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Phelan “CYNIK LETHAL†Barreiro is a 23 yr-old producer/rapper/promoter/host/DJ from the City of Steel, Pittsburgh, Pa. With a moniker that means “Deadly Philosopherâ€, he has rocked stages from the middle of the hood, to the most upscale nightclubs, college campuses, even bars in another country. People can’t get enough of his high-energy delivery, cutting-edge rhythmical styling, and hard-hitting beats. He was discovered by a local studio in the Southside of Pittsburgh straight out of high school in 2002 and was quickly brought on board as an in-house producer. During his time with that studio , Cynik produced his first demo for another artist, (Gemini:Trouble). As he produced a wider variety of artists, he also began working in different studios freelance throughout the city, gaining a reputation for his unique sound. Artists often asked him for help when composing songs, eventually leading to his return to the stage in 2003, where he and an R&B artist he had produced performed together at a legendary venue (the now non-existant Crawford Grille) in the city’s Hill District.
Underground contests and events where he performed quickly became networking centers for him, eventually leading to his introduction to legendary producer Caz Lamar through soul singer Hutch Soulslinga. Caz had worked with Dr. Dre and The MelMan as well as many other grammy-award winning artists. Caz recognized Cynik's potential and agreed to co-produce his first solo project after running him through a gauntlet of tests. Against all odds they released an EP called The Black History Project, which has sold exceedingly well in the underground and won CD of The Year at the 2008 Pittsburgh Hip Hop Awards. Possessed of a sound mind and many allies, Cynik grows monthly as a force in his city, having opened for national acts such as Bone Thugs N Harmony (twice), Fatlip formerly of the Pharcyde, and Wise Intelligent of The Poor Righteous Teachers (see Mr.Small's and The Shadow Lounge). As well as participating in many local events such as The City Paper's Sound Kitchen and JPB's Hip Hop Buffet, he's been featured on several local tv shows thus far: Dabuttonpusha's Ripple Effect, and Culture In Me, as well as The Joey Porter Show, and the much acclaimed Underground HipHop Video magazine, which he now hosts. He also hosts UWeb TV.com's internet broadcast show, Bottom Up, which features interviews with local and national artists(www.uwebTV.com, Devon Hammond), a show that has reached diverse audiences all around the globe.
Ever faithful to the Pittsburgh Underground, and without a manager, he's been setting up and promoting his own shows with the help of his squad. His goal was to promote local underground acts to new audiences, such as his first charity event at Slippery Rock University, where Cynik Lethal along with acts such as Wreckless, Black Sun, Dynamite, Hutch Soulslinga, DaButtonPusha with JPB Productions, Ishmael Muhammad a.k.a. Meljay, Anymal, Incyte, N-visible and (last but not least by any means) the Real Deal with Draztyk successfully raised over $1500 for the family of hospital-ridden 5 year old Jordan Jack. After throwing this successful benefit, Cynik began throwing his own shows in one of the hottest nightclubs in the city . He would throw 4 of their top 10 live events of their first year, booking local hip hop acts (such as Eviction Notice and Hipnotik, hosted by JPB's DaButtonpusha) and drawing crowds of hundreds, until he became disenfranchised with the blatant racism perpetuated by the owner of that very same club and removed himself from that situation.
Since then, he's taken to doing good things through music when the opportunity presents itself, such as the Sound Kitchen Anti-Violence Benefit show, the Free Mumia Benefit, and the Pittsburgh Gathering. He also produced beats for the Lawrenceville Community Clean-Up at a PHHA nominated studio called The Blackberry Way in Lawrenceville, which encouraged at-risk youths to participate in making their community a better place (see Eric Graf, Tremaine Thompson, Dj Detonate, 9th Ward). He now walks with a positive activist organization known throughout the nation as One Hood, founded by Minister/MC Jasiri X of the Nation of Islam, Paradise Gray, formerly of X-Clan, Reverend Cornell Jones, Khari Mosley, and other strong community and religious leaders.
Always a hustler, Cynik makes and sells beats using the technology available to him when he isn't doing shows, and he was recently featured on Omar Abdul's Steel City mixtape "Get Used To It". He is currently working on his next "experiment", a project featuring his newly formed band, The Sneak Attack, which consists of a rotating guitar player, Ben Tryc on drums, and Matt Homiak on bass. He is also securing funding for a video that he promises will "be on some wild shit", which he will debut on Underground HipHop Video Magazine and the internet. He is in the studio at the same time working on concepts for his full-length release, "Amerikan Power", as well as collaborations with many other local artists. The style of rap he reps is called Revolution Musik, which he describes as "a sledgehammer to the forehead" and that's where his passion lies, as is demonstrated by the nearly riot-like shows he, Sneak Attack and his stage man Wreckless (of Naka Fitness, East Liberty) killed (see videos).....For booking info, message this profile, and we shall get it crackin'......
THANK YOU to everyone who NOMINATED and VOTED for CYNIK LETHAL in the categories of BEST MALE ARTIST and CD of THE YEAR at THE PITTSBURGH HIPHOP AWARDS......THE BLACK HISTORY PROJECT WON CD OF THE YEAR AT THE 2008 PHHA'S!!!!! MUCH LOVE TO PITTSBURGH, I TRULY BELIEVE WE AS A CITY ARE CAPABLE OF AFFECTING A POSITIVE CHANGE THROUGHOUT THE MUSIC INDUSTRY AND THE WORLD... New shit is comin' for ya'll soon, be on the lookout for collabs with a lot of the hottest artists in the burgh, and Amerikan Power......read the newspapers, watch the news(and Underground HipHop Video Magazine, tuesdays at midnight, on PCTV21, and Bottom Up on UWEBTV.com), see forces make moves, and CONQUER....
