Mystikal, Mannie Fresh Working On 'Monsters'

weblinks

Former No Limit MC says, 'My star is still out there in the stratosphere.'
By Rob Markman, with reporting by James "FLX" Smith

Mystikal
Photo: Rick Diamond/ Getty Images

Mystikal has more to celebrate these days. Not only is the New Orleans rapper expecting the birth of a baby boy, the Tarantula has new music on the way and just turned 41 years old. It hasn't always been smooth sailing for Mystikal, who was released from prison in January 2010 after a six-year incarceration stemming from charges of sexual battery, extortion and failing to file tax returns. But Thursday, Mystikal was all smiles as he performed at his own birthday bash at the Sha-La club in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

"I'm in the process of rebranding everything," he told MTV News. "My star is still out there in the stratosphere; I just gotta get the spiderwebs off of it and shine it back up. That's it — simple as that."

Part of that process is getting back in the studio. Though he hasn't released an album since 2001, last year Mystikal hooked up with former Cash Money producer Mannie Fresh, and the two have been slowly cooking up new material.

"We been working. Last couple of weeks, we been coming with some monsters in that studio," Mystikal said before describing his plan for 2011: "I still gotta give them that vintage me, because that's what I am, but I found a way to kinda bring it up to speed and still be contemporary."

Not that Mystikal is ignoring his legacy in the slightest. The former No Limit star performed a string of hits Thursday. "That wasn't really a whole bunch of new material, that was vintage Mystikal," he said. "It just reminds them of a moment in time when things were alright. Everybody remember that moment when "Here I Go" or "Shake it Fast" or "Make 'Em Say Uhh" — they remember that."

Are you excited to hear new music from Mystikal? Tell us in the comments!

Related Artists