Today we’d like to introduce you to Mustapha Muhammad.
Alright, thank you for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us how you got started?
As a kid, I always knew music was my God-given talent; I used to sit in the living room and play this computer game. I can’t remember the name, but it was a children’s game that allowed you to drag and drop the sound of different instruments. You could combine them and play them back. I think I was around 6 years old at the time. I used to listen to rappers I knew nobody had heard of, and I would go to school and recite their lyrics as if they were mine. Later on down the line, I started playing with my words, eventually leading to writing my own music.
In 5th grade, I recorded my first song in a booth at an incredible pizza with my friend, who is no longer here. Before I knew about type beats and finding producers, I would rap over full recorded songs at a low volume with my Lil twist on them. I taught myself to flow with the beat from all angles by counting syllables on my fingers.
When I turned 13, I started recording full-length songs on an app called “Bandlab.” I learned the basics of mixing and mastering from there and worked my way up to where I am now; I write and record all of my music and look forward to learning to make beats. I can have fun and convey a message to my listeners with clever delivery and melody. I came a long way from just playing around with words.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been smooth?
If that makes sense, I’ll say it’s been a smooth road in my head. I heard somebody say, “Wanna make god laugh? Tell them your plans”. I thought it was just me, but I know nothing goes smoothly in life for anybody. All I can do is enjoy the ride. I can’t explain the number of losses I’ve taken with music. Besides losing time practicing and studying my craft, I also lost a lot of money. I’ve often spent thousands of dollars on beats, videos, artwork, and promotion. Vice versa, it’s been plenty of times when I barely spent anything on a project, whether it was published rightfully or not, and my supporters loved it. And the outcome isn’t what I predicted.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a self-taught songwriter and audio engineer. On the creative side of things, I specialize in writing catchy, relatable songs with solid hooks. And on the engineering side, I specialize in recording and mixing R&B, and Hip Hop styled vocals.
How do you define success?
I define success as making a stable living by doing what I love most.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/muofficialpage
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCMRPX_FUrYjFmRH4lPn8VcQ
- SoundCloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/Fwe8vSEmKgWhuBns7
