Ahmad Ali Lewis (born October 12, 1975), simply known as Ahmad (often stylized AHMAD), is an American rapper, songwriter, motivational speaker and author from

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. He is perhaps best known for the 1994 single " Back in the Day". Ahmad is also a former member and founder of the hip-hop fusion band

4th Avenue Jones 4th Avenue Jones (originally 4th Avenue Jones' and sometimes credited as 4th Ave. Jones') was an American alternative hip hop band based in Los Angeles, California. The band was conceived by Ahmad Ali Lewis, popularly known as Ahmad. The band's ...

Life and career

Ahmad made his recording debut in 1993 on the soundtrack of The Meteor Man with the song "Who Can." Released when Ahmad was 18, "Back in the Day" the remix version (produced by Maurice Thompson of Barr 9 Productions) hit No. 26 on the US pop charts and No. 19 on the U.S. R&B charts on the strength of its

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved or indented, such that it can be used to grab onto, connect, or otherwise attach itself onto another object. In a number of uses, one e ...

, sung over a sample of the

Teddy Pendergrass Theodore DeReese Pendergrass (March 26, 1950 – January 13, 2010) was an American soul and R&B singer-songwriter. He was born in Kingstree, South Carolina. Pendergrass spent most of his life in the Philadelphia area, and initially rose to musi ...

song "Love TKO." It also reached No. 64 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. It was the first single off his first album, ''

Ahmad Ahmad ( ar, أحمد, ʾAḥmad) is an Arabic male given name common in most parts of the Muslim world. Other spellings of the name include Ahmed and Ahmet. Etymology The word derives from the root (ḥ-m-d), from the Arabic (), from the ve ...

''. The remix of "Back in the Day" is also featured on the soundtrack of ''

The Wood ''The Wood'' is a 1999 American coming-of-age comedy drama film directed by Rick Famuyiwa and starring Omar Epps, Richard T. Jones and Taye Diggs. It was written by Famuyiwa and Todd Boyd. Plot Roland is getting married and is currently missin ...

'', a 1999 motion picture. Ahmad secured his first recording contract as a senior in high school and earned a gold record for his chart-topping hit. He later formed the hip-hop fusion band

. He went back to school and enrolled in

Long Beach City College Long Beach City College (LBCC) is a public community college in Long Beach, California. It was established in 1927 and is divided into two campuses, the Liberal Arts Campus in Lakewood Village and the Pacific Coast Campus in central Long Beach ...

in 2006; after graduating he was accepted by Stanford University, to acquire bachelor's degrees in sociology and African American studies. Lewis was married to his former 4th Avenue Jones bandmate, Tena Jones, from 1998-2007. Their son, Yeshuwa Ali, was born in 2004.

Discography

Albums

Solo * 1994: ''

'' (Giant/Reprise/Warner Bros. Records) * 2010: '' The Death of Me'' (WeCLAP) With

* 2000: ''No Plan B'' (Lookalive Records) * 2002: ''No Plan B pt. 2'' (Lookalive/Interscope Records) * 2002: ''Gumbo'' (Lookalive Records) * 2003: ''Hiprocksoul'' (Lookalive Records) * 2004: ''Respect'' (Lookalive Records) * 2005: ''Stereo: The Evolution of Hiprocksoul'' (Lookalive/Gotee/EMI Records)

Singles

* 1994: " Back in the Day" (US No. 26; UK No. 64) With 4th Avenue Jones: * 2000: "Respect" * 2002: "Move On" * 2005: "Stereo" Videos: * 1994: "Back In the Day" * 1994: "You Gotta Be" * 1996: "Come Widdit'" * 2001: "Respect" * 2002: "Move On" * 2005: "Stereo"

Appearances

* 1993: "Who Can?" (from "The Meteor Man" (soundtrack)) * 1994: "That's How It Is" (from "Jason's Lyric" (soundtrack)) * 1994: "Come Widdit" feat. Ras Kass, Saafir (from ''Street Fighter'' (soundtrack)) * 1995: "Only If You Want It" (from ''Pump Ya Fist'') * 1999: "Back in the Day (Remix)" (from ''The Wood'' (soundtrack)) * 1999: "The Guest List" (from ''Something For Everyone To Hate'' (Sackcloth Fashion album)) * 2000: "Fresh Coast" (from ''Dust'' (Sup The Chemist album)) * 2004: "Give It Here" feat. Pep Love (from ''All Balls Don't Bounce'' revisited (2LP) (Aceyalone album) * 2006: "Hard Hit" (from ''The Movement'' (D.I.T.C. album) * 2006: "Fight Here" feat. Afrobots,

DJ Vajra Christopher Karns (born January 25, 1979) is an American turntablist, who won the 2011 DMC World DJ Championships. He has also won the 2002 WSTC World Championships, six DMC Regional Championships, and three Redbull Thre3style Championships. He ...

(from ''5 Sparrows For 2 Cents'' (The Procussions album)) * 2006: "More" (from ''Pro Pain'' (Mars ILL album))

References

External links

Stanford Magazine – 'This Is the Rebirth' – January/February 2009
* https://web.archive.org/web/20090307084039/http://allhiphop.com/stories/news/archive/2009/03/05/20930202.aspx
Jack Kent Cooke Foundation – Ahmad Ali Lewis isn't a Typical Stanford Undergrad – Nor is he a Typical Rapper
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ahmad 1975 births Living people Giant Records (Warner) artists African-American male rappers American male rappers Rappers from Los Angeles West Coast hip hop musicians African-American songwriters Songwriters from California 20th-century American rappers 21st-century American rappers 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians 20th-century African-American musicians 21st-century African-American musicians American male songwriters