Released on April 27, 2016.

Press:
http://frank151.com/whoa-abdu-ali-represents-beyond-classifications/
http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/music/midnight-sun-blog/bal-abdu-ali-did-dat-video-story.html
https://thump.vice.com/en_us/track/abdu-ali-did-dat-remixes
http://bandwidth.wamu.org/baltimore-performer-abdu-ali-were-all-dealing-with-post-traumatic-slave-syndrome/
https://www.teenvogue.com/gallery/coolest-queers-on-the-internet
http://www.thefader.com/2016/04/27/abdu-ali-mongo-mixtape
http://www.afropunk.com/profiles/blogs/new-music-abdu-ali-s-mongo-is-a-mantra-of-black-queer-strength?xg_source=activity
http://saintheron.com/news/stream-abdu-alis-politically-fueled-project-mongo/
http://www.maskmagazine.com/the-toxic-issue/style/abdu-alis-mongo-mix
http://www.imposemagazine.com/bytes/new-music/abdu-ali-mongo
http://www.factmag.com/2016/05/06/rap-round-up-asap-ferg/
http://www.tiumag.com/news/abdu-ali-es-musica-para-la-resistencia/
http://www.lesinrocks.com/2016/05/10/musique/abdu-ali-le-rappeur-queer-de-baltimore-a-decouvrir-absolument-11825610/
http://www.steinershow.org/podcasts/community-event/baltimore-musician-and-writer-abdu-ali/
https://daily.bandcamp.com/2015/12/08/tagging-the-metropolis/

Credits:
All album art by Elliott Brown Jr.
Please credit photographer if using imagery
Mixing & Mastering by JPEGMAFIA, MIGHTY MARK, & MR. 14TH
Lyrics are available in each song's description box.
Production credits on track listing.

Artist Statement in a short essay
i wanted to give up. ovah and ovah again. why? look at me, then look at the world i live. you see what im saying? life for me, aint been no crystal stair. do i even have a life? do i own one? i got a lot of debt. broke af, cant really obtain the wealth america promised me. am i here? is my life alive? 

i believe i do have a life because…i cant give up.  esp after witnessing the shade of it all in my city, post freddie gray's death. vividly i saw through that moment and still what i see today, are the attacks from media, all the systems, and the white hooded neighbors…is something that can really bring a bitch down. so im surprised by the fact that i am still here. after the shade of it all, i still rise. Maya Angelou, is that you?

something in me. the fire inside that makes me feel like no road cant be unconquered. what is that? i say its my mother’s hand, my lineage, my ancestors. the voodoo. the music. the music keeps me alive. the drums, the beat, and voices, (that cant ever be mimicked). my genetically passed down unbothered mien to be so me. to be black. even after being bleached a thousand times. my blood aint sterile. that pain i felt last april provoked the energy, the fire, to rage a bit more. my vision became a bit more focused. so my music became more and my performances became more. this mixtape, MONGO is who i am and what i am for what i be. its only for us. Mongo, I consider to be the blk self care mixtape consists of: Anthems Mantras & Narratives. Fela, Marvin, Nina, Lauryn, Tupac, Octavia E. Butler, and Miss Tony, I see what y'all was saying now. I know what I gotta do. I just gotta do me through us. The revolution is not just communal, it can also be an individual protest through thy work, sweat, or screams. Energy is infectious like the many systematic diseases that plagued our people. Teach one, teach all. also our other experiences are worthy to be art, our love trials, being queer and black, missing our deceased loved ones, or consuming the fruits of the green, because the self care is important. all of that deserves a song too. but I still don't know what it is that keeps my fist up, my hair nappy, and my skin so gold. but what i do kno is that me and u gonna get thru this. for some reason we have to. Is it just justice? is it the return of the black gods? deep down we know they will be back. cause one thing is for sure, the sun don't hurt me none. RIP PRINCE (CONTROVERSY IS THE REASON WHY I THOUGHT I COULD MAKE MUSIC). - ABDU ALI

MONGO

bookings / info(at)abduali(dot)com

Abdu Ali is a Baltimore based electronic musician, writer, cultural worker and multidisciplinary artist who works in sound, collaboration, video and performance. Their work often interrogates ideas of race, gender, and sexuality that manifests as poetic inquiries of identity, promoting liberation from oppressive ideologies and encouraging self marginalized peoples to be self determined. Ali’s work also centers promoting authentic Black queer legacies and narratives as their histories are often subjected to distortion and erasure.

Described as a cosmic, punk, and soulful tempest on stage, Ali has performed across the U.S. Europe, and at MoMa Ps1, The Carnegie Museum of Art, and The Kennedy Center. Their work has been highlighted by the New York Times, The Fader, Elephant Magazine, Tracks Arte TV and more. In 2019, Ali founded as they lay, a curatorial platform that claims space for critical dialogue, collaboration and radical envisioning for Black creative futures. Ali has held residencies at Red Bull Music, Pioneer Works and in 2022 was a visiting artist at the Brown Arts Institute at Brown University. Ali was also a recipient of the 2018 Ruby Artist Grant.

MONGO

Abdu Ali

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