YouTube Mysonne NY General
A man who calls himself Mysonne NY General was arrested along with two dozen others today at Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing.
In a video clip that captured the arrest, you can hear Mysonne chanting that President Trump’s Supreme Court pick is “a threat to our democracy.”
We see you brother!!! Sending mad love + power to our brother @Mysonne for using his body and voice to #StopKavanaugh !!! #BrettBye #JusticeLeagueNYCFamily
Here’s what you need to know about him:
1. Mysonne Was Arrested in February During an Immigration Protest in Washington D.C.
“The activism of Mysonne is not appreciated enough. He always shows up stands up for the people. Today, he got arrested at the Kavanaugh hearing. #BlockBrett,” entrepreneur and activist Michael Skolnik tweeted this morning.
The Bronx rapper was arrested during an immigration protest in Washington, D.C. back on February 27th. Alongside other activists and Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke, “he protested for a clean DREAM Act, a permanent solution for Temporary Protected Status/Deferred Enforced Departure holders,” Hip Hop DX reported. The group was also there to oppose President Trump’s attempt to repeal the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, also known as “the green card lottery.”
In a video that captured his arrest, Mysonne was asked why he was being arrested. His response: “Because I stand for something. Because black immigration is our problem.”
Mysonne thanked his supporters on his Instagram page. “We are free from jail but not from injustice,” he wrote. “Bury me in the ocean with my ancestors who jumped from the ships because they knew death was better than bondage.”
2. Mysonne Was Raised in The Bronx; He Was Mentored by NBA Legends Before Focusing on Rap
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Mysonne was raised in the Bronx. He lost his father at age 11, an event that left him searching for direction. Basketball kept him focused and out of trouble. He was mentored by NBA legends Allen Iverson, Stephon Marbury and Rafer Alston.
He spent a lot of time at Rucker Park through his teenage years, playing basketball with the greats. Towards the end of high school, Mysonne gained a reputation as a freestyle rapper and competed against rappers DMX and Shyne.
Mysonne is respected in the New York Hip Hop community, around the country and around the world. He released a series of mixtapes that lead to him being signed by Def Jam Records in the late 90s, but right before the release of his debut album, Mysonne was arrested and sentenced to prison.
3. Mysonne Was Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison For Double Armed Robbery; He Served 7 Years And Was Released in 2006
Mysonne was arrested around the time he planned to debut his first album with Def Jam Records. He was charged with double armed robbery and sentenced to 14 years in prison but only served 7. To this day, Mysonne maintains his innocence, stating that it wasn’t him who committed the crimes.
In 2001 while in prison he founded Universal Soldierz Entertainment, aimed to unite artists around positive thinking, morality and good principles. The company’s motto is “Trust, Respect & Integrity.”
After being released in 2006, Mysonne focused back on his music but wanted to build his career as an independent artist. He collabed with Black Wall Street Records to release a series of mixtapes and music videos.
Listen to Mysonne’s music here.
Black Wall Street Records helped book concerts and interviews for Mysonne the past few years. The freestyles he gives on air speak to the injustices in our country. His lyrics have a growing reputation for empowering black youth and his activism is being recognized by leaders in both government and the nonprofit world.
4. Mysonne Helped Organize The Justice or Else March in 2015 And Delivered a Spoken Word at The Event
“When you see a bunch of people on the same mental wave as you and you realize you’re not alone, that’s a beautiful feeling,” Mysonne said during an interview with VladTV.
Mysonne was on the planning committee for the Justice or Else march in 2015, but also was one of its speakers. “I had listened to [Minister Louis Farrakhan] so much, I knew what he wanted to relate,” said Mysonne. “At first I was going to make it into a song, but was like nah, I need to say it. I need to say the words.”
The march took place 20 years after the Million Man March of 1995. Mysonne described it as a “humbling experience.”
“It was surreal,” he said. “Being a part of the organizing committee for the Million Man March. I got to see it planned from the name. I sat at the table with the Minister when he came up with the name. And we sat. And it was just about 10 of us at the table. And he said ‘What we gon’ call the march?’ And he just said ‘Justice or else.’ And then seeing that name transform into hundreds of thousands of people in one place. Unified for one goal, for one purpose that was just—it was a beautiful thing.”
Mysonne stood alongside Common, J. Cole, Puff Daddy and other leaders in the hip hop community to call for police reform and to raise awareness on how black people are being discriminated against and killed in America.
5. Mysonne is Married With Two Sons; He’s Been Outspoken When it Comes to The Type of Lyrics Youth That Follow Him Should Listen to
Mysonne is married with two sons. He has multiple photos with his boys and proudly proclaims he’s “raising kings.”
Since his release from prison, Mysonne has focused on lyrics that inspire and empower his sons and other black youth. He recently called out Future the rapper for his “drug lyrics,” saying that “kids are very impressionable and will believe that the only way they can get it is to sell drugs.”
Mysonne said that rappers with lyrics like Future’s are “poisoning the minds of the kids” by telling them that God blesses dope dealers. Mysonne urged others to stop supporting the music, and to start promoting music that will empower a culture.
Mysonne isn’t okay with his boys listening to such lyrics that teach them to throw their lives away and he wants to hold the artists promoting these things “accountable.”
Watch the full interview here: