TheProtege of Phenetiks " Nothing "

The official video for The Protege (Phenetiks) - "Nothing", produced by Sketch Tha Cataclysm, Turntables by DJ SirCumference, from the EP "Untitled is hard enough" dropping April 6 2009, on Dirt E....
The official video for The Protege (Phenetiks) - "Nothing", produced by Sketch Tha Cataclysm, Turntables by DJ SirCumference, from the EP "Untitled is hard enough" dropping April 6 2009, on Dirt E. Dutch's Little Ax Independent media label.

www.LittleAx.com

Video was directed, shot, edited and produced in one week by Arjen Noordeman of Elasticbrand, in Brooklyn, NY.
Category: Music

Tags: The Protege Roc One Sketch tha Cataclysm Connecticut Music Video Rap Hip Hop Antfarm Afilliates Phenetiks Waterbury Arjen Noordeman Elasticbrand Little Ax Dirt E. Dutch Deto 22 Brooklyn DJ SirCumference

{Untitled is Hard Enough} Track Chronicles vol.7 "Nothing"

This is track is most definitely in my comfort zone when it comes to subject matter. Complaining about the current state of hip hop is always a crowd favorite. I feel like rappers in the game today just talk about nothing. They get away with it too. Its not fair to the average MC like me who is above average. This is my anthem. This song lets the listener know WORDS ARE IMPORTANT. MAKING SENSE IS A GOOD THING. If we don't have that then we will be left with a bunch of songs that mean NOTHING. This song became one of my favorites after it was officially complete. DJ Sir.Cumference really showed his ass on this track. His part at the end is like NOTHING I have ever heard before. Thats a good thing. Deto did a great job touching up. And Sketch, You a Retard for this one.


This ends my track Chronicles. THe release for Untitled is Hard Enough is set for April. Hmmmm
"Maybe" I should do a video for this track.

{Untitled is Hard Enough} Track Chronicles vol.6 "Logic"

Logic is my personal "Thank You" to my Antfarm friends old and new. This beat was hard as fuck to rhyme to. Sketch knew that shit before he gave it to me. N E WAY, I found a way to attack it and its definitely the most lyrical of all the songs. I wanted it to be super lyrical because thats what the Antfarm represents. Originally I was going to have another special guest feature on the chorus but because of deadlines it never happened. I think it came out good, but there is no overall theme to the song. I just wanted to kill it for my people to show them how much they inspire me. It makes sense right? Thats Logic.

{Untitled is Hard Enough} Track Chronicles vol.5 "Sunshine"

Thats a picture of my late grandmother Rosalee Coggins. Her passing taught me just how powerful the human spirit is. My family is large! When she passed I got to see all of them. Some of them I never met before, some I hadn't seen in years but I got to see them all because everyone went to the funeral. Indeed, my grandmother's passing was tough on everyone. At the same time this terrible event in Coggins family history brought us all together.

Sunshine's theme runs along those lines. Its really about "Fronting", and not being genuine to yourself. The Chorus has a sample with a lady singing "Now Im crying in the sunshine". Think about it who cries when its sunny out? So thats where the concept of perception came about. Everything can look fine on the surface but you may be hurting on the inside. This is one of those tracks where I didn't sugar coat anything and I used myself as an example. I laid some of my insecurities on the line in this one. I got the entire Phenetiks crew to bless it with me so it's what I like to call a Jama-lama.
DJ Sir.Cumference went ridiculous on this project...as to be expected. Deto22 and Roc1 share words of wisdom. And there you have it. I hope ya'll enjoy.

P.S. "Sunshine" has already hit the airwaves on KISS 95.7fm...aint it cool?

Listen to KISS 95.7 tonight and hear "Sunshine" by TheProtege feat. Phenetiks

{Untitled is Hard Enough} Track Chronicles vol.4 "Pressure"

Pressure is my anthem for all the peeps who are like "Life Sucks". Some days I be feeling like Yo F@*! work but I gotta do it to eat. So as long as the end result is me eating I cant feel that bad about going a job I don't like. No pressure. This is the song for whoever feels like they cant deal with their current situation. Just remember that people put a lot of pressure themselves and then wonder where it comes from.So keep your day Pressure free. Live Free.
This was probably the easiest song to write because it closely relates to what I complain about on a daily. Metaphorically I wanted the song to represent our road toward our death. Will we let our pressures overcome us and cause death or will we look back on all the pressure and say "it couldn't break me."?
Sketch is a borderline retard for making this beat. I imagine him up at like 3am smoking his last cig like " I got it"(even though he don't smoke)
The most interesting thing about this track is that it took me about an 1/2 hour to write but 7 days to record.

"Fingers" by Phenetiks (Video)

{Untitled is Hard Enough} Track Chronicles vol.3 "Maybe " Feat. Silentuch

"Maybe" is my favorite track on the EP because its rare that I or any other MC can put exactly what's on his/her mind onto a track. Sketch gave me this beat first and as soon as I heard it I was like..."I'm gonna kill this shit". Anyway I got inspired from one of my friends who wasn't doing so well. She was very sick and it made me realize that I and a lot of people like me do too much complaining. The only way to get something or to get something done is to do it, no questions asked. If you start complaining about your situation nothing will change because you have already wasted your time telling yourself how shit is not your fault. But this track hits home with me because I have noticed that I have to give myself that boost sometimes in order to get my shit together. I asked SilenTuch to join me on this because I know his energy as an MC and I knew he would bring a different element to the track. He nails his verse as well. While I concentrate on personal attributes of humans, he personifies the "Maybe" as the weak state of hip hop and how MC has the ability to sell out and make their dreams of stardom come true. He also let you know that he is not one of those MC's. Just listen to it and you may find that you yourself are being a little bitch about your current situation. Don't be a Maybe person Be definitive in your efforts, whatever they are. Cuz we can say MAYBE till the Cows come home but shit wont get done.
peace ya'll

{Untitled is Hard Enough} Track Chronicles vol.2 "Awareness"

My second track is called "Awareness" and its basically about me letting go. As an MC sometimes I find it hard to say exactly what I want. Its difficult because I think about consequences a lot and what people might think about me if they don't understand where I'm coming from. I was aware of that fear and it stopped the best part of hip hop for me, which is having the freedom to get in the booth and say whatever the fuck you want. I'm a big fan of the word Fuck. Fuck it. N E way, I worked extra hard on this track because I knew Sketch had high expectations for it. I re-wrote it about 5 times until I actually let go and wrote what I wanted to originally. With Hip Hop I "Rock to the rhythm and move soul to soul, keep on moving, don't stop NOOOOOOOO"

First We Take Manhattan by Adam Bernard

Playing a stage in New York City isn't exactly going where no man has gone before, but for the majority of Connecticut hip-hop artists, it probably feels that way. Very few Connecticut emcees get the opportunity to perform in NYC, which is one reason Phenetiks' appearance at The Annex on Jan. 9 is so impressive.

"NY is a comfortable vibe for us and the Phenetiks' sound," says Deto-22, who, along with DJ Sir.Cumference, Protégé and Roc-one make up the foursome. Deto points to another reason they're amped to perform in the City. "We're looking forward to rockin' with Homeboy Sandman" — Homeboy Sandman being one of the most buzzed-about emcees in the Five Boroughs.

For Phenetiks, a lot of their buzz has developed from their live shows. They attribute it to their DJ, Sir.Cumference. Protégé calls him "our innovator," adding, "He comes up with some insane formulas for scratching and adds flair to our tracks." Roc-one, the lone New Yorker in the group (he's from Brooklyn), says Sir.Cumference could be "a one-man show."

Of course, he could be, but with the rest of the crew there he's part of a four-man show that has been improving by leaps and bounds when it comes to their performances, improvements that Deto says have been the result of their time in the local scene.

"I stepped up my 'on stage' after seeing Hawl-Digg of Workforce kill it one night," Deto remembers. "He kills it every night, but on this particular evening we were going on directly after them and he destroyed it. I was like, 'There's no way I'm going up there and doing my usual.' It helped me shake off a few more stage fright pounds. We also see Sketch Tha Cataclysm, The Rising Sun Quest and d_Cyphernauts give their 110 percent every time."

Phenetiks also feed off each other. "The four of us know each others' shit," says Deto, "so it's easy to just go up there and have fun and just let the energy fly."

Protégé adds, "How can someone else enjoy your music if you yourself are on stage and you don't look like you're having a good time? I've noticed that if I'm having fun on stage the crowd usually reciprocates that."

With plenty of crowds reciprocating and NYC calling, Roc has a theory on why more Connecticut artists don't make it to bigger stages, and it starts with them not perfecting their craft while in the state. "I think most cats don't make the transition to performing — period," he states. "It's because they don't believe in their own art and movement, so they remain stagnant."

Stagnant is something Phenetiks aren't. In 2007, only two years after they became a group, they were named one of the "Rawkus 50," a high honor for any underground rap group. Protégé says the group has come to view the entire thing more as a learning experience than the launching pad so many groups were hoping it would be. According to Deto, "We made some friends out of it and figured out some assholes, too."

Look for a lot more from Phenetiks in 2009, as Roc states, "This year is where we take everything we've learned and put it to use at full force. There will be no half-stepping." No half-stepping, indeed, as the crew plans on releasing Protégé's solo album at the start of the year, Roc's shortly thereafter, a few projects Deto's working on with some other members of the AntFarm Affiliates, and then finally a third Phenetiks album. Fans can rest assured that they'll be hitting plenty of stages in support of all of these projects, although as Roc points out, "Ironically, the hardest crowd to please is in CT."



Read Adam's blog at
www.adambernard.blogspot.com

Rising Sun Quest Interview

{Untitled is Hard Enough} Track Chronicles vol.1 "PROvisions"

"PROvisions" is the lead off track on the EP "Untitled is Hard Enough". It basically lets everyone know that my confidence as an MC has grown. When Sketch let me hear it for the first time my I got scared because it was so loud abrasive on the ears. So thats where the concept came from.
Its like someone walked into your house unannounced with a boom box blasting on ten. Thats the kind of impression I wanted to make on this track as well as the EP. I let you know who I am as an artist and as a man.
Music in its current state right now is sort of like the picture, Munchkins eating Munchkins. Even though I consider myself a Munchkin in terms of how many projects I have released, I'll still eat any other Munchkins on the block that want to get it twisted. So give your boy a little elbow room. Catch you later when I outline the next track "Awareness"