According to a report from Yahoo News and confirmation from his son Faulu, jazz and R&B musician James Mtume has passed away. He was 76 years old.
Mtume is best known to the Hip Hop generation for contributing the sample to the Notorious B.I.G.’s crossover hit “Juicy”, which was sampled from his 1983 hit “Juicy Fruit”. The Philly-born artist has worked with some of the greatest jazz musicians of the 20th century such as Miles Davis, Pharaoh Sanders, Lonnie Liston Smith Jr., and more. He’s also created hits for numerous R&B stars such as Stephanie Mills, Donny Hathaway, and more recently Mary J. Blige, Jodeci, and more.
The Northstar Group/The Source Magazine sends its condolences to Mtume’s family.
