It was hot this day. The coffee shop was busy and I was 15 minutes late to an interview that was supposed to begin at 11 am. I rushed in sweating with an apology. Yet, he greeted me calmly, warmly with a hug and said, “No, it’s not a problem at all. Don’t worry about it.” It was that cool demeanor that transmitted throughout our conversation. A manner of being that bustled with high energy amid stillness. Yusuf Muhammad is his name. He, a young man with power beyond persuasion and a conviction of his artistic self beyond compare is beginning his very own legacy.
After receiving his high school diploma at 14 years of age and then an engineering degree at 20, it can be said that Yusuf was reared ahead of his generation. Yet, making a good living financially would not suffice as a desire to create burned within. “As black people it is in our bloodline and history to constantly create, to be trendsetters,” he spoke authoritatively, “black kings and queens are the most copied entities in the world.” This conviction of his is nothing new. Raised in an Islamic household, Yusuf is a product of two equally intrinsic foundations that merged. His father, militant in parenting yet highly intellectual coupled with a deeply cultural funk music loving mother; a recipe for a creative soul resting within a business mind.
“My mother is a New Yorker,” he spoke coolly, “so I got my culture from New York. The idea to love thy self and to love our community and not poverty; I got that from my mother. Yet, my father taught me to work for others until you can work for yourself.”
Following a passion and turning an idea into a business is exactly what he did.
After leaving a lucrative job to enroll in the Art Institute of Philadelphia to major in film, Yusuf had finally begun practicing his passion full-time. Between the time he enrolled and the time he graduated he had an idea; and a very bright one it was. “I always had a passion for music, art, and photography. Everybody was on my playlist. People like Barry White, to Juvenile, to Kirk Franklin. I love music. So, when I was in my dorm room I had this idea to throw a concert,” he recalls. No one knew the direction in which he was heading, but with the fruits of a solid network beginning to form, Yusuf called a friend, DJ Ultraviolet, who had provided him with an outline of a beginning. One he still uses today. He explains, “She told me to list everything I didn’t have and start from there. Ever since then that has been the formula that I used.”
Yusuf’s very first show, Veteran Freshman was created with the goal of bringing Veteran MC’s together making them fresh faces for a new generation. This first show drew a crowd of 450 people. The idea after that was to create another show bigger than the first all the while still building a brand through film and photography. As a result, not only has Yusuf began further building the Veteran Freshman brand in New York, California, and Washington, he has also worked diligently in the fields of music videos, showcases, documentaries, concerts, and photography. When asked his favorite moments from each genre he explained:
“I did a music video with Travis Baker of Blink 182 and Bun B called Just Chill. This was just an amazing opportunity to be behind the scenes and really connect with the artists. I mean Travis Baker tweeted me congratulations on my graduation when I graduated from the Art Institute. That’s huge!” As we continued to talk, Yusuf went on to tell me about the latter four genres. “My favorite showcase,” he began, “was VF3 (Veteran Freshman 3). This was the first show I had done under my contract with Live Nation. We had 800 people in the audience. To this day it still blows my mind. My most memorable documentary was when I filmed a wedding in November of 2011. I filmed the wedding as a short film/ documentary for the couple. It was just beautiful to see the family and all of the emotion. It solidified the idea in my mind that I am going to get married. As far as concerts, I booked and bought Juicy J to Philly. That’s all I am going to say about that.”
I had taken a break from jotting my notes to take a look at his face. He glared at me with eyes that read, ‘Juicy J, can you believe it!’ Finally Yusuf had given his most memorable photo. “In 2011 at the Roots picnic, I had taken a picture of Nas. The caption read One Mic. It is the most powerful picture I have taken to date.”
The idea that Yusuf would one day have a full on love affair with music was inevitable. Yet, timing had revealed itself years before most and within a year this successful ‘media creator’ is still growing. “Music was used to celebrate, it was always so much more to us,” he laments, “We have lost the element, the creativity and culture of music. Young people are so enamored with fame that they have forgotten the creative part. Who cares if someone likes your music, your passion should never be an option. We need to create.”
And create Yusuf has. With 100% backing and support from Live Nation, Yusuf Muhammad is a progressive creative media outlet. Blending his passion with true talent he has no peak. Just as true creativity does, he’ll simply keep evolving.
You can follow Yusuf Muhammad on Twitter @yusufyuie. Check out his work on phrenquency.com. Above all else witness his work, visit a Veteran Freshman show.
~Tierra Fernandez
As always, great read!! Thanks for the constant inspiration and growth in writing.
Thank you so much for reading! Tell others stories is a love of mine and as long as I have readers, I’ll keep writing! Thanks for your constant support!!!