Mystikal

Tyler was born and raised New Orleans, Louisiana's 12th Ward. His father, who ran a small neighborhood store, died when Tyler was seven. He attended Cohen High School and afterward joined the United States Army as a combat engineer. ==Career==

1994–1996: Early career and stint with Big Boy Records As an aspiring rapper, he opened for Run-DMC and Doug E. Fresh at an outdoor concert at the Treme Center. Leroy "Precise" Edwards, the in-house producer for the Kenner, Louisiana-headquartered independent record label Big Boy Records, was in the audience, and granted him a contract with the label. Mystikal's debut album, Mystikal, was released on Big Boy in 1994. The album was one of Big Boy's most successful albums and gained major success for Mystikal. The album's success caught the attention of major record labels, which resulted in Mystikal signing to Jive Records later that year. In 1995, he found himself involved in conflict with fellow New Orleans rappers signed to rival Cash Money, including U.N.L.V. and The B.G.'z. They dissed him on tracks like "Drag 'Em in Tha River" by U.N.L.V. and "Fuck Big Boy" by The B.G.'z. He struck back with "Beware" and "Here I Go" which were on his second album, Mind of Mystikal. Mystikal's sister, Michelle Tyler, sang the chorus on "Not That Nigga" and her fate became a major influence on Mystikal's music after her death in September 1994. The songs "Dedicated to Michelle Tyler", "Murder" (both on Mind of Mystikal), "Murder 2", "Shine" (both on Unpredictable) and "Murder III" (on ''Let's Get Ready'') refer to her death. Mystikal and Lil Wayne would eventually squash their feud and become collaborators. 1995–2000: Mind of Mystikal and stint with No Limit Mystikal signed to Jive and released Mind of Mystikal in 1995. He signed to Master P's No Limit in 1996 and released Unpredictable in November 1997. He appeared on many of the No Limit albums released from 1997 through a chunk of 2000. He also collaborated with Mariah Carey on her Rainbow album on the track 'Did I Do That'. In late 1998, he released Ghetto Fabulous. That was his last album with the label, and he and No Limit parted ways in July 2000. 2000–2004: ''Let's Get Ready, Tarantula'' and prison In 1999, he had begun recording his fourth album before leaving No Limit. ''Let's Get Ready was released in 2000 and contained "Danger (Been So Long)", which featured rising pop star Nivea, and was the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs number-one single in June 2001. Let's Get Ready debuted at number one on the Billboard'' 200, making it Mystikal's only chart-topping album to date. The album also featured the popular, Neptunes-produced hit "Shake Ya Ass". Mystikal's most recent solo release was the 2001 album Tarantula, which contained the hit single, "Bouncin' Back (Bumpin' Me Against The Wall)". Though it presented Mystikal's typical and funky flow style, which had the distinction of drawing comparison to legendary R&B soul screamers Little Richard and James Brown, the song also saw a blending of jazz and swing elements with hip-hop. The well received album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album in 2003, and Mystikal was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Male Rap Solo Performance that same year. Mystikal was also featured prominently in the single, "Move Bitch" by Ludacris as well as "I Don't Give a Fuck" by Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz along with Krayzie Bone, both in 2002. In 2003 he starred in the film 13 Dead Men. Since 2010 Mystikal headlined a concert at the Mahalia Jackson Theater of the Performing Arts on Mardi Gras, February 16, 2010. Mystikal's first song after being released from prison was an underground track with former No Limit labelmate Fiend entitled "I Don't Like You". A few weeks later, Atlanta-based, New Orleans–born R&B artist Lloyd released "Set Me Free" featuring Mystikal. The music video for "Set Me Free" was released on May 18, 2010, and was shot in New Orleans, primarily from the Calliope Projects. In an interview in May 2010, he stated that he was still obligated to Jive Records for one more album and would be taking the necessary time to ensure the album would be his best to date. Mystikal and Busta Rhymes were signed to Cash Money Records by Birdman on November 16 the same year. His first single for the label, "Original", was released shortly thereafter and featured new label-mates Birdman and Lil Wayne. In 2014, Mystikal guest performed on the single "Feel Right" for Mark Ronson's album Uptown Special. The song and video were released in 2015. Also in 2015, Mystikal appeared on Stevie Stone's single "Rain Dance" from the 2015 release Malta Bend. In April 2016, Mystikal was featured on "Just a Lil' Thick (She Juicy)" by Trinidad James along with Lil Dicky. In 2017, he was featured on "FYM" by Joyner Lucas, from his commercial mixtape 508-507-2209. ==Personal life==

On his 24th birthday, Mystikal found his sister Michelle Tyler dead in her bedroom, having been stabbed and strangled. Her boyfriend at the time, Damion Neville, the grandson of a member of the Neville Brothers, was charged with murder but later acquitted due to a lack of evidence and a recanted confession. Mystikal was incarcerated at Louisiana's Elayn Hunt Correctional Center. On January 19, 2006, Mystikal was denied parole at a parole board hearing. On January 11, 2007, Mystikal was released from custody on the federal misdemeanor tax convictions (as his one-year sentence had expired), but he remained in custody on the six-year sentence for the Louisiana state felony convictions. The news of his release caused confusion among fans who heard the news and mistakenly thought he had been released on parole. He was released January 14, 2010. After his release, Mystikal was registered as a sex offender. On February 22, 2012, Mystikal was arrested again following a dispute with his domestic partner and was later given a misdemeanor charge of domestic abuse battery. He was detained for nine days and then released on bail. On April 16, he was given a three-month jail sentence for violating the terms of his probation he was given following his release from prison in January 2010. He was given credit for the nine days already served, reducing his confinement to 81 days. He began serving his sentence on May 14 at the East Baton Rouge Parish Jail. On August 21, 2017, Mystikal turned himself into the Caddo Parish Sheriff's Department after a warrant was issued for his arrest. He was subsequently charged with rape. He was held at the Caddo Correctional Center on a $3 million bond until February 14, 2019, when he was able to post bond. The charges were later dropped. Mystikal has been held without bond in Ascension Parish since July 30, 2022, on rape and domestic abuse charges. On March 17, 2026, Tyler entered a guilty plea to rape charges. He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison. ==Discography==

;Studio albums • Mystikal (1994) • Mind of Mystikal (1995) • Unpredictable (1997) • Ghetto Fabulous (1998) • ''Let's Get Ready'' (2000) • Tarantula (2001) ==References==