Mystic (singer)

Born Mandolyn Wind Ludlum on a hippie commune in Lower Lake, California 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").[4][5] She grew up in rural California, Hawaii, Mexico, and Oregon before settling in her eventual home base, Oakland, California.[6][7][8]

She began taking part in MC Battles in the Bay Area in the early 1990s.[5] 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.[7][9][10]

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.[6][11] She worked as a writer for Rude Gal Music before establishing herself as a solo artist.[6]

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 by Bahamadia.[4][12] 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, which was labelled as "conscious rap" and saw her receiving comparisons with Lauryn Hill.[3][7][13][14][15][16] She participated in the summer 2001 Tree of Life tour with her labelmates to promote the album,[3][6] whose lead single, "The Life", was featured in the ESPN show The Life and a commercial for Bud Light in 2004. She also toured with The Black Eyed Peas in 2001.[12]

The album track "W" featuring her collaboration with Planet Asia was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2001 for the brand new category, at the time, of Best Rap/Song Collaboration.[7][17] Mystic was also nominated for a BET Award in 2002 in the 'Best female hip-hop artist' category.[18]

The album was reissued with five extra tracks in 2003 on the DreamWorks label, including two new tracks produced by Kanye West, one a collaboration with Mos Def.[7][19]

As of early 2007, Mystic was on a European tour along with fellow artists Dave Ghetto, Hezekiah, 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, with a website also opened featuring stories from fans related to the album.[20]

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.[21]

• Official website
• True Skool Bio
• Powers, Ann (August 23, 2001). "Hip-Hop Review; California's Alternative To Rap's Tough Core". The New York Times. Retrieved January 26, 2012. External link in |publisher= (help)
• Quinlan, Thomas (May 2011). "Mystic: Cuts for Luck and Scars for Freedom". Exclaim Magazine. Retrieved January 26, 2012. External link in |publisher= (help)