045: Mvstermind (Hip Hop Artist)

Mvstermind on Innovation City

“Work. Perfect and present your craft. And just keep putting your love into it.” — Mvstermind

Welcome to Innovation City—powered by Venture Cafe—where Tyler Kelley and Michael Johnson, Co-Founders of SLAM! Agency, interview innovators, creators, and disruptors to discover how business is changing in the modern world.

Created and produced by SLAM! Agency in cooperation with Venture Cafe St. Louis and Venture Cafe Miami, Innovation City gives you an inside look at how rapidly business and culture are changing thanks to increasing diversity and inclusion, heightened creativity, and a stronger and better-connected business community. Venture Cafe is the largest combined gathering of entrepreneurs and innovators anywhere in the world. Events are held every Thursday in St. Louis, Miami, and other leading innovation cities around the globe.

Today’s guest is St. Louis Hip Hop Artist, Muhammad “Mvstermind” Austin. Mvstermind is a rapper, producer and songwriter who is about to take the hip hop world by storm. He’s toured over 20,000 miles; opened for Travis Scott, Chance the Rapper, G-Eazy, and Currency; and played at A3C, SXSW, and Brooklyn’s MCA Day. His breakout video, Mali Moolah, brought him his first taste of national attention when it debuted in 2016, and he’s currently gearing up to drop his debut project. He sits down with the Innovation Team to talk about finding himself as an artist and a human being, and how that growth continues to inform his work. Find Mvstermind on Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, and anywhere you get your music.

They discuss:

• The inspiration for Mali Moolah (about the power of manifesting wealth): Musa I of Mali, Mansa Musa, the 10th king of West Mali. Musa I is believed to be the wealthiest person on the planet while he was alive, and is one of the wealthiest people in history. He was also known for being a very generous and deeply spiritual leader.
• The need for spiritual grounding, especially in the rap game
• Growing up around creative people; Mvstermind’s mom is a fashion designer, and his father is in the music industry
• Making his first beats at 13 on FL Studio (Fruity Loops)
• Doing shows, managing artists at 14-15
• Watching other artists heal themselves through writing
• The necessity of stepping outside his comfort zone
• Facing down insecurities
• Struggling to stay present while still building toward his future
• How to slow down, appreciate where you are, and get things done
• The importance of scheduling time for yourself and your loved ones
• The differences between Conscious Hip Hop and popular Hip Hop
• The power of authenticity
• St. Louis’ growing hip hop scene
• Cherokee Street, Venture Cafe, and other areas that bring diverse groups together
• Mvstermind’s work on a recent project (presented by Red Bull) by producer Jay E
• The power of bringing together indie artists with pop hit makers
• St. Louis’ history of producing legends in a variety of musical forms
• Mvstermind’s goal: building platforms to help other artists achieve their dreams
• The need for future legends to learn from current legends
• Mvstermind recommends other artists: Najii Person, Domino Effect, J