Today, 23-year-old Muslim poet and songwriter Mustafa shares his new single and video, ’Air Forces’. Built around samples of a Sudanese tribal chant – a nod to his own heritage – while still existing within the framework of contemporary Western music, it’s a further exploration of a style Mustafa describes as “inner city folk music”. The accompanying video, directed by Kid. Studio, is a striking exploration of the intersection of these worlds: women practicing ayuuto in a digital world, Air Force 1’s being worn with kurtas and the mourning of a temporary departure that could turn permanent.
‘Air Forces’ follows the global success of ’Stay Alive,’ Mustafa’s debut single and video. ‘Stay Alive’ was met with the adoration of fellow artists, critics, and fans, serving as a near-perfect introduction to a vital and unique new voice in music. More recently, Mustafa shared a video directed by Nabil of a performance of a new song ‘Come Back’ alongside James Blake.
Mustafa was moved to release his own music following the loss of close friends to gun violence. Much of his music is addressed to those departed friends and to his Toronto neighborhood, Regent Park; a vehicle to honour and affirm the concerns of his community while providing sonic solace for those looking to make sense of their own loss. The video for ‘Stay Alive’ prominently features footage of Regent Park, one of the first housing projects in North America and one of the biggest redevelopment projects on the continent. Mustafa’s experience of seeing the blocks, community, and culture that raised him transform into something unrecognizable is a story that is playing out in neighborhoods across the world — the inner city from which his folk songs are born.
Listen to and watch ‘Air Forces’ above, and stay tuned for more from Mustafa soon.
