| Mystikal | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Birth name |
Michael Lawrence Tyler |
|
Born |
22 September 1970 (age 50) |
|
Origin |
New Orleans, Louisiana, United States |
|
Genre |
|
|
Occupation(s) |
Rapper |
|
Years active |
1993-present |
|
Label |
Big Boy, Jive, No Limit |
|
Associated acts |
504 Boyz, Birdman, Busta Rhymes, Fiend, G-Slimm, KLC, Lil Wayne, Ludacris, Mannie Fresh, Master P, Silkk the Shocker, Snoop Dogg, Stevie Stone, Pharrell Williams |
Michael Lawrence Tyler (born 22 September 1970), better known by his stage name Mystikal, is an American rapper from New Orleans, Louisiana. Mystikal released his self-titled debut album in 1994 on independent label Big Boy Records and found himself in conflict with fellow New Orleans rappers signed to Cash Money Records including U.N.L.V., B.G., and Lil Wayne. After signing to Jive Records, he released his 1995 album Mind of Mystikal, which primarily consisted of songs that had featured on his debut.
While still signed to Jive, Mystikal left Big Boy for No Limit Records in 1996. Mystikal appeared on many of the No Limit albums released from 1997 to 1999. After releasing two albums on the label Unpredictable (1997) going platinum and Ghetto Fabulous (1998) topping 3x platinum, despite this, Mystikal stated Ghetto Fabulous was his least favorite album,both selling 5 million records for No Limit Records alone. Soon after he departed No Limit but stayed with Jive. His 2000 album, Let's Get Ready, is his most critically successful album to date, debuting at #1 on the Billboard 200. The album features the two hit songs "Danger (Been So Long)" and "Shake Ya Ass". Mystikal's most recent solo album, Tarantula, was released in 2001 and nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album in 2003, while Mystikal was nominated for Best Male Rap Performance that same year.
On 15 January 2004, Mystikal was sentenced to six years in prison after pleading guilty to forcing his hairstylist to perform sex acts. He served the full sentence and was released on 14 January 2010. In a May 2010 interview, Mystikal stated that he has one album left on his Jive contract, and is taking his time on making sure that it is his best to date.
Discography[]
- 1994: Mystikal 250,000
- 1995: Mind of Mystikal 500,000
- 1997: Unpredictable 1,700,000
- 1998: Ghetto Fabulous 3,000,000
- 2000: Let's Get Ready 2,200,000
- 2001: Tarantula 1,000,000