Sudanese-Canadian poet, singer, songwriter and filmmaker Mustafa the Poet, just Mustafa as of late, is featured on one of four covers for Dazed Magazine‘s Spring 2022 issue. The theme of the new issue is “New Heritage” and explores “what to do with our shared and personal heritage, and the ways history can be a canvas for creativity.”

Dazed Magazine is a widely popular British pop culture magazine founded in 1991. It covers the latest names and topics in music, style & fashion, film, art, and literature and is published about 6 times a year. The photos for Mustafa’s shoot were taken by Paolo Roversi and the outfits were styled by Dazed‘s fashion director, Imruh Asha.

Mustafa’s prominence in poetry began at the age of 12, with his celebrated, award winning poem “A Single Rose” that kickstarted his creative career. In recent years, he has crafted poetry for the fashion giant Valentino, been named poet laureate for the 2015 Toronto Pan American Games, written songs for artists like The Weeknd, and released his debut album, When Smoke Rises, just last year. In the accompanying cover story article, Mustafa talks about his journey in poetry and music in Toronto, grief from the harrowing experience of losing a close friend to gun violence, how he embraces his Sudanese heritage through his art, and much more.

You can read the full cover story here and see some of our favorite photos below.