It’s been a while since Mystikal dominated the pop culture discussion, but the New Orleans rapper has returned to the forefront of the zeitgeist today via an unusual coincidence. When an eyebrow-raising video of someone squaring up with a brown bear invading their yard went viral, fans fondly recalled a classic Mystikal freestyle in which he boasted about fighting a bear himself. Before you could say “pic-a-nic basket,” Mystikal had entered the top trending topics on Twitter as fans observed the funny connection between the viral video and Mystikal’s nearly 10-year-old rap.
This is crazy af omg pic.twitter.com/Sh14yVD9Eu
— Bria Celest (@55mmbae) June 1, 2021
In Mystikal’s “On Da Spot” freestyle for DJ Green Lantern’s Sirium/XM show Invasion Radio, the gruff-voiced rapper barks in his signature impactful flow, “If you ever see me fighting in the forest with a grizzly bear, HELP THE BEAR!” And while fighting with wild animals is not recommended — shout-out to Mamadou Ndiaye, aka @mndiaye_97 on TikTok — the individual in the viral video (incidentally, also from TikTok) rolled the dice on protecting their pets when a brown bear tried to climb over their brick fence. They get away with shoving the bear off the fence and collect the pets before running back inside, which is a smart move, all things considered.
Annnd this is why Mystikal is trending? Sometimes I love it here. https://t.co/AT8qJ5UbSx
— Holly Robinson Peete (@hollyrpeete) June 1, 2021
Mystikal is somewhere proud
HELP THE BEARpic.twitter.com/pjMsVwv4la
— DKT (@darleneturner53) June 1, 2021
Mystikal has 24 hours to respond https://t.co/ApgeaKZGuZ
— Celtics Logo (@yourboyeddie) June 1, 2021
And while the scuffle was less a fight with a grizzly bear than a quick shove of a brown bear (there’s about a 400-lb. difference at their smallest), fans couldn’t help drawing the comparison and concluding that maybe Mystikal had a point (again, he does not. If a human being tries to fight a one-ton grizzly bear, they are getting banished to the Netherrealm faster than you can say “Ranger Smith.” If you ever meet a bear, vacate the premises immediately).
To see that this is why Mystikal is trending warms my heart #helpthebearhttps://t.co/0ZdhVcT4lV
— ARREST BREONNA TAYLOR’S MURDERERS (@MartyByrde223) June 1, 2021
1) YT people ain’t scared of nothing but Black people
2) Can somebody edit this with Mystikal’s freestyle?! https://t.co/S9DbIVL4lL— Sugar Ray’s Candy Shop (@_RudeNiceGuy) June 1, 2021
” If you ever saw me fighting with a Grizzly Bear – HELP THE BEAR.”
This lady gets what Mystikal was saying. https://t.co/e2r5mtzogt
— Krystle (@AKASeKretS43) June 1, 2021
The music for the bear swipes are perfect and on beat and then in comes Mystikal’s auntie to save the day !! https://t.co/qbmTqRAYQe
— Ryan Cameron (@ryancameron) June 1, 2021
Check out the freestyle in full above.