American poet, musician, and activist
Musical artist
Camae Ayewa ,
[5] (born November 19, 1981
[6] ) better known by her stage name Moor Mother , is an American poet, musician, and activist from
Philadelphia ,
Pennsylvania .
[7] She is one half of the collective
Black Quantum Futurism , along with
Rasheedah Phillips ,
[8] and co-leads the groups
Irreversible Entanglements and 700 Bliss.
[9]
[10]
Ayewa was born in
Aberdeen, Maryland , where she grew up in a public housing project.
[11]
[12] She moved to
Philadelphia ,
Pennsylvania to study photography at the Art Institute.
[13]
In 2016, Moor Mother released a studio album,
Fetish Bones , on
Don Giovanni Records .
[14] The album, which was released alongside a 122-page book of poetry,
[13] was included on year-end lists by
Pitchfork ,
[15]
Rolling Stone ,
[16] and
The Wire .
[17]
In 2017, she released a studio album, The Motionless Present , on
The Vinyl Factory .
[18] It featured collaborations with
Geng , DJ Haram, Mental Jewelry, and Rasheedah Phillips.
[19] The same year, she released a collaborative EP with Mental Jewelry, titled Crime Waves , on Don Giovanni Records.
[20]
[21]
She served as one of the guest curators at the 2018
Le Guess Who? music festival.
[22]
[23] In 2019, she released
Analog Fluids of Sonic Black Holes .
[24]
Ayewa co-leads and provides lyrics and vocals for the "liberation-oriented free-jazz collective"
Irreversible Entanglements .
[25] She met the quintet's members through musical and activist endeavors: bassist
Luke Stewart shared bills with her band the Mighty Paradocs; saxophonist Keir Neuringer worked with
Books Through Bars , whose events Ayewa has emceed; and the trio of Ayewa, Stewart, and Neuringer was followed by the duo of trumpeter Aquiles Navarro and drummer Tcheser Holmes at a 2015 Musicians Against Brutality event following the shooting of
Akai Gurley .
[9] The group performed in the inaugural season of
the Kennedy Center's "Direct Current" contemporary culture showcase,
[26] and their releases have been included in best-of lists in
Magnet ,
[27]
NPR Music ,
[28]
The Quietus ,
[29] and
Stereogum ' s "20 Best Jazz Albums Of The 2010s".
[30] The band's instrumentalists also performed on Ayewa's debut theatrical work,
Circuit City .
[31]
In the fall of 2021, Ayewa began serving as an assistant professor at the
University of Southern California 's
Thornton School of Music .
[32]
With Irreversible Entanglements
Ayewa performing with Irreversible Entanglements
Manufacture of Indigo (2015)
[46]
Clepsydra (2020)
[47]
Anthologia 01 (2020) (with Olof Melander)
[48]
Offering: Live at Le Guess Who (2020) (with Nicole Mitchell)
[49]
Crime Waves (2017) (with Mental Jewelry)
[50]
Fhloston Paradigm - "...All" from After... (2017)
[51]
Show Me the Body - "In a Grave" and "Everything Hate Here" from Corpus I (2017)
[52]
Lushlife - "I've Seen It Before I Was There" from My Idols Are Dead + My Enemies Are in Power (2017)
[53]
Eartheater - "MMXXX" from
IRISIRI (2018)
[54]
Reef the Lost Cauze - "Splinters" from The Majestic (2018)
[55]
Screaming Females - "End of My Bloodline (Remix)" from Singles Too (2019)
[56]
Art Ensemble of Chicago , We Are On the Edge (
Pi , 2019)
Zonal - "Body of Wire", "In a Cage", "System Error", "Medulla", "Catalyst", and "No Investigation" from Wrecked (2019)
[57]
Harrga - "À Vif" from Héroïques Animaux de la Misère (2019)
[58]
Armand Hammer - "Ramses II" from Shrines (2020)
[59]
Sons of Kemet - "Pick Up Your Burning Cross (feat. Moor Mother, Angel Bat Dawid)" from Black To The Future (2021)
[60]
The Bug - "Vexed (feat. Moor Mother)" from Fire (2021)
[61]
madam data - "In the emptiness beyond emptinesses..." from The Gospel of the Devourer (
PTP , 2021)
Art Ensemble of Chicago, The Sixth Decade: From Paris to Paris (
RogueArt , 2023)
[62]
Celestaphone - "Tithes" from
Paper Cut From the Obit (2023)
[63]
Shapednoise - "Poetry" from Absurd Matter (WEIGHT LOOMING, 2023)
^ Sacher, Andrew (October 6, 2016).
"Moor Mother released 'Fetish Bones,' touring with Screaming Females" .
BrooklynVegan . Archived from
the original on November 8, 2016. Retrieved May 13, 2019 .
^ Fintoni, Laurent (December 18, 2015).
"Meet Camae Defstar, The Philly Activist Channelling Her City's Pain Through Music" .
The Fader . Archived from
the original on February 23, 2016. Retrieved May 13, 2019 .
^ Blais-Billie, Braudie (October 19, 2017).
"Moor Mother Shares Three-Hour Piece: Listen" .
Pitchfork . Archived from
the original on May 13, 2019. Retrieved May 13, 2019 .
^ Willems, Jasper (January 17, 2017).
"Distorting The Present: DiS Meets Moor Mother" .
Drowned in Sound . Archived from
the original on January 19, 2017. Retrieved May 13, 2019 .
^ Dandridge-Lemco, Ben (March 1, 2018).
"Take a trip to Moor Mother's Philadelphia in this new mini-doc" .
The Fader . Archived from
the original on June 13, 2018. Retrieved May 13, 2019 .
^
"Moor Mother" .
Apple Music . Retrieved May 1, 2024 .
^ Ravens, Chal (January 11, 2018).
"Moor Mother review – howl of apocalyptic fury is kept to a whisper" .
The Guardian . Archived from
the original on February 21, 2018. Retrieved May 13, 2019 .
^ Duplan, Anaïs (March 14, 2017).
"Moor Mother Explains Black Quantum Futurism" .
Vice . Archived from
the original on May 13, 2019. Retrieved May 13, 2019 .
^
a
b Camp, Zoe (April 2, 2020).
"The Revolutionary Free Jazz of Irreversible Entanglements" . Bandcamp Daily . Retrieved February 1, 2021 .
^
"700 Bliss discuss their debut album Nothing To Declare | The Skinny" . www.theskinny.co.uk . Retrieved September 25, 2022 .
^ Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (April 20, 2017).
"Moor Mother: 'We have yet to truly understand what enslavement means' " .
The Guardian . Archived from
the original on July 24, 2017. Retrieved May 13, 2019 .
^ Rachel, T. Cole (December 19, 2017).
"Performance artist Moor Mother isn't afraid of confrontation" .
Interview . Archived from
the original on May 22, 2018. Retrieved May 13, 2019 .
^
a
b Pelly, Jenn (October 26, 2016).
"Moor Mother: Hardcore Poet" . Pitchfork . Retrieved February 3, 2021 .
^ Iadarola, Alexander (September 6, 2016).
"Moor Mother's New Track Is a Reminder of the Agitating Power of Noise" .
Vice . Archived from
the original on May 13, 2019. Retrieved May 13, 2019 .
^ Lozano, Kevin (December 9, 2018).
"The 20 Best Experimental Albums of 2016 (page 2 of 2)" .
Pitchfork . Archived from
the original on April 3, 2017. Retrieved May 13, 2019 .
^ Weingarten, Christopher R. (December 28, 2016).
"20 Best Avant Albums of 2016" .
Rolling Stone . Archived from
the original on April 11, 2019. Retrieved May 13, 2019 .
^
"Listen to The Wire's Top 50 Releases of 2016" .
The Wire . December 26, 2016. Archived from
the original on February 1, 2018. Retrieved May 13, 2019 .
^ Ravens, Chal (February 21, 2017).
"Moor Mother announces The Motionless Present LP featuring DJ Haram and PTP's Geng" .
Fact . Archived from
the original on February 22, 2017. Retrieved May 13, 2019 .
^ Kalev, Maya (March 22, 2017).
"Moor Mother Tells The Story Behind Every Track On Her Radical New Record" .
The Fader . Archived from
the original on April 1, 2017. Retrieved May 13, 2019 .
^ Gordon, Jeremy (May 10, 2017).
"Moor Mother x Mental Jewelry – "Hardware" " .
Spin . Archived from
the original on September 8, 2018. Retrieved May 13, 2019 .
^ Kelly, Kim (June 13, 2017).
"Philly Producers Moor Mother and Mental Jewelry Team Up on 'Crime Waves' " .
Vice . Archived from
the original on May 13, 2019. Retrieved May 13, 2019 .
^ Welsh, April Clare (May 24, 2018).
"Moor Mother, Asia Argento set to curate Le Guess Who? 2018" .
Fact . Archived from
the original on May 27, 2018. Retrieved May 13, 2019 .
^ Amin, Tayyab (December 8, 2018).
"Le Guess Who? 2018: Fringe global sounds and community outreach in Utrecht" .
Fact . Archived from
the original on December 9, 2018. Retrieved May 13, 2019 .
^ Yoo, Noah; Bloom, Madison (November 8, 2019).
"6 Albums Out Today You Should Listen to Now: FKA twigs, Mount Eerie, Moor Mother, and More" .
Pitchfork .
Archived from the original on June 19, 2020. Retrieved June 9, 2020 .
^ Ng, Ivana (May 2020).
"Irreversible Entanglements: Who Sent You?" . DownBeat . Retrieved February 1, 2021 .
^
"Irreversible Entanglements - DIRECT CURRENT: Millennium Stage (March 13, 2018)" . The Kennedy Center . 2018. Retrieved February 1, 2021 .
^ Meyer, Bill (December 15, 2020).
"Best of 2020: Jazz/Improv" . Magnet Magazine . Retrieved February 1, 2021 .
^
"The 100 Best Songs Of 2017" . NPR . December 13, 2017. Retrieved February 1, 2021 .
^ Smith, Stewart (December 13, 2017).
"Complete Communion: The Best Jazz Of 2017" . The Quietus . Retrieved February 1, 2021 .
^ Freeman, Phil (January 9, 2020).
"The 20 Best Jazz Albums Of The 2010s" . Stereogum . Retrieved February 1, 2021 .
^ Beta, Andy (October 14, 2020).
"Moor Mother: Circuit City" . Pitchfork . Retrieved February 2, 2021 .
^
"USC Thornton Welcomes New Faculty" . USC Thornton School of Music . August 3, 2021. Archived from
the original on August 3, 2021. Retrieved September 3, 2021 .
^ Lozano, Kevin (September 29, 2016).
"Moor Mother: Fetish Bones" .
Pitchfork . Archived from
the original on March 30, 2017. Retrieved May 13, 2019 .
^ Miller, Julie (February 24, 2017).
"Moor Mother previews new record of poetry and soundscape with "This Week" " .
WXPN . Archived from
the original on February 26, 2017. Retrieved May 13, 2019 .
^
"Analog Fluids of Sonic Black Holes by Moor Mother" .
Apple Music .
Archived from the original on October 7, 2019. Retrieved January 3, 2020 .
^
"True Opera | Moor Jewelry" .
Bandcamp .
Archived from the original on May 31, 2020. Retrieved June 9, 2020 .
^
"Circuit City, by Moor Mother" . Moor Mother . Retrieved October 9, 2021 .
^ Yoo, Noah (September 23, 2020).
"Moor Mother to Release New Album Circuit City This Week" . Pitchfork .
Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved October 20, 2020 .
^
"BRASS, by Moor Mother & billy woods" . Moor Mother . Retrieved August 9, 2021 .
^
"BRASS from Moor Mother & billy woods" . Backwoodz Studioz . December 11, 2020.
Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 22, 2020 .
^
"Black Encyclopedia of the Air, by Moor Mother" . Moor Mother . Retrieved October 9, 2021 .
^
"Jazz Codes, by Moor Mother" . Moor Mother . Retrieved July 4, 2022 .
^
"Irreversible Entanglements, by Irreversible Entanglements" . International Anthem . Retrieved March 6, 2021 .
^ Beta, Andy (March 25, 2020).
"Irreversible Entanglements: Who Sent You?" . Pitchfork . Retrieved February 1, 2021 .
^ Scherstuhl, Alan (June 24, 2020).
"Jazz Is Built for Protests. Jon Batiste Is Taking It to the Streets" . The New York Times . Retrieved February 1, 2021 .
^
"Manufacture of Indigo | Moor Mother" .
Bandcamp .
Archived from the original on June 9, 2020. Retrieved June 9, 2020 .
^
"Clepsydra | Moor Mother" .
Bandcamp .
Archived from the original on June 16, 2020. Retrieved June 9, 2020 .
^
"Anthologia 01 | Moor Mother and Olof Melander" .
Bandcamp . Retrieved June 9, 2020 .
^
"Offering - Live at Le Guess Who | Nicole Mitchell and Moor Mother" .
Bandcamp .
Archived from the original on June 9, 2020. Retrieved June 9, 2020 .
^ Blanning, Lisa (June 14, 2017).
"Moor Mother x Mental Jewelry - Crime Waves" .
Resident Advisor . Archived from
the original on July 4, 2017. Retrieved May 13, 2019 .
^
"After... | Fhloston Paradigm" .
Bandcamp . Retrieved January 3, 2020 .
^
"Corpus I | Show Me The Body" .
Bandcamp .
Archived from the original on December 24, 2019. Retrieved January 3, 2020 .
^
"My Idols Are Dead + My Enemies Are In Power | Lushlife" .
Bandcamp .
Archived from the original on January 3, 2020. Retrieved January 3, 2020 .
^
"IRISIRI | Eartheater" .
Bandcamp .
Archived from the original on January 2, 2020. Retrieved January 3, 2020 .
^
"The Majestic | Reef The Lost Cauze" .
Bandcamp .
Archived from the original on December 22, 2020. Retrieved January 3, 2020 .
^
"Singles Too | Screaming Females" .
Bandcamp .
Archived from the original on December 24, 2019. Retrieved January 3, 2020 .
^
"Wrecked | Zonal" .
Bandcamp .
Archived from the original on January 2, 2020. Retrieved January 3, 2020 .
^
"Héroïques Animaux de la Misère | Harrga" .
Bandcamp .
Archived from the original on January 3, 2020. Retrieved January 3, 2020 .
^
"Shrines | Armand Hammer" .
Bandcamp .
Archived from the original on December 22, 2020. Retrieved June 9, 2020 .
^
"Sons of Kemet" . SHABAKA HUTCHINGS . Retrieved December 19, 2021 .
^
"Fire by The Bug" . Ninja Tune . Retrieved September 10, 2021 .
^
Fordham, John (January 27, 2023).
"Art Ensemble of Chicago: The Sixth Decade: From Paris to Paris review – devoted heirs carry the torch" .
The Guardian . Retrieved March 17, 2023 .
^ Celestaphone.
"Paper Cut From the Obit | Celestaphone" .
Bandcamp .
Archived from the original on August 15, 2023. Retrieved September 2, 2023 .
^
"Mandela Effect by Gonjasufi" .
Apple Music .
Archived from the original on December 22, 2020. Retrieved January 3, 2020 .
^
"You Can't See Inside of Me by What Cheer? Brigade" .
Apple Music .
Archived from the original on December 22, 2020. Retrieved January 3, 2020 .
^
"Because I'm Me (Remixes) - EP by The Avalanches" .
Apple Music .
Archived from the original on January 3, 2020. Retrieved January 3, 2020 .
International National Artists