Toronto’s Mustafa (Mustafa The Poet) is back with the new song “Ali”, from his upcoming debut project “When Smoke Rises” (out on May 28th). The song was written in memory of his friend Ali Rizeig who was shot and killed in 2017. This loss has left incredible sadness in the neighborhood (Toronto’s Regent Park, the neighborhood where Mustafa grew up).
Speaking about the song, Mustafa reveals: “It was so important for me to write a song for Ali because he wouldn’t let us forget anyone we lost.”
To celebrate the premiere and Ali’s life, Mustafa went live on Instagram and Youtube with Ali’s sister Limees Rizeig to discuss grief and community, and share memories of Ali’s big personality and impact.
“It’ll never be easy & it’ll never be filled”, Mustafa says, “but we can honour the void, how vast it is, what it once was before it was emptied, what was left there by their memory, preserve the beauty of the people you lost, exhume those bodies, the weight you’re carrying can become whatever you want it to be; if you only begin to understand it, exhume those bodies, may God have mercy on everyone we lost before we had a chance to say goodbye, Ali forever”
