Career
Born in Mountain. Vernon, New York, 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 also known around the world as a Hip-hop Ambassador having served as a cultural ambassador with American Music Abroad and other programs under the United States Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs in 2012 and 2013. 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 Black Entertainment Television"s program 106 & Park in a new segment known as Prior to Jones, there had been no female rappers that managed to compete without losing.
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 United States. State Department.
Jones assembled a four-person ensemble called Mahogany JonesLive with Lauren "L Boog" Johnson on percussion, Rosalyn Welch as background vocalist, DJ Sean Blu, who is an award winning Pepsi DJ, and herself as the headliner and main vocalist. The group was one of 12 ensembles selected out of nearly 300 applicants to travel abroad and represent the nation.
Mahogany Jones-Live performed in Washington, District of Columbia as part of their tour before flying to Africa to perform in Botswana, Uganda, Rwanda, Zambia, and Ethiopia. While there, Jones taught workshops with local artists, headlined the Amaka Arts Festival in Zambia, appeared on radio shows, performed for students as Livingstone-Kolobeng College and National University of Rwanda, 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 world renown break dancer, Cricket.
The academy was located in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, however Mahogany also performed at the United States. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq during the trip.
