ABOUT
Khari Mateen is a composer, producer, songwriter, string arranger, and multi-instrumentalist whose work bridges film, television, soul, hip-hop, R&B, pop, and experimental music. Known for his emotional storytelling and deep musical range, Mateen brings a distinctive voice to projects that move across culture, documentary, narrative film, and popular music.
Originally from Bakersfield, California, Mateen moved to Philadelphia at 17, where he began his career inside a vibrant community of musicians, producers, and artists. His first major credits came at 19, contributing to The Roots’ Grammy-nominated album Game Theory. He went on to contribute to Rising Down and the Grammy-nominated Undun, building an early résumé rooted in collaboration, live musicianship, and forward-thinking production.
Across his career, Mateen has worked with artists including Jill Scott, James Poyser, J*DaVeY, Son Little, Shaun Ross, Kiah Victoria, Cody Simpson, STS, RJD2, Teddy Swims, and many others.
In 2026, he contributed to Jill Scott’s To Whom This May Concern, her first full-length album in more than a decade, which includes collaborations with artists such as Too $hort, Ab-Soul, JID, and Tierra Whack. The release continues Mateen’s long creative connection to Philadelphia’s soul and hip-hop lineage while adding to his work in contemporary R&B.
Mateen has also collaborated with Teddy Swims as a multi-instrumentalist, producer, and string arranger. His credits include cello, percussion, background vocals, and string arrangement on “Goodbye’s Been Good to You,” as well as cello and string arrangement on “What More Can I Say.”
A versatile musician, Mateen sings and plays cello, bass, guitar, and drums. He has toured as a band member, bassist, vocalist, and musical director, including serving as Cody Simpson’s musical director. Alongside his work as a collaborator and producer, he has released several solo projects and a collaborative album with Atlanta rapper STS.
In 2008, Mateen expanded into film and television composition with his first feature film, Explicit Ills. He later collaborated with Emmy-winning producer Marc Levin on the Sundance TV series Brick City, a Peabody Award-winning and Emmy-nominated project. Since then, he has scored acclaimed documentaries, films, and television series for major networks and platforms including Netflix, HBO, ESPN, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, PBS, CNN, Showtime, Apple TV+, and YouTube Originals.
His screen credits include Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal, LulaRich, Stockton on My Mind, Really Love, The Pharmacist, Fyre Fraud, Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story, Student Athlete, Time: The Kalief Browder Story, D. Wade: Life Unexpected, ACORN and the Firestorm, and We Could Be King.
Most recently, Mateen scored Hard Hat Riot for PBS’s American Experience and Jane Elliott Against the World, which premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. His recent work reflects a continued commitment to stories that examine culture, justice, identity, and the human experience through a sound that is both intimate and cinematic.
SELECTED WORK
Film & Television — Original Music
2026 — Soccer Meets America — Roku
2026 — Jane Elliott Against the World
2025 — Hard Hat Riot — PBS / American Experience
2024 — Stone Mountain
2024 — Homegrown
2023 — Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal — Netflix — with Danielle Furst
2022 — Bug Out — IMDb TV / Freevee — with Danielle Furst
2021 — Kevin Garnett: Anything Is Possible — Apple TV+
2021 — LulaRich — Amazon Prime Video — with Danielle Furst
2021 — The Price of Freedom — CNN
2021 — Really Love — Netflix
2020 — Stockton on My Mind — HBO
2020 — I Promise — YouTube Originals
2020 — D. Wade: Life Unexpected — ESPN
2020 — The Pharmacist — Netflix — with Danielle Furst
2020 — Vick — ESPN 30 for 30
2019 — The Violence Paradox — NOVA
2019 — Fyre Fraud — Hulu — with Danielle Furst
2018 — Student Athlete — HBO Sports
2018 — Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story — Paramount Network — with Danielle Furst
2017 — Time: The Kalief Browder Story — Netflix — with Danielle Furst
2017 — ACORN and the Firestorm- PBS
2016 — Keepers of the Game — Apple
2015 — Notes From Liberia
2014 — We Could Be King
2014 — Hell Week — ESPN
2014 — Chicagoland
2013 — Jersey Strong
2012 — Will Black America Decide the 2012 Election
2011 — Prayer for a Perfect Season
2011 — Case Sensitive
2009–2011 — Brick City
2008 — Explicit Ills
Albums & Artist Projects
Khari Mateen — Braving — 2018
STS x Khari Mateen — Better on a Sunday — 2018
Khari Mateen — Wishful Thinking — 2014
Khari Mateen — Wait for Sunrise — 2012
Khari Mateen — Khari EP — 2011
Credits
Teddy Swims — “Goodbye’s Been Good to You” — cello, percussion, background vocals, string arrangement
Teddy Swims — “What More Can I Say” — cello, string arrangement
Performance Credits
2018 — “Cabin” — Goody Grace — cello
2018 — “Pretend” — Goody Grace — cello
2016 — “Feeling Whitney” — Post Malone — cello
2016 — The Rocky Horror Picture Show — bass guitar
2015 — Free — Cody Simpson — bass
2013 — “See You Leave” — RJD2 — vocals
2010 — “Beautiful” — Vivian Green — cello
Production & Collaboration Credits
Jill Scott — To Whom This May Concern — 2026
STS x Khari Mateen — Better on a Sunday — 2018
Nao Yoshioka — The Truth — 2016
Son Little — “Toes” — co-production — 2015
Tess Henley — High Heels & Sneakers — 2013
Jill Scott — The Light of the Sun — 2011
The Roots — Undun — 2011
JDaVeY — Boudoir Synema: The Great Mistapes — 2009
The Roots — Rising Down — 2008
J*DaVeY — The Beauty in Distortion / The Land of the Lost — 2007
Jill Scott — The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol. 3 — 2007
Skillz — “Crazy World” — 2007
The Roots — Game Theory — 2006
Commercial & Brand Work
Sprite / The FADER — original music
American Eagle — Live Your Life Project — music producer
Musical Direction
Cody Simpson — 2014–2015
Fundamental Films — China — 2008–2010