About Elevate & Motivate

Elevate & Motivate (E&M) is a brand and organization dedicated to the amplification and celebration of Black Muslim voices across many walks of life. E&M simultaneously specializes in the fields of education and in music, often fusing the two in beautiful and digestible ways.

Whether seeking educational consulting or a hip-hop album that breaks every stereotype about the genre of today, look no further, because you have arrived at the watering hole.

Email E&M.

Meet the Makers

E&M is a family business, created and run by two brothers.


  • Co-Founder, CEO

    Taaj Davis is a Jamaican-American Muslim who grew up in Virginia. After earning his B.A. in American Studies from Kenyon College in 2019, Mr. Davis entered the field of education, teaching at Woodberry Forest School, while simultaneously earning his Master of Education from the University of Virginia in 2021.

    Mr. Davis has made a mark for himself in the field of education, not only by teaching history and coaching football at the high school level, but also by leading commendable efforts in the field of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. After building out a DEI program at Woodberry, he went on to share some of his work at conferences such as NAIS’s People of Color Conference and the Virginia Diversity Network Conference.

    Mr. Davis has also found footing in the world of entertainment, publishing his own music and starring as a co-host of The NuBlack Podcast. He released his second and most recent solo studio album, Coffee Black is Dead, in 2021.


  • Co-Founder, Artist

    Anwar Karim, also known by stage name Ice Karim is a nineteen year-old recording artist hailing from Northern Virginia. Born to two Caribbean parents, (Jamaican by his mother and St. Thomian by his father) Karim was exposed to all types of music growing up, but took a liking to hip-hop and its four elements. At age ten he began recording singles, which began to appear on SoundCloud in 2015. A few annual drops followed before the 2018 single “Breadwinnerz”, recorded alongside older brother and partner in rhyme Taajudeen fka Coffee Black. This marked the start of Elevate & Motivate LLC, which 2019’s Ice Coffee EP was released under. In 2020, through DJ EZ Street’s Academy DC, Karim appeared in the Safe Summer DC Showcase that June, for single and video “Safe Summer”. The song and video appeared on WUSA9 in August, just as Karim released two EPs. The first was The Current Situation with Taajudeen, followed by the solo effort Multifaceted two weeks later. 2021 saw Karim release “Amazing”, a song which came to fruition through winning the I Got Next Challenge, also powered by The Academy DC. As winner, Karim got to work with Tobari Fingal who produced and engineered the track, as well as HumbleMonarchs DJ, producer, videographer, and creative wiz DJ Roddy Rod. The video was played in 250+ DTLR stores across the country, and earned Karim an interview on DTLR radio with host King Flexxa. In May of 2021, Karim teamed up with outwestINC for solo project Ayah’s Sun. The ten-track effort plays like a story, documenting different stages of Karim’s upbringing, featuring social commentary and insightful lyrics from a young passionate emcee. 2022 was a quiet year, but the young God emcee still made sure he was heard. 3-Peat arrived in November and was a trifecta of infectious beats and hypnotizing rhymes. All tracks (“Seasons”, “’04 Aziatic”, “Tuff Kufi”) were produced, mixed, and mastered by none other than outwestINC. Karim closed 2022 with a short and sweet single titled “Reminiscing’”, produced by Morehouse brother and fellow musician Miles Anim-Appiah. ProducedByDahm put a butter smooth mix on a thick soul-chop which Karim floated effortlessly on. Karim is currently working on the follow up to Ayah’s Sun, I AM A MAN, which will again be entirely produced by outwestINC. The album details his experiences as a Black Muslim man growing up in a predominantly white neighborhood and private school. The lyrics go deeper into his personal life than ever before, but also speak to the larger ongoing struggle for liberation that Black people continue to fight every day. If Ayah’s Sun was Ice Karim peeling back the layers, this will be him giving listeners a deep dive into his mind, shoes, and spirit.