Seven years after
being convicted on armed robbery charges, rapper Mysonne Linen is tasting freedom
with a renewed focus on music and family. The
Bronx native said he hopes to release new music as early as this week. "I’m
eager to get back in the studio, do some songs, get some mixtapes out and get
my name back in the streets," the rapper told AllHipHop.com.
Mysonne was
originally sentenced to up to 14 years in prison but ended up doing half the time.
While
other MCs garnered the spotlight for which he was slated, he admitted it was "a
lot of pressure on my mind, knowing where I was supposed to be, what I was supposed
to be doing. "It
motivated me to take time out to master my craft more, add more to myself. I worked
out, got my body right, got my mind right," Mysonne added. "I knew eventually,
I was going to get my chance back. So I just prepared for that time."
The imprisonment
came soon after Mysonne had gained a healthy buzz while being featured on several
mixtapes. The
rapper, who wrote for various artists, appeared on Violator’s first compilation
album, as well as DMX’s The Great Depression, Ruff Ryders Vol. 1,
Mase’s Double Up, and several other projects. Shortly
after signing with Violator/Def Jam, Mysonne was sentenced and sent to a prison
in upstate New York. Although his debut album Life Teaches and Reality Bites
was completed, the project was never released before he went to prison.
Upon his July
5 discharge, Mysonne reveled in the chance to reconnect with his family, especially
his eight-year-old son Nasaun. "He
was one-year-old when I left for prison so I never really had a chance to grow
with him," the 28-year-old MC revealed. "Since I been home that’s my
main focus — to just create that bond with my son and be around him and get to
know him and get comfortable with him. I can’t give him back that time, but I
can assure him that I’m not going to miss that again." Mysonne
also expressed his gratitude toward his mother, sister and brothers, and how he
became humbled by fan’s support. "It
makes me feel good because the reality of the situation is [that] I never even
had an album. I never had my own single," said the lyricist. "The love
I’m getting is just based on things that I just did on other people’s albums.
That just lets me know the impact that my music is capable of having. It just
makes me want to work that much harder." With
his new album, Mysonne hopes to create music that will stand the test of time.
"I’m free now and I plan to do something productive," said the currently
unsigned rapper. "I just plan to make a whole different movement. There’s
a lot of negative stuff that’s going on. I just want to try to bring something
positive back. I definitely want to bring music back to when it was music."
Both Def Jam
and Atlantic have expressed interest in signing Mysonne, who plans on releasing
a slew of mixtapes and songs to "let the streets and the whole world know
I’m back. I want them to know that it’s serious that you can invest your money
in me and you ain’t gonna be disappointed." Knowing
the impact of his bid, Linen is thankful for his freedom. "You take away
the little things. You take time to smell the roses because when you [are] in
there, you don’t really miss the parties and all the bulls**t," said the
rapper, who lost his grandmother while behind bars. "There’s
a lot of dudes in there that are never coming home," he continued. "You’re
faced with that reality and you look and you say ‘these people will be in here
for the rest of their life.’ Even though it’s a situation, you realize that you
still have a chance to be with your loved ones. You still have a chance to make
a difference in society."
