Mustafa’s album is a love letter to anyone who has experienced loss
By: Sania Ali
Mustafathepoet/Instagram
Mustafa Ahmed, better known as Mustafa the Poet, is no stranger to garnering attention for his writing.
At the age of 12, Mustafa's poem “A Single Rose” heartbreakingly encapsulated the inequality and injustices faced in Africa and his home in Regent Park, Toronto — one of Canada's oldest and largest housing projects. The poem received a standing ovation at the Hot Docs film festival, his teacher at the time having trouble believing that a seventh-grader had written the moving poem.
"Remember, last year I was 11, and I'm not 7. Don't let me be the single rose in this run-down park," his poem reads.
Since then, Mustafa continued to write. Now 25, he has songwriting credits for Camilla Cabello, Justin Bieber, SAFE and The Weeknd, to name a few. The songs he co-writes often dabble in the topic of unrequited love, but Mustafa's works continue to highlight gun violence, community and loss. In 2016, he was appointed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's youth advisory council to convey policies and issues that are important to youth.
Although Mustafa immersed himself into the music industry early on, he had trouble releasing his works.
"I thought it would be easy. I can sing, I can write poetry, I can create a melody. So why can't I bring it all together?" he told GQ.
Mustafa's poetry extended into folk music, a genre that didn't commonly represent Black Muslim artists.
Aqsa Hassan, a second-year early childhood studies student at X University, became familiar with Mustafa's work when she picked up his vocals on The Weeknd's song "Attention."
As a Muslim person of colour, Hassan views Mustafa's work as a reminder that God is always there.
"Muslim artists to look up to is rare and when I discovered him, that is the main thing that appealed to me," she says. "How open he was and still is about Islam and the struggle to maintain your faith."
Hassan says that Mustafa is a huge inspiration, and his work is relatable, giving her hope that she'll be able to greater connect with God one day.
Growing up in Regent Park, Mustafa co-founded the hip-hop group Halal Gang alongside musicians and friends Puffy L'z, SAFE, and Smoke Dawg — the inspiration behind Mustafa's debut album When Smoke Rises, dedicated to Smoke Dawg, who was shot dead in 2018.
He tells GQ, "The loss was perhaps preventing me from exploring any other experiences. I wanted to honour my friends' passing and examine their transition with beauty. There's peace in that."
The eight songs on the album are heartbreakingly raw and personal, not only paying tribute to the friends who passed but allowing the audience to experience the rush and stages of grief.
“What About Heaven” tragically explores the rush of emotions when losing a loved one. The repetition of "What about heaven?" allows listeners to reflect on the transition of death and feelings of grief.
Hassan shared that the recent death of a family friend was her first experience with grief. The song “What About Heaven” hit extremely close to home.
"The repeating lyric, "what about heaven?" hit me so close to home, as I always wonder, is God merciful enough that He will grant him Jannat? (Heaven)," says Hassan.
The song is also a favourite of Mehreen Shami, a fourth-year honours social psychology student at McMaster University.
Shami explains that it's a wake-up call to her, a reminder to detach from the world and remember what's truly important in life.
"He's speaking from collective pain. Societies that face violence or gun violence or even communities in other parts of the world face disproportionate amounts of violence or suffering that isn't any of their faults," said Shami.
According to Shami, Mustafa's music unites individuals from all walks of life, not just Muslims. She says that teenagers are susceptible to peer pressure, but role models like Mustafa inspire youth through relatable work.
"It's like an older brother speaking to you," she says. "He speaks about losing a friend, drifting from his religion, and finding hope in it."
What differentiates Mustafa, Shami says, is that he wears the pain and vulnerability of his experiences on his sleeve through his music; his identity is apparent through his persona. His staple thobe seen in his live performances and public appearances represents humility to Shami, who believes the normalization of the Muslim faith is more important now than ever.
For Mustafa to reject the mainstream and stay true to his roots is inspiring, says Shami.
"It's noteworthy that we have this kind of representation that isn't biased — he's unapologetically himself," she says.
Shami believes the biggest takeaway from this album is to take pride in your identity and detach yourself from the validation that temporary people can give you.
“The Hearse” covers strong feelings of revenge. Mustafa tells Genius he wrote the song after feeling vengeful, shortly after burying one of his friends.
"I can't choose right or wrong, right or wrong," he sings throughout the track.
He explains that living in the hood isn't all black and white, and it's often difficult to reflect righteousness when living in an inherently corrupt system. “The Hearse” was about obsessing over people you hate rather than remembering people you love who are alive and present.
Mustafa's debut hometown show in December at Massey Hall wasn't easy to pull off. He later shared on his Instagram stories that he wore a bulletproof vest on stage for safety. Security was tight at the venue, and bag checks were thorough. The crowd was riddled with the Regent Park community, including the families of Smoke Dawg and Ali Rizeig, both friends of Mustafa who inspired his songs.
"It was a sense of collective healing," said Shami. "He made it out in such a noble way where he didn't give up any of his norms, any of his values."
Although Hassan could not attend Mustafa's concert, she believes he makes Toronto proud, commending his decision to keep the Massey Hall bar closed during his performance to stay true to his Islamic principles.
"He has also shown that his faith is his work, and without it, his work does not have that essence. It makes people accept him for who he is," says Hassan.
His work touched the hearts of those around the world. The album was shortlisted for the Polaris Music Prize and garnered the attention of The New Yorker, GQ, Complex and The New York Times.
Mustafa continues to affect the world through the expression of his grief and his pain. Mustafa's album is a love letter to anyone who has experienced loss, literally and figuratively. It's conveyed differently to every individual.
The biggest impact Mustafa has had, however, is right at home.
"He will inspire youth who have experienced grief, and others who grow up in the hood, that they are capable of reaching the stars," Hassan says.