Episode 23: How to Be a Concept Artist with Dame Mufasa

Dame Mufasa is a poet disguised as a hip-hop artist, "Trojan horsing poetry through gold teeth and hip hop.” His brain works in narrative connections, whether linear or abstract, creating entire universes from disparate thoughts before they become too big to execute. Dame's philosophy centers on art as sacred work—following in the footsteps of Tupac and James Baldwin—with every project carrying the weight of representation and the responsibility to prove hip hop is fine art. His recent album "Church in the Wild" emerged from a Crosstown Arts residency where life fell apart (lost job, lost someone close, car got smashed) but became fuel for the "fuck it, create" mentality. Dame admits to being a nerd with concepts rather than a traditionally skilled rapper, but turns limitations into strengths through high concept and intention, making do with minimal resources while creating maximum impact through storytelling and aesthetic vision.