Maurice ‘Mobetta’ Brown joins Soul’d U Out for jazz, hip hop jam

Grammy Award-winner and jazz trumpeter Maurice “Mobetta” Brown performed May 10 in the SFCC Music Building Auditorium. After his soundcheck and before the performance, The Communicator was able to learn more about his music.

What do you love most about being a musician?

What I enjoy most about being a musician is that I get to travel to a lot of cool places, that otherwise I wouldn’t have gotten to check out.

Where do you draw your inspiration from and what musicians inspire you?

A lot of people inspire me, like Herbie Hancock, Clifford Brown, Freddie Hubbard, Roy Hargrove, Louis Pain … John Coltrane … Elvin Jones, Anderson .Paak.

Can you explain Maurice vs. Mobetta?

Maurice Brown is like more jazz and Mobetta is when I started rapping and my producer alias. So, when I produce for Talib Kweli or Chance the Rapper or whoever you know, Anderson .Paak or whoever, is my side “Mobetta.” You know Mobetta makes it “mo betta.” … “Maurice vs Mobetta” (album) was basically all the songs from “The Cycle of Love” (album) remixed … So, I remixed it all with a bunch of dope producer friends of mine. People like Talib Kweli and Prodigy from Mobb Deep, Jean Grae, Consequence from G.O.O.D. music (record label), and also myself rapping on it … I had a great time recording it.

What’s the biggest problem you have had to overcome this far?

I guess the biggest problem I’ve had to overcome this far was the acceptance of hip-hop music in jazz. … When I was putting (my “Hip to Bop” album) together, there was a lot of resistance to it just by the title. People didn’t even check it out, but eventually, there was a whole cult following of me. That’s the whole way it started, then they followed the cycle of love and then I think “Maurice vs Mobetta” took the mood down.

What kind of advice would you have for any young aspiring artist?

I would say be original, that’s really important …  You know being a clone of somebody else, is not going to cut it.

Maurice “Mobetta” Brown, second from left, takes a bow after his performance with band Soul’d U Out on May 10 at the Music Building Auditorium on the SFCC campus.

Maurice “Mobetta” Brown poses after soundcheck and before his performance May 10 in the SFCC Music Building Auditorium.