Mandolyn Wind Ludlum (born March 28, 1974), better known by her stage name Mystic, is an American singer and rapper from the

San Francisco Bay San Francisco Bay is a large tidal estuary in the U.S. state of California, and gives its name to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is dominated by the big cities of San Francisco, San Jose, and Oakland. San Francisco Bay drains water f ...

Area.Birchmeier, Jason
Mystic Biography
,

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

, retrieved 2012-01-24 After touring and recording with

Digital Underground Digital Underground was an American alternative hip hop group from Oakland, California. Their personnel changed and rotated with each album and tour. Digital Underground's leader and mainstay was Gregory " Shock G" Jacobs (also known as Humpty H ...

she released her debut solo album in 2001.

Biography

Born Mandolyn Wind Ludlum on a

hippie A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to different countries around ...

commune in

Lower Lake, California Lower Lake (formerly Grantville) is a census-designated place (CDP) in the southern Clear Lake region of Lake County, in northern California. Lower Lake is also an Indian rancheria of the Koi Nation people. Geography Lower Lake is located 4.5 ...

to a white mother and African-American father, she was raised by her mother after her parents split up when she was three years old (an experience she explores in her song "Fatherless Child").Chonin, Neva (2002)
Going 360 degrees: Mystic turns her pain into acclaimed album
, ''

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H. de Young. The pa ...

'', February 3, 2002, retrieved 2012-01-26Lentz, Andrew (2002)
Mystic Moods
, ''

LA Weekly ''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin, who served as president and editor until 1991. Voice Media Group sold the paper in late 2017 to Semanal Media LLC, whose par ...

'', June 19, 2002, retrieved 2012-01-26 She grew up in rural California,

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...

, and

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

before settling in her eventual home base,

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the ...

.Brown, Ann (2001)
On the Verge: Mystic
, ''

CMJ New Music Monthly CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events and online media company, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music Monthly'' and ''CMJ New Music Report''. Th ...

'', July 2001, p. 38, retrieved 2012-01-24 She began taking part in MC Battles in the Bay Area in the early 1990s. After dropping out of high school in 1991, she began teaching art in 1996, and also began her recording career, her version of "Gloomy Sunday" appearing on the soundtrack to Abel Ferrara's film '' The Funeral''.Keast, Darren (2001)
Into The Mystic
, ''

SF Weekly ''SF Weekly'' was a free alternative weekly newspaper founded in the 1970s in San Francisco, California. It was distributed every Thursday, and was published by the San Francisco Print Media Company. The paper has won national journalism awards, ...

'', July 25, 2001, retrieved 2012-01-25Baker, Soren (2001)
Mystic Uses Age To Her Advantage On Album
,

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

, April 19, 2001, retrieved 2012-01-25 Early on in her musical career, she collaborated with fellow female producer The Angel and toured with Digital Underground between 1997 and 1999, appearing on Digital Underground's ''Who Got The Gravy'' album under the name DU Goddess.Kenon, Marci (2001)
Mystic Doesn't Mince Her Words
, ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

'', June 2, 2001, p. 51, retrieved 2012-01-24Capobianco, Ken (2001) "Hip-Hop Her Way Without the Attitude, Mystic Gives Fans Music That Matters", ''

Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Gl ...

'', September 21, 2001, p. C14 She worked as a writer for Rude Gal Music before establishing herself as a solo artist. She signed a solo contract with Goodvibe Recordings in 1999 (signing on the same day her father died of a heroin overdose) after label co-chair Matt Kahane heard her on a

mixtape A mixtape (alternatively mix-tape, mix tape or mixed tape) is a compilation of music, typically from multiple sources, recorded onto a medium. With origins in the 1980s, the term normally describes a homemade compilation of music onto a cassette ...

Bahamadia Antonia D. Reed (born April 22, 1966), known professionally as Bahamadia, is an American hip-hop artist and singer. Bahamadia released her debut album, '' Kollage'', in 1996, followed by the independently released EP ''BB Queen'' in 2000. She ...

.Mitchell, Gail (2001)
Mystic and Her Quest for Goodvibe's 'Freedom'
, ''

'', November 24, 2001, p. 13, retrieved 2012-01-26 She worked with respected underground hip-hop producers including Shock G and A-Plus on her 2001 critically acclaimed debut album, ''

Cuts for Luck and Scars for Freedom ''Cuts for Luck and Scars for Freedom'' is the debut album by Mystic, released on June 19, 2001 through GoodVibe Recordings and JCOR Entertainment. The album elicited highly positive reviews from critics, who praised the album's lyrics and theme ...

'', which was labelled as "conscious rap" and saw her receiving comparisons with

Lauryn Hill Lauryn Noelle Hill (born May 26, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer. She is often regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, as well as being one of the most influential musicians of her generation. ...

.Mendez Berry, Elizabeth (2003)
Back to Life
, ''

Vibe ''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down producti ...

'', June 2003, p. 106-110, retrieved 2012-01-24Baker, Soren (2001) "MYSTIC, Cuts for Luck and Scars for Freedom", ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...

'', July 29, 2001, p. 1 (Calendar/Entertainment)Conaway, Matt
''Cuts for Luck and Scars for Freedom'' Review
,

, retrieved 2012-01-24Allen, Kyle (2001)
Mystic ''Cuts for Luck and Scars for Freedom''
, ''

'', August 2001, p. 74, retrieved 2012-01-24Hageman, Lisa (2001)
The Year in Hip Hop
, ''CMJ New Music Report'', December 2001, p. 20-21, retrieved 2012-01-24 She participated in the summer 2001 Tree of Life tour with her labelmates to promote the album, whose lead single, "The Life", was featured in the

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

show '' The Life'' and a commercial for

Bud Light Anheuser-Busch, a wholly owned subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, is the largest brewing company in the United States, with a market share of 45 percent in 2016. The company operates 12 breweries in the United States and nearly 20 in oth ...

in 2004. She also toured with

The Black Eyed Peas Black Eyed Peas (also known as The Black Eyed Peas) is an American musical group consisting of rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo (rapper), Taboo. The group's line-up during the height of their popularity in the 2000s featured Fergie (singer ...

in 2001. The album track "W" featuring her collaboration with

Planet Asia Jason Cullen Green (born October 24, 1976), better known as Planet Asia, is a rapper from Fresno, California. He is prominent for being one half of the now reunited hip-hop duo the Cali Agents and is currently a member of the groups Gold Chain ...

was nominated for a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

in 2001 for the brand new category, at the time, of Best Rap/Song Collaboration.Keast, Darren (2002)
Smooth Operator
, ''

'', November 20, 2002, retrieved 2012-01-24 Mystic was also nominated for a

BET Award The BET Awards is an American award show that was established in 2001 by the Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate black entertainers and other minorities in music, film, sports and philanthropy. The awards, which are presented annua ...

in 2002 in the ' Best female hip-hop artist' category.Aaliyah Tops BET Awards Nominations
, ''

'', retrieved 2012-01-26 The album was reissued with five extra tracks in 2003 on the DreamWorks label, including two new tracks produced by

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

, one a collaboration with

Mos Def Yasiin Bey (; born Dante Terrell Smith, December 11, 1973), previously and more commonly known by his stage name Mos Def (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. His hip hop career began in 1994, alongside his siblings in the s ...

.Koslow, Jessica (2003)
Mystic ''Cuts for Luck and Scars for Freedom''
, ''

'', June 2003, p. 43, retrieved 2012-01-24 As of early 2007, Mystic was on a European tour along with fellow artists Dave Ghetto,

Hezekiah Hezekiah (; hbo, , Ḥīzqīyyahū), or Ezekias); grc, Ἐζεκίας 'Ezekías; la, Ezechias; also transliterated as or ; meaning "Yahweh, Yah shall strengthen" (born , sole ruler ), was the son of Ahaz and the 13th king of Kingdom of Jud ...

, and DJ Munch and working on her second album. In August 2011, ''Cuts for Luck and Scars for Freedom'' was released as a digital download for the first time via

Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch–American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

, with a website also opened featuring stories from fans related to the album.Horowitz, Steven J. (2011)
Mystic To Reissue Debut "Cuts For Luck And Scars For Freedom” To Digital Retail
, HipHopDX, July 6, 2011, retrieved 2012-01-25 Mystic currently serves as the Bay Area Coordinator for the Hip Hop Caucus, a non-profit organization that aims to promote political activism for young U.S. voters using hip-hop music and culture.Hip Hop Caucus (2017)
Hip Hop Caucus: Team
Hip Hop Caucus, retrieved 2017-06-04

Discography

Albums

* ''

'' (2001), Goodvibe - US #170,Charts & Awards
Allmusic, retrieved 2012-01-24 reissued (2003), DreamWorks * ''Cuts for Luck and Scars for Freedom (Learning to Breath)'' (2003), Goodvibe, DreamWorks * ''Beautiful Resistance'' (2014), Beautiful Soundworks * ''Dreaming In Cursive: The Girl Who Loved Sparklers'' (2022), Beautiful Soundworks/Soulspazm

Singles

* "Current Events" (2000), GoodVibe * "The Life" (2001), GoodVibe * "The Life" remix by

Erik Rico Erik Rico is an American musician, singer, songwriter, producer, and DJ. Biography Erik Rico was born in North Carolina and raised between New York and North Carolina. In 1997, Erik Rico was signed by Columbia Records executive Randy Jackson ...

(2001), GoodVibe - featuring

Talib Kweli Talib Kweli Greene (; born October 3, 1975) is an American rapper. He earned recognition early on through his collaboration with fellow Brooklyn rapper Mos Def in 1997, when they formed the group Black Star. Kweli's musical career continued with ...

& Kam * "Girlfriend Sistagirl" (2001), GoodVibe - promo-only * "Elusive Freedom" / "The Judas Factor" (2001), Raptivism * "No Competition" (2003), DreamWorks/GoodVibe * "Breathe (Better Days)" (2003), DreamWorks/GoodVibe - featuring Donell Jones * "The Forecast" (2004), GoodVibe * "OK...Alright" (2006), Supa Crucial - digital download only

Compilation appearances

* ''The Funeral: Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture'' (1996), BMG/Critique - "Gloomy Sunday" * ''The New Groove: The Blue Note Remix Project'' (1996), Blue Note - "Kofi" * ''Dark Angel - The Original TV Series Soundtrack'' (2002), Artemis/ Epic - "The Life" * ''MTV2 Handpicked'' (2002), Columbia - "The Life" * ''Biker Boyz: Music From The Motion Picture'' (2002), DreamWorks - "No Competition" * ''Underground Airplay Version 1.0'' (2001), Rawkus - "Current Events" * Budweiser commercial (20??), - "The Life"

Contributions

* The Conscious Daughters - ''

Gamers A gamer is a proactive hobbyist who plays interactive games, especially video games, tabletop role-playing games, and skill-based card games, and who plays for usually long periods of time. Some gamers are competitive, meaning they routinely ...

'' (1996)

Priority Records Priority Records is an American distribution company and record label known for artists including N.W.A, Ice-T, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Big L, Silkk the Shocker and Westside Connection. It also distributed hip hop record labels including Death Row ...

- vocals on "It Don't Stop" and "All Star Freestyle", background vocals on "Who Got Da Mic" and "TCD Fo' Life (West Coast Bomb)" *

- ''Who Got the Gravy?'' (1998), Jake/ Interscope - vocals on "April Showers" * Kam - '' Kamnesia'' (2001), JCOR Records, vocals on "Bang Bang" and "What I Look Like" * Maroon 5 - ''

Songs About Jane ''Songs About Jane'' is the debut studio album by American pop rock band Maroon 5. The album was released on June 25, 2002, by Octone and J Records. It became a sleeper hit with the help of five singles that attained chart success, including " H ...

'' (2002), Octone/

J Records J Records was an American record label owned and operated by Bertelsmann Music Group until it was transferred to Sony Music Entertainment when they acquired all of BMG’s record labels in late 2008. It was distributed through the RCA Music Gro ...

- background vocals on " Sunday Morning" * Dave Ghetto – "Hey Young World Pt. 2" (2005), Counterflow - vocals on "Hey Young World Pt. 2" *

Ras Kass John R. Austin II (born September 26, 1973), better known by his stage name Ras Kass, is an American rapper. He is a member of the hip hop supergroup The HRSMN, along with Canibus, Killah Priest, and Kurupt in 2014. He is also a member of the ...

- '' Institutionalized'' (2005), Re-Up Entertainment - vocals on "Unconditional" *

Aceyalone Edwin Maximilian "Eddie" Hayes, Jr. (born September 30, 1970), better known by his stage name Aceyalone, is an American rapper from Los Angeles, California, United States. He is a member of Freestyle Fellowship, Haiku D'Etat and The A-Team. He is ...

- " Grand Imperial (album)" (2006), Project Blowed/Decon-vocals on "Everything Changes" * Waxolutionists - ''We Paint Colors'' (2009), Sunshine Enterprises - vocals on "Dance With Me" & "Feet Don't Fail Me"

DVD

* ''Soundz of Spirit'' (2003) - documentary film

References

External links

*
True Skool Bio
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mystic African-American women rappers Rappers from the San Francisco Bay Area Living people 20th-century African-American women singers American hip hop singers Underground rappers 1974 births 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American women musicians 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American musicians 21st-century women rappers