Mumu Fresh at The Tiny Desk

I watched this performance from my desk at work and I was deeply moved by how beautiful, powerful, soulful, free, smart, critical and stylish this performance was. This woman is from West Baltimore. I now live in East Baltimore. I have been told that West Baltimore is the toughest part of the city. Mumu Fresh went into some details of her life and struggle to get to where she is now and it sounds like a story worth telling through film, if not by novel. I can’t help but feel like Mumu Fresh should be one of the top up-and-coming artist in the music industry. She plays no games: a serious talent. It is strictly about the music with her and I love that. There is an undeniable vibrant soul shown in her performance and throughout all of the members of her band. From the vocals section, to the strings to the pianist and percussions, the whole crew was jamming and the vibe was so infections that even a youtube video could not contain it: had me rocking my rolly-chair.

This performance reminds me of the value of the tiny desk series. The stripped down aesthetic of a desk surrounded by bookshelves leaves nothing to hide for the artist. No crazy light show or vocal effects. This women just joyfully flexed her soul and it was such a beautiful thing to watch. Many artist have come to the tiny desk to do just that. However, this time felt a bit different. I felt like I was slowly lured into a vibe that would yield to feel more rewarding than I anticipated. Mumu Fresh not only have an amazing voice which shines every time she sings but she also has bars: real, impactful bars. As most Hip-Hop heads would agree, the girl can spit. Not once did she mention a name brand clothing company or the amount of money she has. Come to think of it, I can’t remember any materialist bars from her. It all was rooted in her culture, history and love the art. It says a lot about an artist when you as the audience can see how much fun the artist’s band is having playing with the artist.

Enjoy!