IN HINDSIGHT: MASANIAI MUHAMMAD ALI

WATTS, CALIFORNIA | MASANIAI MUHAMMAD ALI

INTERVIEW REALIFE PHOTO NATION19

“I WANT TO BE REMEMBERED AS SOMEONE WHO DOESN’T BEND THE RULES FOR AN OPPORTUNITY OR FOR A DOLLAR. I WANT TO BE AN INSPIRATION OF KNOWING YOUR SELF WORTH, ESPECIALLY FOR US AS WOMEN.”

- MASANIAI MUHAMMAD ALI

VALIDATED: Being from Watts, California, what’s your earliest memory of hip-hop culture?

MASANIAI: I grew up around Hip Hop as both my parents had and still have a love for the culture. My dad would play all the Hip Hop shows that aired on the LA radio station (KDAY), and he would actually record them on cassette tape, so when the shows aren’t playing live, he would play the tapes, and have it blasting throughout the house. lol We would also watch “Yo! MTV Raps” ALL the time, as they played all the now classics, so Hip Hop was just something that the whole family loved from day one.

VALIDATED: You’re an accomplished music producer, engineer and songwriter, how did you get your start?

MASANIAI: I got my start first by having a background and understanding of several genres of music. My mother and father both were musicians. Then I began working professionally with my Brother-In-Law’s publishing company by the name of “Radiobums” which I currently still work with today in film scoring, writing, mixing, etc.

VALIDATED: What do you contribute your love of music to?

MASANIAI: Music to me is an answer for all emotions. I can turn to it whether I’m happy or sad, and everything in between, and it doesn’t matter what the genre is. I can listen to some very unusual music that would be considered odd to most, or something that would seem to be unlikely I would listen to, but if the melody or tune fits my emotion, I’ll listen to it all day if it’s dope. Sometimes I actually like to have pure silence, but even still, there’ll be some kind of tune in my head. Music has gotten me through a lot of rough times, even just instrumentals, because I can paint the picture that I need to shift my thoughts and focus on maybe a beautiful past experience, or just simply daydream lol, so music is most definitely important to me in many aspects, and will always be with me.

VALIDATED: As a producer you’ve scored music for MTV’s “Adventures in Hollyhood” starring Academy Award-Winning rap group, Three 6 Mafia, how did the opportunity come about?

MASANIAI: Yes, I actually scored music for that show along with my sister, brother, and another colleague under Radiobums and that’s how that came about.

VALIDATED: You’ve also written music for Grammy Award-Winning artist, Wyclef Jean, what can you tell us about the experience? 

MASANIAI: I worked on a song for his project during the earthquake crisis in Haiti. It was a very emotional and touching experience, especially having to hear further of what was really happening there that wasn’t being reported to us here in the states.

VALIDATED: You’ve worked as a background singer for India Arie, what did you learn about yourself as an artist from the opportunity? 

MASANIAI: During this performance, there was actually a lot of technical issues we were having with mics shorting out, and other difficulties with the schedule of the performance. It honestly became quite chaotic, and started to really effect my focus. So as we were performing in front of nearly a million people, myself, my sister, and the other background singer could not hear India very clearly, and vice versa, and we started singing out of sync. Inside I was panicking, but I quickly pulled myself together when India turned to us with a smile, and signaled a way for us to catch the timing, and be in harmony again. We pulled it off great, and the crowed loved it. When I walked off stage, I was still a little down about it and my dad noticed. So he came up to me and told me I did really good, and that no-one even noticed. He continued to say, you just have to remember as a performer, you never stop performing no matter what happens. You just keep on going. And that was a big lesson for me.

VALIDATED: In 2012 during Ramadan you released your first independent single “APDTA”, the release marked the first song produced by a Muslim woman in hip-hop for the occasion. What was the significance on the single to you personally and professionally? 

MASANIAI: Personally, it was one of the most beautiful and well needed experiences for me, from producing the beat, to shooting the video. The very day I was making the beat, I had actually encountered an issue with some people who had done a major injustice to my family, and really caused an uproar, and by the end of that day, I wasn’t even sure how to resume back to working on the track, but I prayed on it, and God gave me the strength to shake it off and get back to creating. So I finished up the beat, and some time later, my bro Big Sono hit me up and asked if I had any tracks for his upcoming album. So that particular beat I did that day was one I had given him. He called me up the next day and said it’s crazy, but that one track you sent sounds like it’s saying “Allah”. It had actually never crossed my mind that the vocals sounded like that. I was blown away myself. So he told me he had sent it to Haas Diop, the rapper featured on the song, and Haas put his pen to work. Nation19, who are the directors of the video and project, and myself had actually did a remix for the video, and that was the version we shot. As we shot the video, it was like everything was falling into place to make the outcome be what it is. One of the days we were shooting in a specific location, and it just so happened to be a Trayvon Martin protest happening in the area. So we went and stood with our people in protest, and it became part of the video, as well as other locations and random people wanting to be a part of it because they were so proud to see the work we were doing. Yes, there were many instances where everything seemed to be the perfect timing, but there were also many difficulties, and it started to make me second guess. As a Muslim woman in Hip Hop, and in music in general, the significance of this single to me was that although I had many reasons not to finish because of the obstacles I had to overcome, I never lost faith in Allah (God) and the gifts He has given me. I believe that difficulties and struggle are made to strengthen your faith in Him because ultimately, He is guiding you through His plan that He has made for you.

VALIDATED: Are you more of a song writer or singer? 

MASANIAI: I would say singer. Song writing can be a bit difficult at times for me because I come up with only a million melodies, free styling a tune off the top, but sometimes I struggle with finding the right words to fit. I do enjoy both equally, when I come up with the perfect words to fit the melody I’ve been humming (wink).

VALIDATED: What are the major differences writing for an upcoming artist versus an established artist? 

MASANIAI: I think it’s all in the level of their confidence and creativity. I’ve worked with some upcoming artists who are really on their craft, and they make the experience from creating a song, to a masterpiece, just as much as it is with an established artist. I also find that I can equally learn something from both as well. To me, it’s the person and the spirit you carry that makes all the difference.

VALIDATED: You had the opportunity to co-produce with the legendary Battlecat, what can you tell us about the experience? 

MASANIAI: Being that Battlecat was one of the main reasons I even wanted to become a music producer, the opportunity to work with him was a dream come true. A few other producers I worked with at the time were already working closely with him, and the anticipation of knowing my time was possibly coming soon was honestly kind of scary for a few reasons. For one, I was a girl, and the other was that I was doing West Coast G-Funk music. I really thought I wouldn’t be taken seriously for those reasons, but regardless, I wasn’t going to stop creating. He ended up hearing some of my work, and got on a phone call with me, gave me a lot of props and was ready to work. He Co-produced and mixed a few of my tracks, and I was extremely ecstatic and honored. To this day, we keep in touch with each other and I look forward to working with him again.

VALIDATED: You co-wrote with Rich Kidd of Canada, do you prefer co-writing or writing alone?

MASANIAI: It depends on the creativity and the idea of the song. Personally, I don’t like to work on songs that have a negative concept, or a message that is not positive and uplifting, and unfortunately in this day and age, that’s very difficult to achieve successfully, as it’s not the “popular” thing to do. So of course, writing alone, I have all the freedom to do so, but if there are other producers with the same ideals, I am more than happy to co-write and co-create.

VALIDATED: You’ve mixed records for major artists including Erick Sermon, Snoop Dogg, Redman, Salt n Pepa, where do these achievements rank amongst your collaborations?

MASANIAI: I would definitely have to say Snoop Dogg was one of my most anticipated. Which goes back to my start in music production. As I mentioned before, I started out producing West Coast G-Funk music, and since I was very young, Snoop Dogg has always been one of my favorite rappers, and as I began producing, I always saw myself either doing a track for him, or just working with him period. I met Snoop Dogg at an All Def awards ceremony and we built for a minute and made a connection. As I was working on tracks for him, I also connected with another legendary producer, my good friend Rockwilder, who at the time was also working on a song for Snoop’s album. He was having some issues with the engineer who was mixing the song, and he wasn’t too satisfied with the outcome. Mind you the track was due to be finished by the next day. So Rockwilder called me up, and asked if I could mix the whole song over again, in the middle of the day (laughs), and I did just that. He loved the mix, and we finished in time. Each mix from Snoop to Salt n Pepa had it’s unique experience that came with it, and I’m grateful and honored to have been given the opportunity to work on all of them. They were mixes for some of our greats, and that’s a blessing alone. 

VALIDATED: Are there any up and coming artists or producers you’d like to work with and if so, who and why? 

MASANIAI: I don’t have any specific names to mention at the moment, but I will say this, I’m ready for a new wave of music. The kind of music where the masses are put on a higher level of thinking, and if there are other artists or producers that share the same desire and mindset, then let’s work. 

VALIDATED: When it’s all said and done and you’ve moved on from music what would you like to be remembered for most?

MASANIAI: I want to be remembered as someone who doesn’t bend the rules for an opportunity or for a dollar. I want to be an inspiration of knowing your self worth, especially for us as women. We as human beings are more than what we are made to believe. When we begin to realize that, that is the moment we start utilizing our God given gifts, and ultimately finding our purpose in life. I believe that helping people realize their own worth is one of the most beautiful things you can do for someone, because you have helped them see that they already have everything they need to be great.

VALIDATED: What’s next for Masaniai? 

MASANIAI: Well I’ve actually been doing a lot of film scoring and it’s been such a great experience. I’m very excited about it because there is a film that I’ve scored that is soon to be released. So I most definitely will be announcing the date when it is closer to being dropped.

VALIDATED: What’s your social media contacts and website?

MASANIAI: Instagram: masaniai_muhammad_ali Facebook: Masaniai Muhammad Ali