[Morrison Machiavelli], known by a select few as Luke Reynolds, is a very interesting guy. He’s got fanbases in the Midwest and Japan, sand-colored dreads that hang to his tattoo-emblazoned shoulders and an affinity for the energy-directing properties of crystals. He’s also got passion, in spades I might add, for promoting justice and community, as well as some of the Twin Cities’ woke-est, most empowering music. His new tape, Amethyst, explores the spaces he’s been traversing both as an artist and a human being. With a highly deliberate way of speaking and a keen awareness of the contexts in which he exercises his agency for a positive impact, Excel would be equally suited for public office as a music career. Track-for-track, Amethyst [LP] is sophisticated and eclectic, synthesizing Golden Age standards of meaningful content and soulful samples with cutting-edge flows. As the rap-tivist prepares to conceive of a nationwide tour, I grabbed a donut with him and found out what’s on his mind.

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