Mustafa the Poet facts for kids

Mustafa Ahmed (born on July 28, 1996), known simply as Mustafa, is a talented poet, singer, songwriter, and filmmaker from Toronto, Canada. His family is from Sudan. He used to be known as Mustafa the Poet.

Mustafa released his first collection of songs, called an EP, titled When Smoke Rises, in May 2021. His first full album, Dunya, came out on September 27, 2024. This album was even considered for the 2025 Polaris Music Prize, which is a big award in Canadian music.

Early Life and Poetry

Mustafa Ahmed was born in Toronto, Ontario. His parents came from Sudan. He grew up in Regent Park, which is one of Toronto's oldest housing areas. He went to Regent Park Duke of York Public School.

Mustafa first became known for his amazing poetry. His older sister helped him discover how writing poetry could help him express his feelings. When he was in seventh grade, Mustafa performed a poem he wrote called "A Single Rose." He performed it at Nelson Mandela Park Public School. This performance was even praised at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival in 2009.

Mustafa's Career Journey

Early Poetry and Halal Gang

Mustafa was first featured in the Toronto Star newspaper when he was just 12 years old. The article talked about his special ability to help people from different backgrounds understand the real-life experiences in Toronto.

On October 4, 2014, Mustafa released a song called "Rabba" with a group of artists from Toronto called Halal Gang. This group included Mustafa (who was then known as Mustafa the Poet), Puffy L’z, Mo-G, Safe, and Smoke Dawg. As a member of this Canadian hip hop group, he appeared in several music videos. One of these was for the song "Feel" by Safe, which came out in October 2016.

In 2016, Mustafa was chosen to be part of Justin Trudeau's Youth Advisory Council. This council helps the Prime Minister get advice from young people.

Remember Me, Toronto and Fashion

Poetry and Filmmaking

Mustafa performed at the Fast in the 6 festival, which took place at Nathan Phillips Square on June 1, 2018.

In March 2019, a famous Italian fashion designer named Pierpaolo Piccioli worked with Mustafa and three other poets. They collaborated for the Valentino fashion house's autumn/winter 2019 collection. A line from Mustafa's poem "From the Perspective of Black Love" was even used as part of the clothing collection. Mustafa said it was a very special feeling to see women wearing clothes inspired by his words. Vogue magazine said that this event brought "poetry back in fashion." His collaborations were even worn by actress Emilia Clarke at a premiere for the TV show Game of Thrones.

Still using the name Mustafa the Poet, he produced and directed a short Canadian documentary film called Remember Me, Toronto. This film was released on March 17, 2019. It was made for the Canadian hip hop community. The documentary talks about the challenges faced by people in Toronto's hip hop scene, especially when they lose friends due to difficult situations in the city. Mustafa explained that he wanted to talk about the challenges that affect people in certain neighborhoods in Toronto. He also wanted to give artists a chance to share their own stories and remember those they had lost. In the film, artists think about how tough experiences can affect families over time. Famous artists like Drake, Baka Not Nice, Pressa, and Puffy L'z were featured in the film. It also included old videos of the artist Smoke Dawg.

Music and Songwriting

Mustafa has also helped write many popular songs for other artists. He often works closely with Toronto music producer Frank Dukes.

In 2016, Mustafa started working with Frank Dukes. They co-wrote the song "Attention" for The Weeknd's album Starboy. Mustafa also sang some background vocals on the song. The next year, he helped write two songs for Camila Cabello's first album Camila: "All These Years" and "She Loves Control". In 2017, Now magazine listed him as one of the Toronto musicians to watch. In 2019, he co-wrote the Jonas Brothers' hit song "Sucker".

He also named all the songs in Frank Dukes' Parkscapes music collection, which came out in June 2019. Parts of this collection were used on Taylor Swift's album Lover. Mustafa decided to give some of the money he earned from this album to his old school, Regent Park School. That year, CBC Music called him "one of the 10 Canadian songwriters who are writing the biggest hit songs right now." In 2020, he worked with Frank Dukes again to co-write the song "Monster" for Shawn Mendes and Justin Bieber.

When Smoke Rises and Recent Work

On March 10, 2020, Mustafa released his first song as a singer, "Stay Alive." This song was dedicated to friends he had lost and was known for showing the strength of the Regent Park community. The song was produced by Frank Dukes and James Blake. It featured many Toronto rappers, including Halal Gang members Puffy L'z and Mo-G. The song's lyrics talked about strength, community, and the tough parts of living in certain areas. Complex magazine even put Mustafa on their list of Best New Artists in March 2020 because of this song.

Mustafa released his first EP, When Smoke Rises, on May 28, 2021. This EP was described as "inner city folk music." Mustafa wrote and produced it with Simon on the Moon and Frank Dukes, along with other artists like James Blake, Jamie xx, and Sampha. The EP won the 2022 Juno Award for Alternative Album of the Year. It was also considered for the 2021 Polaris Music Prize.

Mustafa was featured on Metro Boomin's 2022 album Heroes & Villains. He appeared on the song "Walk Em Down (Don't Kill Civilians)" with rapper 21 Savage.

In July 2023, Mustafa's older brother, Mohamed Ahmed, passed away.

On January 4, 2024, Mustafa organized a special concert at the Newark Symphony Hall in New Jersey. This concert was held to raise money for food and medical supplies for people in Gaza and Sudan. Many artists joined him, including musicians Clairo, Daniel Caesar, Stormzy, comedian Ramy Youssef, and poets Hala Alyan and Safia Elhillo. The concert was completely sold out, and more than 220,000 people watched it live online on Instagram. All the money raised went to a relief organization called Human Concern International to help people in Palestine.

Mustafa's Music

Albums

EPs (Extended Plays)

Singles

Other Songs on Charts

Guest Appearances

Songwriting Credits

Film and TV Work

Awards and Nominations