Native of Chicago's North-side, multi-medium artist shaping his narrative through an intricate fusion of audio visual creativity. Maasai Amewa known professionally as M.S.I is a maestro of independent music, and owner of the music publishing company, AM Muse Collab. Specializing in Hip-Hop, Electronica, Jazz and New Age.
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STYLE / MEDIUM
Amewa’s artistry is multi-dimensional.
• Musical Landscapes: Hip-Hop, Electronica, Jazz, and New Age—composed with a futurist sensibility and narrative weight. Primary Instruments: Guitarist/Pianist/Turntables/Producer
• Visual Realms: Digital Surrealism, Photography, AI-assisted Animation—works that blend imagination and critique.
Under the moniker M.S.I, he approaches art as an ecosystem—sound, story, and image united in transformative expression.
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THEMES / VISIONS
Amewa’s work interrogates and celebrates the complexities of race, identity, and liberation. His themes traverse:
• Black Identity & Social Change: Excavating history, amplifying voices, and challenging power structures.
• Redemption & Love: Narratives of healing, loss, and rebirth.
• Futurism & Surrealism: Reimagining existence, creating portals where technology and storytelling merge into new mythologies.
Through sound and image, he seeks not only to provoke thought but to summon new futures.
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ACHIEVEMENTS
• Early Recognition: Inspiring Performers Award (Helen C. Peirce International, 1993).
• Academic Honors: R.E.A.C.H. Award for Research, SIUC (2005).
• Writing & Journalism: ICCJ Award for Journalism. 2008
• Arts Leadership: Vice Chair of the Evanston Arts Council (2019–2022), where he championed equity, expanded grant access, and helped deliver record-high funding to BIPOC-centered arts organizations during the pandemic.
• Musical Releases:
• Andromeda 27 A.E. (2019) – Electronica/Trip-Hop.
• Sleeping Giants (2019) – Featuring Grammy and Juno-nominated Northern Cree, and activist Cat Brooks.
• End of Moonlight (2019). Featuring Dr. Francis Cress Welsing, and King Limitless
• Ghost of Orion (2020) – with visuals by Julius Horsthuis.
• Kingdom Clouds (2022) – Hip-Hop single.
• Ab-Spirits (2022) – soundtrack and narrative for a documentary on redemption and incarceration. Compositions by Maasai Amewa & Maria Betania Hernández
• Amber Pearls Dance / Child’s Pose (2024) – featured on CBS ribfest segment
• LakePines (2024) – New Age composed by Maasai Amewa
• SonuMasi (2025) – New Age single.
• Flux Sequels EP (2025) – dance electronica and new age, with Afrofuturist visuals and ideation.
• BloodMoons (2025) – electronica, chill hop
• Earth’s Halo (Kola Sigils) (2025) – electronica, chill hop
Exhibitions & Platforms: Works showcased at Apple Music, Amazon Music, Spotify, Pandora, Tidal, iHeartRadio, YouTube, The DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center, Evanston Art Center, Chicago Humanities Festival, Greenhouse Theater, Feinberg Theater, UIC Pavilion; Social Change International Film Fest, Rib Fest, ARTSie, Green Mill Jazz Club, LePiano Jazz Club, South Asia Institute, and joined Saatchi Art in 2024.
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FUTURE DIRECTION
Amewa’s vision continues to expand across disciplines. His forthcoming Hip-Hop album, Birth of a Universe, Death of a Dream, is set for release in late 2026 as a multi-media project, merging music, visual animations, animations into an immersive narrative experience. You can preview singles from the album below: