Ife Mtume, daughter of legendary music man James Mtume and chair of the Mtume Foundation, has died at age 54.
On July 31, the estate of James Mtume announced the devastating news on Instagram and included the following information:
“As President and Board Chair of the Mtume Foundation, Ms. Mtume led the charge to preserve the legacy of her father James Mtume. This included his vast discography (which includes the classic hit, “Juicy Fruit”), involved activism throughout life as well as his political acumen in support and development of artists, which included arts organizations.
https://mtumefoundation.org/
Ms. Mtume’s commitment to underserved communities was rooted in her prior leadership role with the New Jersey-based Maplewood and South Orange After-School Programs (subdivisions of the South Mountain YMCA). Her mission was to promote health and wellness, self-esteem, confidence, social skills, and a safe environment for school aged children to learn and grow.
Family, friends and colleagues remember Ms. Mtume for her friendly and cheerful outlook on life, while maintaining a firm, no-nonsense approach to business and work.
Ms. Mtume is survived by her daughters Sukari, Yamani and son Mazi; mother Kamili Mtume; sisters Benin, Eshe; brothers Richard, Faulu as well as many nieces and nephews.”
James Mtume, the jazz and funk musician who fronted the group Mtume and produced a number of US chart hits for other artists, died at 75 in 2022.
His magnum opus was the hit song “Juicy Fruit,” which was a chart-topper in the 1980’s and then went on to be sampled in one of the most prolific rap songs of all time “Juicy” by Notorious B.I.G. He went on to co-write for other artists including Stephanie Mills’ “Never Knew Love Like This” and Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway’s ballad duet “The Closer I Get to You.”
Mr.Mtume was born James Forman in Philadelphia in 1946, and changed his name – Mtume means messenger in Swahili – after spending time with the black nationalist group US Organization in the mid to late 1960s, while studying in Pasadena in California.
The West Coast— timed with the 1960’s Black Power movement—offered Mtume an atmosphere for his own socio-political awareness to come of age. His activism took shape once he joined the nationalist organization called Us, led by Maulana Karenga (founders of Kwanzaa).
This environment also encouraged his development as a percussionist while playing with African dance troupes. After sitting in on sessions when his father and uncle would play Los Angeles with artists like Herbie Hancock; Mtume’s name began to circulate back east. Mixing musically among the upper echelons of jazz, he inevitably fulfilled his wish list of the top three talents he wanted to work with—McCoy Tyner, (a piano player with John Coltrane), Freddie Hubbard, and Miles Davis.