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Never Turn Back: Echoes of African American Music is NOW OPEN! Grab your tickets and step inside The Remix: The Legacy of Hip-Hop Sampling interactive to experience the history of sound for yourself. Our final pairing, Ronnie Foster’s “Mystic Brew,” brings it all home—where a rhythm born in 1972 becomes the pulse that reverberates through modern-day reflection. It’s proof that even without words, music speaks—and when sampled, its voice forever echoes through time.
THE CREATOR: Ronnie Foster, a virtuoso organist and composer, moved easily between genres, contributing to the textured landscape of ’70s jazz-funk and soul. His work didn’t chase trends—it set moods. And decades later, feelings he so effortlessly captured still linger.
THE SOUND: In 1972, “Mystic Brew” drifted into the world like a spell—loose, hypnotic, unbothered by time. Built on an undulating electric piano line, the track was part jazz, part soul, part something... harder to name. It didn’t demand attention. It drew you in. It sounded like wandering through memory.
THE IMPACT: There are no lyrics—just rhythm, tone, and atmosphere. But sometimes, music speaks louder that way. The song doesn’t need to say anything to feel like a knowing glance across generations.
THE CREATOR: J. Cole, known for his introspective lyrics and social awareness, often draws from the past to comment on the now. In sampling Foster, he isn’t just borrowing a beat—he’s invoking a tradition of musical storytelling that values substance over spectacle.
THE SOUND: In his song, J. Cole lifts that unmistakable melody and places it into a new frame—this time, with words. The smooth swing of Foster’s groove becomes the foundation for Cole’s reflections on fame, temptation, and perspective. With Kendrick Lamar on the hook and irony laced into the verses, the track is layered—both playful and knowing, surface and depth.
THE IMPACT: It’s the sample that keeps pulling the listener back. Even as Cole jokes or critiques, “Mystic Brew” keeps the tone grounded, reminding us that the past is always playing underneath the present. The melody never hurries. It lets the message unfold—just as it did decades before.
Want to hear more? Never Turn Back: Echoes of African American Music is now open—plan your visit today!
