The African American Folklorist for the Month of February

Indigenous Soul Music: Mahoganee & Mr Bounce Back Sound Griots of the Lowcountry

Interviewed By: Lamont Jack Pearley

For February’s African American Folklorist feature, I sat down with Mahoganee, the Gullah/Geechee Lowcountry “Sea Island Songbird,” and her husband/producer André “Mr. Bounce Back” Amigér for a conversation rooted in heritage, sound, and responsibility. Together they create what they call Indigenous Soul Music—a trans-Atlantic blend of jazz (Black classical), funk, blues, hip-hop, and West African/Caribbean influence shaped by Gullah/Geechee cultural memory.

In this interview, Mahoganee and Mr. Bounce Back speak on being Sound Griots and Sound Healers, using voice and creativity as tools of liberation, wellness, and cultural preservation. We explore how their artistry connects to land and water stewardship, and how their nonprofit Responsible ARTistry, Inc., mentors youth through arts education, leadership development, self-awareness, and community care. Mahoganee also shares how Afro-futurist ideas—time travel, portals, and the belief that “the South is a portal”—are guiding her newest work and expanding the possibilities of what roots music can hold.