�����Ƶ

Artist’s Note

“Bronx Boheme™ is my creative brand for my work in music, literature, and theater. Storytelling is a central element to human existence. Our history, philosophy, lore, and experiences are the basic subjects from which we draw stories. For the Mixtape I wanted to create an audio experience  of the creative energy emitting from the streets and parks of The Bronx, New York. The post - WWII era of the Bronx saw an influx of people from the West Indies, Puerto Rico, and Cuba, along with African Americans migrating from the South. The musical collision of jazz, soul, funk, calypso, reggae, klezmer, and Afro-Latin genres gave birth to Bugalu and eventually hip-hop. Pioneering House Music DJ Frankie Knuckles was from the Bronx. The beat he popularized—found as the basis of many forms of dance music from the African Diaspora—is like a heartbeat. 

“With 'A Bronx Boheme', I attempt to capture five minutes of the jazzy-soulful-funky-spicy-groovy life energy of a place that taught the whole world how to make something out of nothing."

About the Artist

Mwalim, a member of the Commission on the Arts, is an educator, performing artist, writer, filmmaker, and Black Arts scholar.