Ahmad

In 1994, Los Angeles rapper Ahmad Ali Lewis arrived on the music landscape at age 18 through the relaxed rhythm of “Back in the Day.” The single’s scenes of playground antics and middle-school exploration cast his South Central surroundings in a nostalgic, serene glow. Drawing on a melodic, storytelling style reminiscent of the Pharcyde’s Fatlip, Ahmad guided a remix of the song to number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 that summer. The momentum earned his self-titled debut album gold certification from the RIAA. He later assembled the jazz-rap outfit 4th Avenue Jones, which issued multiple projects in the early 2000s. After resuming his studies, he earned a sociology degree from Stanford University and built a career as a personal-development speaker and writer. He also contributed songs behind the scenes for LMFAO and Flo Rida, yet resurfaced in 2010 with The Death of Me, his second album and debut release on the WeClap imprint.