Mustafa

Mustafa Ahmed better known by his stage names Mustafa the Poet and Mustafa, is a Canadian poet, singer, songwriter and filmmaker from Toronto, Ontario. He released his debut studio album When Smoke Rises in May 2021. The Toronto-based artist Mustafa Ahmed has been a promising observational poet since he was a boy. The son of Sudanese parents, recorded a spoken-word performance, “A Single Rose,” at the age of twelve, which revealed a child attuned to his community and acutely curious about the injustices he had witnessed.

Mustafa recognized that the arts could be a means toward a more effective dialogue, and he set out to give voice to silenced local minorities: young, Black, Muslim immigrants seeking space in a territorial city. Mustafa recognized that the arts could be a means toward a more effective dialogue, and he set out to give voice to silenced local minorities: young, Black, Muslim immigrants seeking space in a territorial city.

Mustafa’s lyrics are full of love for those he’s lost, and, in sharing their stories, he has found a method to safeguard their memories. His artistic debut came in the beginning of 2020, with “Stay Alive” (produced by James Blake and Frank Dukes), a somber expression of love as the antidote to street and gang violence. In a similar spirit, his second single “Air Forces” samples a Sudanese tribal chant and has Mustafa softly singing, “I wonder why God keeps us alive?” Both records float through themes of existentialism, mourning, and a poignant plea for peace.