Glad to see Oakland emcee Mystic is back on the scene with a new album called ‘Beautiful Resistance’. It not only speaks truth to power but touches our soul in profound ways.. This is what she wrote about the song Country Roads which takes on different weight in light of what we just seen unfold in Ferguson and the ongoing assaults of Black and Brown girls and women.
Country Roads” is the last free song before the release of the Beautiful Resistance album on 8/26. Like the first two free songs, this was produced Eligh. I would never have released this song separately from the album sequence if I had a choice due to how heavy the subject matter is. Although this is a historical song about the incredibly painful, violent, and racist history of the United States, the lynching of primarily Black men and boys (along with Brown men/boys) continues in the form of apparently legally sanctioned executions by vigilantes and police with very little justice or recognition of the historical systemic racism that ‘birthed’ this nation.
Just as importantly, the kidnappings, rapes, and murders of Black, Brown, Indigenous, and poor women continue to receive less recognition and national outcry. The value placed on our lives and our right to exist/dream/thrive is still unequal as it was in the inception of this country. In this song you hear pain, anger, me wishing I could go back and hold everyone in my arms to protect them; but none of us can return. We can only continue to beautifully resist and push forward through action and solidarity with those of us who make up the majority of the world. These are not just issues in the United States; these are global issues.
In love and in struggle,
Mystic
Changing pace, here’s another cut from Mystic called ‘Homage‘…