A lot of artists like to say they can see the future of music, but how many have actually been to the future? According to Sintex, he has, and it was the inspiration for his 2009 album, 2020. Originally from Ohio, but now a Queens, NY, resident, Sintex’s story is an interesting one, and not just because of the time travel. Sintex had an extremely religious upbringing, and when I caught up with him this week he discussed it with me, as well as the way in which he rebelled against it. Also, since Sintex claims to have been to the future, I grilled him on when we’re going to get hoverboards, flying cars and robot maids.

Read the full interview at: http://adambernard.blogspot.com/2010/07/artist-of-week-sintex.html

From K-Murdock:

NEOSONIC News - Pre-Order Imported Piano-rama CD

When i dropped Piano-rama top of this year, many fans were disappointed that the only way to purchase the album physically was on a USB Card.  Admittedly, as a collector of CDs myself, i was also bummed out and even though i loved the extras the USB Card afforded, i felt like i just had to get to some CD copies!  So, as luck would have it, the manufacturers of the Japanese edition of Piano-rama, River City Music Entertainment, cut me a deal earlier this week, so that i could sell the imported edition of the album myself.

From @shodharris at Mic Fiend Music:

I wanted to just send you the latest single from Thadd Williams, What More Can I Say. The record is starting to pick up momentum lately and we would just like to get your support on this record. This record as well as the overall Mic Fiend movement has been receiving love from people within the industry as well just the everyday fans as well.

Download: Thadd Williams - What More Can I Say

Preview: Thadd Williams - What More Can I Say

This track is off the street album, Blue Collar Code

From Domination Recordings:

Check out the new music video for "Mass Effect" from Spectac & Amiri's album Almost Famous, out now on HiPNOTT Records!

For the third official single from Spectac & Amiri's album Almost Famous, the duo releases the Rick Foy-directed video for "Mass Effect". Paying homage to hip-hop's past, this video is sure to take you back to that golden age when hip-hop was pure and absolute. The album, Almost Famous (which also includes the singles "As If" and "My God") is available now on iTunes.

Director Rick Foy of Dvid Films, who previously directed the duo's video for "As If", has also directed videos for Jay ARE, Kam Moye and Kaze and can be contacted at dvidfilms@yahoo.com

Spectac Returns with Solo Album

It might seem ironic that someone who got tricked into going to college would go on to become a school principal, but for South Carolina native, Mervin Jenkins, it was just nature taking its’ course. Known to his former students as "Jenks", the streets know a freestyle fiend named "Spectac" (short for Spectacular). Born in Eutawville, S.C., the University of Hip-Hop was the only education that interested the young rapper who fell in love with rhyming at a very young age. With aspirations of graduating so he could move to New York and live with his aunt to pursue music, his mother had other plans for the young visionary. “I was all packed and ready to go, I had my Greyhound ticket and everything,” remembers Spec, “and my mother comes and says, ‘you’re not going to New York.’ She had applied to two colleges on my behalf and I got accepted, so I finally conceded and ended up going to Benedict College in Columbia.”

By the time he completed his masters in education Jenkins had entwined his love for hip-hop with his newfound love for education and began teaching middle school. Being immersed in hip-hop since he was the age of the students he was now teaching, allowed “Jenks” to connect to the kids on a completely different level; so much so that he uses comparisons between hip-hop and Renaissance artists as tools to help his students better understand historical figures using modern examples. Spec, as he’s called for short, uses his own life experiences as examples to his students who are wrestling with peer pressure by rhythmically telling of his own perseverance. Using hip-hop as his umbilical chord he connects to a generation dictated by the now grossly commercial engine. Jenks and Spec become interchangeable as he drops science using his gift to give Life Through Music. He created Life Through Music (LTM) as a way to use his own life to get a message out to young people. LTM is a lecture-performance designed to provide today's youth, in both public and private institutions, the opportunity to hear how he, overcame the negative influences of drugs, alcohol, and the numerous other temptations often associated with peer pressure. “My focus is on raising student achievement and self-esteem.” Says Spectac; “I tell the kids that you cannot change a system while on the outside of it. I let my audience know that I understand how hard things can be during their critical teen years. The key is to let them know that I am with them, yet stepping forward while maintaining those connections. The goal of my presentation is to show them, through my experiences, the limitless possibilities that life has to offer. I believe that too often educators get caught up in things that appeal to the head and not the heart. Young people tend to gravitate to that which is heart-felt. Unfortunately this simple technique has become almost non-existent in today's education arena. What I bring to young people is first-hand knowledge of two worlds that many felt could never co-exist: EDUCATION and HIP HOP."

Though he sports a suit and tie during the day, the nighttime brings out the real lessons as he schools new cats about what’s really good on the mic. Charting on Billboards top 100 singles chart with the first release from his five song EP, “Lessons From The Ghetto, Spectac is bringing a new curriculum to the game. He puts it down on several mix tapes including: Spitkicker mix tapes (www.spitkicker.com) "The next Spit" vol. 1, hosted by Phife Dog and vol.3 hosted by MF Doom, The Enyce Experience Mix Tape, Deejay Mr. Cee’s mixtape and the UNC (University of North Carolina) internet radio cd compilation. Over the years Spectac has been interviewed by countless radio stations across the US and overseas. He was also interviewed on National Public Radio (NPR), by Dick Gordon of ‘The Story’, regarding his dual role as an educator and hip hop artist.

With the help of long time friend and business partner Jonathan McLeod (JD), the edutainer is set to release his full-length album "Spectac Returns: Spectac Starring as Superman for a Day, Clark Kent for Life" through Domination Recordings this coming August. Critically acclaimed artists Phonte and Big Pooh of Little Brother, 9th Wonder, Big Daddy Kane and a host of others contribute masterfully to help accompany Spectac's enlightening wordplay. Rooted in old school, and well versed in the new school, Spectac describes his sound as a Kanye West meets Pete Rock reality. Such is the case with the first single "One Day Remix" where "classic royalty" Big Daddy Kane chimes in on this tale of rising to the top. The reality that penetrates the baselines of the slickly produced tracks cover topics from his relationship with his father, to his step grandfather who wherever he laid his hat was his home; and everything in between. Known for his impeccable freestyle, coming off the dome is what captivates his audiences as they get tangled in his eloquently crafted stories garnering him street cred for his flow as well as respect for keeping it real...positive.

For more information visit the Facebook fan page: Spectac Returns

CNN - My Tribute, from their recently released album, "The War Report 2"

From K-Murdock:

NEOSONIC News - Subsoniq Re-airs BK Hip-Hop Festival Performances

I'm very proud to announce that my radio show, Subsoniq, has just posted up a FREE downloadable episode of the recorded performances from this past weekend's Brookyln Hip-Hop Festival! Shouts to Wes Jackson & the whole Brooklyn Bodega crew for allowing us to be involved since YEAR ONE of the festival in 2005 when myself & fellow Subsoniq personality KB hosted it. This special episode features performances from: Black Milk, Black Moon, Smif N' Wessun, Nice & Smooth, Pete Rock & CL Smooth (together again), AND last but never least... my heroes... DE LA SOUL!