)
• Instrumentals JID009 (2021)
• Remixes JID010 (2021)
• Jazz is Dead 011 (2022)
• Jean Carne JID012 (2022)
• Katalyst JID013 (2022)
• Henry Franklin JID014 (2022)
• Garret Saracho JID015 (2022)
• Phil Ranelin and Wendell Harrison JID016 (2023)
• Lonnie Liston Smith JID017 (2023)
• Tony Allen JID018 (2023)
• Instrumentals JID019 (2023)
• Remixes JID020 (2023)

Selected solo production credits

;1991

[[A Tribe Called Quest]] - [[Check the Rhime]] 12"

• "Check the Rhime (Mr. Muhammad's Mix)"

;1992

[[Fu-Schnickens]] - ''[[F.U. Don't Take It Personal]]''

• "True Fuschnick"
• "Heavenly Father"
• "La Schmoove" (feat. Phife Dawg)

Fu-Schnickens - ''True Fuschnick'' 12"

• "True Fuschnick (Shaheed's Fix)"

[[Boogie Down Productions]] - We in There 12"

• "We in There (Remix)"

;1993

[[Greg Osby]] - ''3-D Lifestyles''

• "Raise"
• "Hardcopy"
• "Flow to the Underculture"

[[Shaquille O'Neal]] - ''[[Shaq Diesel]]''

• "Where Ya At?" (feat. Phife Dawg)

[[Young MC]] - ''[[What's the Flavor?]]''

• "We Can Do This"
• "Foulin'"
• "Bob Your Head"
• "Open Up the Door (and Let Me In)"

;1994

[[Gil Scott-Heron]] - ''Spirits''

• "Don't Give Up"

[[Ice Cube]] - What Can I Do? 12"

• "What Can I Do (Eastside Mix)"

Simple E - ''Colouz Uv Sound''

• "Neck Work"

[[Da Bush Babees]] - ''[[Ambushed (album)|Ambushed]]''

• "We Run Things (It's Like That)"

;1995

[[Faith Evans]] - [[You Used to Love Me]] 12"

• "You Used to Love Me (Ali Mix)"

[[D'Angelo]] - ''[[Brown Sugar (D'Angelo album)|Brown Sugar]]''

• "Brown Sugar" {co-produced by D'Angelo}

[[Naughty by Nature]] - [[Feel Me Flow]] 12"

• "Feel Me Flow (Ali Shaheed Muhammad Mix)"

Stepchild - Hangin' Around (Sicka Gettin' Treated) 12"

• "Hangin' Around (Sicka Gettin' Treated) [Remix]"

;1997

[[Jon B.]] - I Do (Watcha Say Boo) 12"

• "Cool Relax (Remix)"

;1998

Various artists - [[Ride (soundtrack)|''Ride'' (soundtrack)]]

• "Never Say Goodbye" - Adriana Evans and Phife Dawg

;1999

[[Angie Stone]] - ''[[Black Diamond (Angie Stone album)|Black Diamond]]''

• "Bone 2 Pic (With U)"

[[Shola Ama]] - ''[[In Return (Shola Ama album)|In Return]]''

• "Lovely Affair"

[[Eric Benét]] - ''[[A Day in the Life (Eric Benét album)|A Day in the Life]]''

• "That's Just My Way"
• "Lamentation"
• "Why You Follow Me"

[[Scritti Politti]] - ''Tinseltown to the Boogiedown: The Variations''

• "Tinseltown to the Boogiedown (Ali Shaheed Variation)"

Various artists - [[The PJs (soundtrack)|''The PJs'' (soundtrack)]]

• "What I Am" - Sy Smith

[[Mos Def]] - ''[[Black on Both Sides]]''

• "Got"

;2000

[[Laurneá Wilkerson]] - ''II''

• "Keep Your Head Up"
• "Groovin'"
• "She's Hurtin'"

;2001

[[Angie Stone]] - ''[[Mahogany Soul]]''

• "What U Dyin' For"

2004

[[Toshinobu Kubota]] - ''Time to Share''

• "Neva Satisfied"

2013

John Legend - Love in the Future

• "Wanna Be Loved"

2016

[[The Weeknd]] - [[Starboy (album)|''Starboy'']]

• "Sidewalks" {produced with Bobby Raps & Doc McKinney}

References

References

1. Torres, Andre. [https://linearlabsmusic.com/artist/ali-shaheed-muhammad/ "Ali Shaheed Muhammad – About"] {{Webarchive. link. (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.")
2. Madden, Sidney. (2015-08-11). "Happy Birthday, Ali Shaheed Muhammad! - XXL".
3. "A Tribe Called Quest – Verses From the Abstract".
4. "Q-Tip – Red Bull Music Academy". Red Bull Music Academy.
5. (December 2017)
6. (September 13, 2019). "The Midnight Hour is giving a jazzy nod to soul and hip-hop in upcoming Charlotte performance".
7. Rys, Dan. (July 10, 2013). "Adrian Younge Talks New Concept Album With Souls Of Mischief, Narrated By Ali Shaheed Muhammad – XXL".
8. (October 7, 2016). "Luke Cage (Original Soundtrack Album) by Various Artists".
9. "Luke Cage season 2 soundtrack revealed: who are the musical acts in Netflix's Marvel series?".
10. (July 18, 2018). "The Midnight Hour: Tiny Desk Concert".
11. "Ali Shaheed Muhammad / Adrian Younge: The Midnight Hour".
12. Strauss, Matthew. (June 7, 2019). "Raphael Saadiq Announces Jimmy Lee, First New Album in Eight Years".
13. "Ali Shaheed Muhammad / Adrian Younge – Jazz Is Dead 001".
14. "Ali Shaheed Muhammad – Discography".
15. (22 April 2024). "2024 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees".
16. Janssen, Mike. (September 30, 2016). "Reshuffling of NPR Music includes farewell to 'Microphone Check' team".
17. (February 26, 2019). "Wrap Up Episode".
18. (June 2013). "About Microphone Check".
19. "genius".
20. "genius".