Playing Carnegie Hall before he turned 14, Mwalim began his career in the 1980's, while attending Music & Art High School. Hanging out in the fabled 251 West 3oth Street music building led to doing session work at Planet Studios and Rogue studios; later doing session work at Jazzy Jay Recording Studios when it was located in the Bronx. Nicknamed "The String Guy" for adding violin, viola and cello parts to songs, he also played keyboard on a number of early hip-hop, r&B and dance music recordings in New York City and eventually Boston, MA.
Mwalim came into his own as a producer, arranger and remix artist, lending his talents to projects by a myriad of major and independent labels and artists before emerging as a solo soul artist in the late 1990s in the east coast small club circuit. As an underground soul artist, his style and sound was part of the foundation for the 'neo-soul' trend. A mentor to many up and coming artists, he is considered the 'Godfather of the South Coast Soul Movement' (referring to the Southern region of New England).
Winner of the 'Best Male Jazz Artist' category at the 2010 and 2012 New England Urban Music Awards, Mwalim has opened for and/or performed with Musiq, The Four Tops, Angie Stone, The P-Funk All-Stars, The Last Poets, KRS –ONE, and N’Dambi. His CD, “The Liberation Sessions” (Liberation Music – MGM) scored the club hit, DEM BIG GIRLS and earned multiple top nominations from the Urban Music Awards as well as two Top nominations from the 2010 and 2011 Native American Music Awards (NAMMYs). After a stint at a major label as an artist and producer, Mwalim helped form iberation Music - MGM in 2007, launching their first release in 2008; the critically acclaimed "Sketches of a Neighborhood" by The Bass Mint Bros.
For more information, visit www.mwalim.com
Follow Mwalim DaPhunkeeProfessor on Twitter @mwalim
