Mtume was a funk and R&B band led by percussionist, keyboardist, producer,
singer, and former Miles Davis sideman James Mtume (born James Forman in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on January 3, 1948). Mtume is best known for the 1983
hit single “Juicy Fruit”, which has become one of the most sampled songs in
hip-hop and rap history. The seeds of the band were planted in the early 1970s
when James Mtume – the son of saxophonist Jimmy Heath - recorded the albums
Alkebu-Lan: Land of the Blacks (1972) and Rebirth Cycle (1974). Neither album
achieved chart success, but things began to chan...