Billy Mystic & Leroy “Lion” Edwards Move Forward — Not Away

Reggae history is not a closed book.

It is being written — even now.

In late 2025, roots reggae fans received unexpected news:

After more than four decades at the foundation of the Mystic Revealers, founding vocalist Billy Mystic (Billy Wilmot) and bassist Leroy “Lion”

Edwards announced their departure from the band’s long-standing structure.

Reports cite stress and financial strain.

But if you understand Billy Mystic’s journey…

this moment feels less like rupture — and more like alignment.

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From Bull Bay to Self-Determination

When the Mystic Revealers formed in Bull Bay in the late 1970s, they were outsiders to reggae’s traditional corridors of power.

They did not wait to be invited in.

They recorded themselves.

Pressed their own records.

Carried their message into the streets.

It was that same independence that eventually drew the attention of Jimmy Cliff, who helped legitimize “Mash Down Apartheid” — a record that supported the African National Congress and positioned the group within reggae’s global liberation tradition.

Self-reliance was not a phase.

It was the foundation.

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Message Over Machinery

In the Reggae Hour interview, Billy reflected on a critical moment in Jamaican music history — the shift toward digital dancehall after the passing of Bob Marley.

While many pivoted to trend, the Mystic Revealers doubled down on roots.

Not because it was profitable.

But because it was principled.

Billy said clearly:

> “We couldn’t swim with that current.”

That same spirit echoes now.

If stress and financial strain contributed to this departure, then this is not abandonment — it is boundary.

It is an artist choosing sustainability over silent suffering.

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Spirit Is the Legacy

After losing his home and decades of musical archives in a fire, Billy Mystic learned a lesson that now frames this moment:

Material things are not the legacy.

Lives touched are.

He said:

> “Did your song touch someone in a positive way? That is the real victory.”

The name on the marquee matters less than the spirit in the music.

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The Next Chapter: Billy Mystic and the Revealers

This transition gives birth to:

✨ Billy Mystic and the Revealers

A new lineup.

A renewed direction.

The same spiritual foundation.

This is not replacement.

Not erasure.

Not conflict theatre.

It is continuation through evolution.

Reggae has always transformed through pressure.

Peter Tosh forged his own path.

Bunny Wailer reclaimed spiritual autonomy.

Even Bob Marley evolved beyond the original Wailers structure.

Roots music does not fracture.

It branches.

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The Industry Reality

Financial strain among veteran reggae pioneers is not rare.

It is rarely spoken about.

For artists who built movements before streaming economics, sustainability can be fragile. Choosing to step forward under a new banner may be less about departure — and more about protection of health, mission, and dignity.

That is not rebellion.

That is stewardship.

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Reggae Is Living History

Billy Mystic once compared life to surfing:

You prepare.

You position yourself.

You paddle with effort.

Then you rise — not on your power — but on the power of the wave.

Perhaps this is another wave.

And perhaps the same voice that carried “Mash Down Apartheid,” “Jah Jah People,” and “Remember Romeo” is simply rising again — differently positioned.

Reggae is not static.

It is not confined to contracts or structures.

It is spirit in motion.

And spirit — once rooted — does not die.

It grows.