Ali Shaheed Muhammad


Ali Shaheed Muhammad is an American hip hop DJ, record producer, rapper and bass guitarist, best known as a member of A Tribe Called Quest. With Q-Tip and Phife Dawg, the group released five studio albums from 1990 to 1998 before disbanding; We [Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service|their final album] was released in 2016. He was also a member of the R&B group Lucy Pearl, and is known in recent years for his jazz collaborations with producer Adrian Younge.

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

;1991

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

  • "Check the Rhime "
;1992

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

;1993

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

;1994

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

  • "Don't Give Up"

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

  • "What Can I Do "

    Simple E - ''Colouz Uv Sound''

  • "Neck Work"

    [Da Bush Babees] - ''Ambushed">Ambushed (album)">Ambushed''

  • "We Run Things "
;1995

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

;1997

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

  • "Cool Relax "
;1998

Various artists - ''Ride'' (soundtrack)">Ride (soundtrack)">''Ride'' (soundtrack)

  • "Never Say Goodbye" - Adriana Evans and Phife Dawg
;1999

[Angie Stone] - ''Black Diamond">Black Diamond (Angie Stone album)">Black Diamond''

;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
- Love in the Future
  • "Wanna Be Loved"

    2016

[The Weeknd] - ''Starboy''">Starboy (album)">''Starboy''

  • "Sidewalks"