{{Short description|American rapper (born 1978)}} {{Update|date=May 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2014}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Mahogany Jones | image = Mahogany Jones Promo Picture.jpg | birth_place = Mt. Vernon, New York, United States | birth_name = Charyse Lois Marshall (Bailey) | origin = Detroit, Michigan, United States | years_active = 2001–present | website = {{url|MahoganyJones.com}} | occupation = Musician, rapper, poet, songwriter, cultural ambassador, arts educator | genre = Hip hop, conscious hip hop, soul, gospel, inspirational music | caption = Portrait of Mahogany Jones }}
'''Charyse Lois Marshall''' (born August 8, 1978), better known by the stage name '''Mahogany Jones''', is an American inspirational female rapper,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/artists/mahogany-jones/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222055249/http://www.mtv.com/artists/mahogany-jones/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 22, 2014 |title=Mahogany Jones | New Music And Songs |publisher=MTV |date=February 4, 2014 |accessdate=February 12, 2014}}</ref> singer, songwriter, community activist,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://michigancitizen.com/mahogany-jones-to-release-pure-volume-1/ |title=Mahogany Jones to release 'Pure Volume 1' – The Michigan Citizen |website=Michigancitizen.com |date=January 30, 2014 |accessdate=February 12, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Jason 'Conquest' Roberts |url=http://jamthehype.com/mahogany-jones-lover-fighter-pure-intentions/ |title=Mahogany Jones: A Lover & Fighter With 'PURE' Intentions |publisher=Jam the Hype |date= |accessdate=February 12, 2014 |archive-date=February 9, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209172909/http://jamthehype.com/mahogany-jones-lover-fighter-pure-intentions/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and arts educator with InsideOut Literary Arts.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://insideoutdetroit.org/about/writers-in-residence/ |title=Writers-in-Residence – InsideOut Literary Arts Project |website=Insideoutdetroit.org |date= |accessdate=February 12, 2014 |archive-date=February 19, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140219205631/http://insideoutdetroit.org/about/writers-in-residence/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://insideoutdetroit.org/who-understands-me-but-me-a-youth-voices-conference/ |title=Who Understands Me But Me? A Youth Voices Conference. – InsideOut Literary Arts Project |website=Insideoutdetroit.org |date=December 28, 2013 |accessdate=February 12, 2014 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Born in Mt. Vernon, New York, United States, she later moved to California as a child, then back to New York City before deciding to permanently reside in Detroit, Michigan in 2004. She is most noted for her appearance on BET's ''106 & Park'' Freestyle Fridays as the first four-time undefeated champion in 2001.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-07-30 |title=Globe-Trotting Performer Mahogany Jones Calls Detroit Home » WDET 101.9 FM |url=https://wdet.org/2021/07/30/globe-trotting-performer-mahogany-jones-calls-detroit-home/ |access-date=2022-06-29 |language=en-US |archive-date=January 15, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250115061947/https://wdet.org/2021/07/30/globe-trotting-performer-mahogany-jones-calls-detroit-home/ |url-status=live }}</ref> She is also known around the world as a Hip-hop Ambassador having served as a cultural ambassador<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.washdiplomat.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8825:american-music-abroad-cultivates-next-generation-of-voices&catid=1496&Itemid=508 |title=American Music Abroad Cultivates Next Generation of Voices |website=Washdiplomat.com |date=December 27, 2012 |accessdate=February 12, 2014 |archive-date=February 22, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222144134/https://www.washdiplomat.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8825:american-music-abroad-cultivates-next-generation-of-voices&catid=1496&Itemid=508 |url-status=live }}</ref> with American Music Abroad<ref>{{cite web|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2012/09/197546.htm |title=U.S. Department of State Announces American Music Abroad Tour to Africa |website=State.gov |date=September 10, 2012 |accessdate=February 12, 2014}}</ref> and other programs under the United States Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs in 2012<ref>{{cite web |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2012/03/185512.htm |title=U.S. Department of State and American Voices Announce 2012- 2013 American Music Abroad Participants |website=State.gov |date=March 9, 2012 |accessdate=February 12, 2014 |archive-date=April 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417110728/https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2012/03/185512.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Montemurri |first=Patricia |url=http://www.freep.com/article/20120925/ENT04/120925044/Mahogany%20Jones%20LIVE%20Africa%20State%20Department%20music%20ambassador |title=Music | Detroit Free Press |website=Freep.com |date= |accessdate=February 12, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dearbornfreepress.com/2012/11/28/mahogany-jones-returns-from-african-music-tour/ |title=Mahogany Jones Returns From African Music Tour |website=Dearbornfreepress.com |date=November 28, 2012 |accessdate=February 12, 2014 |archive-date=February 22, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222153605/http://www.dearbornfreepress.com/2012/11/28/mahogany-jones-returns-from-african-music-tour/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and 2013.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://erbillifestyle.com/art-a-museums/item/177-yes-academy-iraq-20-30-june |title=Yes Academy Iraq 20–30 June |publisher=Erbil Lifestyle |date=June 30, 2013 |accessdate=February 12, 2014 |archive-date=February 22, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222100619/http://erbillifestyle.com/art-a-museums/item/177-yes-academy-iraq-20-30-june |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://saopaulo.usconsulate.gov/events/hip_hop.html |title=Events | Consulate General of the United States Sao Paulo, Brazil |website=Saopaulo.usconsulate.gov |date=January 3, 2014 |accessdate=February 12, 2014}}</ref>
== Freestyle Friday == The test of her skills as an emcee and her rise to notoriety came when Toni Blackman suggested that Mahogany Jones compete in a rap battle on the cable network BET's program ''106 & Park'' in a new segment known as Freestyle Friday. Prior to Jones, there had been no female rappers that managed to compete without losing. Feeling the pressure, Mahogany made a bargain with God before appearing on the show to use her new emcee skills to glorify him if he allowed her to win. To everyone's amazement, but her own, she won her battle, not once, but four times in a row. However, to uphold her promise to God, Jones stepped away from the competition leaving the show as the only four time undefeated champion and first undefeated female champion.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-07-30 |title=Globe-Trotting Performer Mahogany Jones Calls Detroit Home » WDET 101.9 FM |url=https://wdet.org/2021/07/30/globe-trotting-performer-mahogany-jones-calls-detroit-home/ |access-date=2022-06-29 |language=en-US}}</ref>
== Music ambassador == January 2012, at the behest of her mentor, Toni Blackman, Mahogany Jones applied for American Music Abroad, a cultural diplomacy program built on the legacy of the Jazz Ambassadors program and facilitated by American Voices on behalf of the U.S. State Department. Jones assembled a four-person ensemble called Mahogany Jones- Live with Lauren "L Boog" Johnson on percussion, Rosalyn Welch as background vocalist, DJ Sean Blu, who is a Pepsi DJ, and herself as the headliner and main vocalist. The group was one of 12 ensembles selected out of nearly 300 applicants<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.deadlinedetroit.com/articles/2025#.Uv0WdfldV5J |title=Eastpointe Hip-Hop Artist Headed to Africa As State Department Music Ambassador – Deadline Detroit |website=Deadlinedetroit.com |date= |accessdate=February 13, 2014 |archive-date=February 25, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140225100446/http://www.deadlinedetroit.com/articles/2025#.Uv0WdfldV5J |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.firstpost.com/topic/place/zambia-mahogany-jones-on-fox-2-detroit-morning-news-video-5PaD68tsdDE-3420-14.html |title=Mahogany Jones on Fox 2 Detroit Morning News - Zambia Videos |page=14 |website=Firstpost.com |date= |accessdate=February 13, 2014 |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924162337/http://www.firstpost.com/topic/place/zambia-mahogany-jones-on-fox-2-detroit-morning-news-video-5PaD68tsdDE-3420-14.html |url-status=live }}</ref> to travel abroad and represent the nation. Mahogany Jones-Live performed in Washington, D.C. as part of their tour before flying to Africa to perform in Botswana, Uganda, Rwanda, Zambia, and Ethiopia. While there, Jones taught workshops<ref>{{cite web |url=http://in2eastafrica.net/us-hip-hop-group-on-rwanda-tour/ |title=US Hip-hop group on Rwanda tour |website=In2eastafrica.net |date= |accessdate=February 13, 2014 |archive-date=February 21, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140221223541/http://in2eastafrica.net/us-hip-hop-group-on-rwanda-tour/ |url-status=live }}</ref> with local artists, headlined the Amaka Arts Festival<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.smsmedia.co.zm/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1987:all-set-for-amaka-arts-festival&catid=49:ebtertainment&Itemid=113 |title=All set for Amaka Arts Festival |website=Smsmedia.co.zm |date=October 8, 2012 |accessdate=February 13, 2014 |archive-date=February 22, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222174305/http://www.smsmedia.co.zm/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1987:all-set-for-amaka-arts-festival&catid=49:ebtertainment&Itemid=113 |url-status=live }}</ref> in Zambia, appeared on radio shows, performed for students as Livingstone-Kolobeng College and National University of Rwanda,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://rwanda.usembassy.gov/news_1019-262012.html |title=American Hip Hop musicians in Kigali | Embassy of the United States Kigali, Rwanda |website=Rwanda.usembassy.gov |date=February 25, 2013 |accessdate=February 13, 2014 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newtimes.co.rw/news/index.php?i=15155&a=59918 |title=US Hip-hop group on Rwanda tour - The New Times Rwanda |website=Newtimes.co.rw |date=October 24, 2012 |accessdate=February 13, 2014 |archive-date=February 22, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222133907/http://www.newtimes.co.rw/news/index.php?i=15155&a=59918 |url-status=live }}</ref> as well as for dignitaries and Vice President of Zambia and his family.
In 2013, American Voices asked Jones to serve as a performer - instructor with their Y.E.S. Academy in Iraq, Jones taught hip-hop theater and emceeing classes alongside Broadway performer, Michael Parks and break dancer, Cricket.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://erbillifestyle.com/art-a-museums/item/177-yes-academy-iraq-20-30-june |title=Yes Academy Iraq 20–30 June |publisher=Erbil Lifestyle |date=June 30, 2013 |accessdate=February 13, 2014 |archive-date=February 22, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222100619/http://erbillifestyle.com/art-a-museums/item/177-yes-academy-iraq-20-30-june |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://iraq.usembassy.gov/pr-070813.html |title=Press Releases | Embassy of the United States Baghdad, Iraq |website=Iraq.usembassy.gov |date=July 8, 2013 |accessdate=February 13, 2014 |archive-date=February 22, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222134004/http://iraq.usembassy.gov/pr-070813.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The academy was located in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, however Mahogany also performed at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq during the trip.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-07-30 |title=Globe-Trotting Performer Mahogany Jones Calls Detroit Home » WDET 101.9 FM |url=https://wdet.org/2021/07/30/globe-trotting-performer-mahogany-jones-calls-detroit-home/ |access-date=2022-06-29 |language=en-US |archive-date=January 15, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250115061947/https://wdet.org/2021/07/30/globe-trotting-performer-mahogany-jones-calls-detroit-home/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Discography== ===Albums=== * ''Morphed (2008)'' <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/morphed-mw0001268497|title=Morphed - Mahogany Jones - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic|website=AllMusic|accessdate=August 6, 2018|archive-date=August 7, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180807064755/https://www.allmusic.com/album/morphed-mw0001268497|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://amvoices.org/ama/ensembles/mahogany-jones-live/|title=Mahogany Jones|date=April 18, 2012|website=Amvoices.org|accessdate=August 6, 2018|archive-date=August 7, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180807033503/http://amvoices.org/ama/ensembles/mahogany-jones-live/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newreleasetoday.com/albumdetail.php?album_id=7846|title=Morphed by Mahogany Jones - CD Reviews And Information - NewReleaseToday|website=Newreleasetoday.com|accessdate=August 6, 2018|archive-date=August 7, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180807064035/https://www.newreleasetoday.com/albumdetail.php?album_id=7846|url-status=live}}</ref> * ''Pure, Vol. 1 (2014)'' <ref>{{cite web|url=http://wadeoradio.com/mahogany-jones-yunion-pure-vol-1-full-interview/|title=Mahogany Jones of The Yuinon 'Pure Vol. 1' Full Interview - Wade-O Radio|website=Wadeoradio.com|accessdate=August 6, 2018|archive-date=August 7, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180807033248/http://wadeoradio.com/mahogany-jones-yunion-pure-vol-1-full-interview/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iheart.com/artist/mahogany-jones-35828/songs/pure-feat-chris-lawson-kris-johnson-24129100/|title=Listen Free to Mahogany Jones - Pure (feat. Chris Lawson & Kris Johnson) Radio|website=IheartRadio|accessdate=August 6, 2018|archive-date=August 7, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180807094220/https://www.iheart.com/artist/mahogany-jones-35828/songs/pure-feat-chris-lawson-kris-johnson-24129100/|url-status=live}}</ref> * ''Sugar Water (2016)'' <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://therealhip-hop.com/mahogany-jones-sugar-water/|title=Mahogany Jones: Sugar Water | The Real Hip-Hop|first=Sherron|last=Shabazz|date=February 27, 2017|access-date=September 2, 2019|archive-date=September 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190902210337/https://therealhip-hop.com/mahogany-jones-sugar-water/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://respect-mag.com/2016/08/mahogany-jones-releases-sugar-water-watch/|title=Mahogany Jones Releases 'Sugar Water' [LISTEN]|date=August 22, 2016|access-date=September 2, 2019|archive-date=September 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190902210337/https://respect-mag.com/2016/08/mahogany-jones-releases-sugar-water-watch/|url-status=live}}</ref> * Floating (2020)<ref>{{Citation |title=Floating by Mahogany Jones |date=2020-11-27 |url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/floating/1541887897 |language=en-US |access-date=2022-06-29 |archive-date=February 25, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250225155000/https://music.apple.com/us/album/floating/1541887897 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sande |first=Shirquille |date=2020-12-02 |title=Mahogany Jones - The Floating EP - Holy Culture |url=https://holyculture.net/mahoganyjones_thefloatingep/ |access-date=2022-06-29 |website=holyculture.net |language=en-US |archive-date=September 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210924150106/https://holyculture.net/mahoganyjones_thefloatingep/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
===Compilations=== * ''Bridge Wars'' (Queensbridge Records) 2011<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.queensbridgerecords.com/p/bridgewars.html|title=Bridge Wars|website=Queensbridgerecords.com|accessdate=August 6, 2018|archive-date=August 7, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180807032951/http://www.queensbridgerecords.com/p/bridgewars.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Bridge-Wars-Various-Artists/dp/B006GX5ZK0/|title=Bridge Wars|date=December 1, 2011|website=Amazon.com|accessdate=August 6, 2018|archive-date=June 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180604222528/https://www.amazon.com/Bridge-Wars-Various-Artists/dp/B006GX5ZK0/|url-status=live}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Mahogany}} Category:Living people Category:1978 births Category:21st-century American rappers Category:21st-century American women rappers