MAXIMUM MTUME

Man this was so dope! I did not know he did all these tracks and loved every single one. Thanks for this.

MAXIMUM MTUME Tie Me Up Hips Would You Like To Fool Around Dance Around My Navel Funky Constellation She’s A Rainbow Dancer Green Light So you Wanna Be A Star Give It On Up (If You Want To) Metal Flake Mind C.O.D. (I’ll Deliver) Juicy /fruit Hip Dip Skipped A Beat Just Funnin’ Everything Good To Me Ready For Your Love Kiss The World Goodbye 2 Be or Not 2 Be That Is the Question Anticipatin’ You’re Love’s Too Good (To Spread Around) Mrs. Sippi It’s Not Functional Prime Time You Can’t Wait For Love I Simply Like The After Six Mix (Juicy Fruit Part II)

With the passing this week of James Mtume I had to honour this legend with a Tribute Mix. Not only because he is one of the greatest to ever funk, but more personally because he was an important early catalyst for my love of funk and collecting funk records having stumbled across the Juicy Fruit and You, Me and He albums around 1985. I was hooked on the sound and style and have been chasing more of that sound ever since. Known for “no filler” albums, this mix covers only songs released under the Mtume name which btw only scratches the surface of his involvement with others including McCoy Tyner, Freddie Hubbard and Miles Davis and his early solo jazz albums. Nor does it cover his extensive song writing and production credits, often partnered with Reggie Lucas, which includes Stephanie Mills, D Train, Melba Moore, Cheryl Lynn, Mary J Blige and was involved in producing some of those funky boogie sounds on Madonna's first album on songs like Border Line and Lucky Star. He was also an activist and leader in his community. Tawatha Agee shared much of the vocal duties on the songs in the mix. I’ve played almost full versions of my favourite Mtume songs because they are so magical in their entirety and have to be heard in full imo. James Mtume has left a legacy in Hip Hop as well, being the ‘inspiration’ for Stetsasonics classic song ‘Talkin’ All That Jazz’ after the Hip Hop band took affront to something he said about sampling on a radio interview in the late 80’s. But of course most people in the world know his sounds from Notorious B.I.G.’s hit Juicy which sampled Juicy Fruit to full effect. This music is a powerhouse of Funky Soulful energy. Fly On James Mtume. Fib