Mwalim DaPhunkeeProfessor

Mwalim (MJ Peters) is a multidisciplinary master artist and teacher whose genres span music, drama, poetry, media arts, and storytelling/ oral traditions. A multi-award-winning performer, writer, filmmaker and educator. Raised steeped in the oral traditions of both his West Indian (Barbados) American and Wampanoag cultures, he is a keeper of both the New World Griot and Sacred Clown traditions, manifesting professionally in the form of the playwright-in-residence at New African Company, Inc. (NAC) and as an Associate Professor of English and Director of Black (African and African American) Studies at UMass Dartmouth. He was nicknamed 'DaPhunkeeProfessor' by one of his students.

In music, Mwalim is a soul-funk-jazz singer, songwriter, pianist and producer. A long-time presence on the spoken-word and underground soul/ house/ acid jazz scene, he is a producer on Liberation Music - MGM. The 2010 Best Male Jazz Artist in the New England Urban Music Awards and a top nominee in the 2010 and 2011 Native American Music Awards; Mwalim also performs with and writes for the Soul-Funk band The GROOVALOTTOS.

For more information, visit Mwalim's website www.mwalim.com and check out his music on www.soundcloud.com/mwalim7