Mysonne and hip hop have too much in common not to share such an intimate bond. Like hip hop, Mysonne was born in the late 1970's in the Bronx, New York. He was born Mysonne E. Linen and affectionately called “Myse” by his close friends and family. He is an artist who has persevered through the trials and tribulations of growing up in a poverty stricken area to capturing an audience who waits with baited breath to hear his poetic, heartfelt, and sometimes painful story told over piercing beats that resonate within the souls of each of his fans.
Mysonne’s story is an interesting one and far from the average mans’ tale. Losing his father when he was only eleven years old made Mysonne the man of the house by default. Raised with his younger sister and two younger brothers, by his mother Patricia and his late grandparents, Mysonne led a pretty normal childhood with lots of love and support from his family. It was the streets that saw young men like Mysonne as prey. While it can be avoided to some extent, the allure is always present. Mysonne was determined not to be a statistic like so many other fallen soldiers in the drug tattered, crime infested streets of the Bronx in the late 1980's early 1990's. Mysonne attended Martin Luther King, Jr. High School in the mid 1990's where he played basketball for the entire four years until he graduated, excelled rapidly in the sport, and found himself playing with and against future NBA all-stars and infamous Rucker Park vets such as Allen Iverson, Stephon Marbury, Rafer “Skip To My Lou” Alston, God Shamgod, Future, and many others.
While Mysonne mastered basketball and had a handle to be reckoned with, there was a Jones in his heart for hip hop. The bond was undeniable so he put down the Spalding and picked up the mic.
Growing up in an era of Illmatic, Reasonable Doubt, and Ready to Die, Mysonne realized that he could relate to the tales told by Nas, Jay-Z and The Notorious B.I.G., and he knew that his story was just as relevant. After graduating from high school, Mysonne attended John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City for a semester before he realized that his dream was not to be an officer of the law, he yearned to be a General of the rap game.
In 1997, Mysonne linked up, and signed a production deal with Tone and Nige who started Wanna Blow Entertainment, they became his management team and soon had him battling various emcees, such as Shyne, DMX, and the late Big L. Soon after earning his stripes in various battles, Mysonne steadily took over the mix tape circuit.
By 1998 Mysonne appeared on various mixtapes, and signed a record deal with Violator/Def Jam and had appeared on Violator The Album, DMX’s The Great Depression, Mase’s Double Up, and Ruff Ryder’s Ryde or Die Vol. 1 where the beginning of his verse on “The Hood” featuring Beanie Sigel, Drag-On, Inf Red, NuChild, and Jadakiss stood out and showcased the rawness of his talent and captured the ears of the streets.
1998 continued to be a productive and milestone year for Mysonne as he welcomed his baby boy Nasaun into the world. That same year, Mysonne completed his album, Life Teaches and Reality Bites, however, by unfortunate circumstances, it was never released.
Mysonne went through legal troubles at the same time he was excelling in the rap game, so it was a bitter sweet time for him. In July 1999, he was convicted on two counts of armed robbery, and sentenced to seven to fourteen years in prison for crimes that he insists he did not commit and maintains his innocence to this day.
This is where the story might end for some people, but for Mysonne, once The Problem Child, and now The General of New York, it is just another chapter in this destined road for him and hip hop.
Mysonne was released on parole in July 2006 after serving seven years of his sentence in an upstate New York correctional facility. During his time away, the promise that he made to his son, who was just a year old when he went to prison, to come home, love, support, and raise him kept him focused. The tremendous support of his family, friends, and fans also kept his head clear and his goals in tact for the day he would rejoin society.
Mysonne maintained a buzz even during his time away thanks to his management team Wanna Blow Entertainment, and Jae Millz who was just starting to rhyme when Mysonne went away, and has since come into his own. Millz has shouted “Free Mysonne” on almost every song he has recorded to date.
Mysonne was also featured in The Source and XXL magazines, as well as various online hip hop websites while he was incarcerated, so he was never far from anyone’s mind. His bond with hip hop became deeper and more complex during that time.
Since his July 2006 release, Mysonne has been featured in the October 2006 issue of VIBE and XXL, as well as the March 2007 issue of The Source. Several online sites including XXL.com, VIBE.com, Allhiphop.com, SOHH.com, HHNLive.com, Allhiphop.org and a host of others have also given Myse a media outlet. Mysonne has been heard all over the radio since July 2006 in various interviews.
Wendy Williams, DJ Kay-Slay, Ed Lover, Funkmaster Flex, and Sirius Satellite all sensed the urgency in having Mysonne heard on the airwaves and gave him the platform to speak to his fans and the listening public for the first time in seven years.
Mysonne is still managed by Wanna Blow Entertainment and as of October 2006 he has completed his first mix tape, while recording his second mix tape and album at the same time.
While several record labels have tried to entice Mysonne to sign with them he is still a free agent who is focused on his music and devoted to making the best decisions for his self and his fans.
The future for The General of New York is a promising one as it has been a long, hard, and tumultuous journey for Mysonne, but his bond with hip hop was never compromised and his loyalty never wavered. He is ready to give the people what they want. It is not over.
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