(HKR-09-02-22) Bay Area artist Mystic is a long-time fixture in the music scene who has quietly but impactfully made her presence felt. She’s an educator who recently obtained her Masters from Oxford, an activist, and a grammy nominated artist who has two critically acclaimed albums that could be released today and would resonate with folks.
‘Cuts for Luck and Scars for Freedom’ is a masterpiece that many feel has been understated when discussing great Hip Hop albums. Songs like ‘Girlfriend, Sista Girl’, ‘Fatherless Child’, and the lead single, ‘The Life’ were in many ways ahead of their time.
The 2014 album Beautiful Resistance is one people are still ‘discovering’ with slapping cuts like ‘Higher Ground‘ and introspective joints like ‘Absence of Color’ and the title track ‘Beautiful Resistance‘ still hitting at our emotions and hearts years later.
Mystic’s new project ‘Dreaming in Cursive, the Girl Who Liked Sparklers’ reminds us that Mystic is a stellar songwriter, socially and politically astute, and has serious bars…Her anthem-type song and the accompanying video ‘We Are the People (All Around the World)‘, is heartfelt, sobering, and inspiring. She delivers a trilogy of songs ‘Here Alive (Spirits High)‘, ‘Butter (Green Light)‘, and ‘Always Love (Always)’ that celebrate Black Love which will have many wanting to listen over and over again.
In our interview, we cover a variety of topics centering around the love themes on the album to the changing political and social landscape, and how Mystic has managed to survive and thrive…
Loved the interview. You touched on so much trauma, loss, activism, spreading love and human connection. Love the conversation and you.