Mustafa The Poet is usually demolishing mics with eloquent spoken-word performances. For his latest work, he sings on "Attention" from The Weeknd's new album, a song he co-wrote. Just like the album's other featured artists like A Tribe Called Quest's DJ Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Future, Kendrick Lamar, Daft Punk, Lana Del Rey, Starrah, and Metro Boomin, 20-year-old Mustafa has some impressive accolades outside of his Starboy contribution.
Born to Sudanese parents, Mustafa began to captivate audiences with awe-inspiring poetry as a mindful pre-teen. He crafted raw and hopeful pieces inspired by his upbringing in North America's first public housing building. In 7th grade, he performed an original piece, "A Single Rose", at Nelson Mandela Park Public school. Despite his age, Mustafa was able to touch on on the solemn reality of his hometown, located in Toronto's rough Regent Park area. The piece got a lot of attention, earning him high praises at Toronto's Hot Docs Festival in 2009.
As a teen, Mustafa continued using his voice. In 2012, he compiled seven tracks of empowering poetry into a self-titled EP. Committed to his craft, the young wordsmith went on to open up for Jhene Aiko at Manifesto's Live concert in September 2013. He beams with special perspective and talent, and we're very excited to see what he'll do next.
Purchase Mustafa's self-titled EP here, and follow him on Twitter.
