Louisiana rapper Mystikal has experienced great highs and horrible lows in his career.
Most recently, the former No Limit soldier was caught up in a #MeToo scandal— deterring his hopes to get back on the chart. Over the last few days, his side of the story has emerged. The rapper is not only reflective of his career, but also his faith, and his future.
The “Shake it Fast” rapper told the Associated Press, “When I look back and listen to the music, man — I was a nasty lil’ rapper!”
“A lot of my music now, I imagine myself rapping it to God and if I can rap it, I’m proud,” he continued.
His tune has changed since the 1990s when he burst on the scene. Perhaps his criminal past added to his shift in his mindset. In 2003 Mystikal, whose real name is Michael Lawrence Tyler, pled guilty to a sexual battery charge. For this crime, he served six years in prison and was finally released in 2010.
Then by 2016, he was accused of first-degree rape and second-degree kidnapping.
Those charges too were dismissed … albeit four years later. The case seemed shaky from jump. The rapper says that after his “Legends of Southern Hip-Hop” in Shreveport, Louisiana, he went out partying and had sex with a woman.
He contends that the woman was there with her boyfriend. He said the woman claimed she was raped instead of admitting that she cheated on her man.
Britney Green worked on the case for the District Attorney’s office and was familiar with the case.
“We then decided that the case needed to stop there because the (second) grand jury did not return an indictment after the review of the additional evidence.”
“We never want to be a part of any process that has an innocent person tied up in the criminal justice process,” Green continues. “I just want to say that there is a distinction between not guilty and innocent, and that also because the case is dismissed or a case is resolved in a fashion other than at trial, that it doesn’t necessarily mean that an incident did not happen.”
The cloud was lifted and almost immediately after the charges were dropped and he said that stuff started popping again.
According to the AP article, the song “Feel Right,” a hit song that he and Mark Ronson put out in 2015, placed on the “Coming2America” soundtrack was a sign that maybe things were going to get better.
“It felt like God was winking his eye at me,” the award-winning songwriter said. “That’s what strengthens my spirituality right now, things like that.”
When asked about his future and if his fans will accept him back, he said, “I can’t do nothing about that, but I try to understand where they’re coming from. At this point in age, I’m just grateful to still be able to participate. At my concerts, man, I still (have a) packed house after all this time. It’s amazing.”
“I don’t do the groupies on the road (anymore),” he declared. “I don’t perform at the show and get the ladies (excited) and get her all goo-goo eyed and take advantage (of being a celebrity) … That was a young Mystikal.”