Mindbender
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Mindbender

Toronto, Ontario, Canada | INDIE

Toronto, Ontario, Canada | INDIE
Band Hip Hop EDM

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This band has not uploaded any videos

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"Mindbender Rocks the Opera House"

Mindbender shares the stage with the Def Jux Crew (El-P, Aesop Rock, Mr. Lif, Camu Tao, and Cage) for Canadian Music Week

Venue: Opera House
Date: March 3, 2006
Review by: Alison Lang
Background: Hungry, aggressive and highly emotive hip-hop from an intense young MC.

Grade: 80 out of 100

Comment: Someone had the right idea when they booked this kid to open up for the Opera House’s Definitive Jux showcase. As people filtered in after waiting nearly an hour in bitingly cold temperatures, Mindbender warmed ‘em up with his brief, biting assault, getting everyone’s blood moving again.

Oral And Visual Communication -
Strengths/Weaknesses/Next Step:
Mindbender quickly won the giddy crowd as he staggered across the stage in a bomber jacket, barking lyrics. At the same time, he showed obvious gratitude towards simply being on stage. At one point he stopped the DJ and roared, “I gotta cherish this moment!” Sound cheesy? It wasn’t.

Musical Analysis -
Strengths/Weaknesses/Next Step:
Mindbender boasted an unusually bombastic delivery that was initially jarring. His lyrics were a little goofy – any rapper that quotes that “You can’t handle the truth!” line from A Few Good Men must know that he’ll elicit a chuckle or two. Still, his sincerity and ability balanced it all out from the get-go.

Other Skills And Areas Of Interest -
Strengths/Weaknesses/Next Step:
Mindbender is one of the first live MCs I’ve ever seen who’s possessed a genuinely dramatic flair. The image of him lurching about the stage, eyes squinched shut with concentration and roaring at the drunk kids in the front row is not something I’ll forget anytime soon. With any luck we’ll be hearing more from this angry young man in the future. - Chart Magazine (www.chartattack.com)


"Mindbender "In Another Universe" EP Review"

By Thomas Quinlan
October 17, 2001

It's been nearly four years of compilation tracks and guest appearances for Mindbender since his last album, Supreme Being Unit's Mental Reverse/Spiritual Rebirth, recorded with Conspiracy, his brother in rhyme as well as in blood. Fans have been patiently awaiting something new from the SBU camp and Mindbender is the first to comply with In Another Universe, his debut solo EP. All six tracks, from the faux drum & bass with reggae chants of "Babylon Will Fall" to the hard hitting "Higher Than Ever" are paradoxically dark yet catchy, thanks to production from Doro, who favours heavy drums and atmospheric instrumentation. The nearly constant twists and turns throughout the music enables the nimble Mindbender to initiate his own twists and turns vocally. While Mindbender has slowed his flow down since Mental Reverse/Spiritual Rebirth, he has yet to lose his dynamic voice that fluctuates from whispers to angry growls, often within the same breath. And as anyone may gather from his name, it still takes more than a single listen to decipher the meaning behind Mindbender's lyrics. The conspiracy theories that were central to the SBU album are made subtler, masked by lyrics intent on demonstrating Mindbender's verbal and intellectual skills. Picking a favourite track from these six songs is a difficult task, with each song deserving the recognition at the moment of play. At only six songs in less than 25 minutes, In Another Universe is much too short for someone who hasn't released much substantial material in four years. And this self-released album has fairly limited distribution at the moment and may be difficult to find, but worth it! - Exclaim! Magazine (www.exclaim.ca)


"Return to Bender"

MINDBENDER

Beautiful Mutant CD release party with Collizhun, Eternia, Brassmunk, Pangea Project, Drunken Monks. Fri, Oct 8. The Reverb, 651 Queen W. $10.
BY ERROL NAZARETH

Those unfamiliar with MC-about-town Mindbender may react with surprise that he's just released a sprawling double-CD set. Those who are familiar with him are probably surprised that Beautiful Mutant isn't a four-CD box set.

"Oh, man, it's funny you should say that," Mindbender says from his downtown pad. "I've had crazy thoughts of doing something like Prince and releasing a triple album!"

If anyone in our over-populated hip-hop scene can pull it off, it's Mindbender. It's not because he's attempting to set a record or because he is, to use the hoary cliché employed by so many of his hip-hop contemporaries, trying to elevate his game. It's because of his immense love for the language.

MC Eternia, who appears on Beautiful Mutant, agrees.

"He's always been good at expressing himself and has enough things to say that it warrants a larger forum, so a double album just seemed to make sense, y'know?" she says. "It is a big thing to accomplish. I don't think it's impossible for artists in the scene to put out a double album, it's virtually impossible to put one out with content that's worthwhile for the whole runtime."

As evidenced on Beautiful Mutant and its predecessor, Fantasyland Before Time, Mindbender's verbosity is breathtaking. But while his rapid rap is impressive, it can also be his Achilles heel. Each disc of Beautiful Mutant only clocks in at about 40 minutes but they seem much, much longer given how much -- and what -- Mindbender is spitting at you.

It's a criticism Mindbender's heard before. "I'm trying to slow down and I'm learning the power of simplicity," he admits. "I've finally realized how fast I think and speak. I mean, Bob Marley said, 'Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights.' That's so simple but it's so timeless and powerful and universal."

Mindbender credits Chuck D and Ice Cube's early material with sparking his love affair with lyrics. "I just loved how they used words, they helped me realize the power of words and what kinds of thoughts they could spark."

Equally influential, he says, were George Clinton and Sun Ra. "They both made bold, creative music," Mindbender says. "If I had the money, my show would be like a P-Funk show. I'd love to take it to that level where it's an experience. I guess I just have an imagination similar to those artists. I perceive everything differently and I always want to explore and experiment."

And that's yet another factor that makes Beautiful Mutant such an unconventional hip-hop album. While Mindbender messes with minds, the producers he chose to collaborate with aren't afraid to play with beats and sounds that are foreign to the average hip-hop head's ears. "Weapon X," with its deep bass and evocative Middle Eastern vibe, epitomizes this approach.

Mindbender calls the track a hip-hop comic-book story where "I'm half MC and half the character Wolverine from X-Men. I'm such big comic-book fan and I have this wild imagination so I said, 'What if one of the X-Men was into hip-hop?' So, I pretended I was bringing justice and doing rap at the same time."

Bringing justice to a scene filled with -- to quote a line from the track "Raindrops" -- "too many bad rappers and not enough clever songwriters"?

"Yes, exactly! Thank you very much for catching that line. I'm happy the lyrics are somewhat relevant since the album was written in 2002. You know, people are always saying, 'Screw this mainstream crap. It's so boring and stereotypical and damaging.' I'm just saying, 'Here's something totally original.'" - Eye Magazine, 10.07.04


"Quotes on Mindbender and Supreme Being Unit"

"Twenty-two tracks deep, this is a revolution in the sound medium. Don’t sleep." - URB Magazine Record Report, ‘Mental Reverse/Spiritual Rebirth’ review, May 1998

"The Supreme Being Unit from Toronto are powerful, to say the least. Their new album is a refreshing entry... SBU is very easy to listen to, and no group has kicked so many conspiracy theories since the glory days of Public Enemy.” ~ Insomniac Magazine from Miami, Florida, Issue #9, 1998

"…outstanding debut." - independents day, Hip Hop Connection ~ London, England, Slick Rick Cover, July 1998

"Conspiracy and Mindbender are the two MC/DJ/producers laying down insane otherworldly uncut dope on this 'Mental Reverse/Spiritual Rebirth'. Their lyrical barrage is so thick, dense and unrelenting, you are forced to rewind several times to let it all enter your mind… Calling all heads - support true hip hop, right in your backyard." - T'Cha Dunleavy, Hour Magazine, Montreal, Quebec - March 1998

"SBU's second album, ‘Mental Reverse, Spiritual Rebirth’ is a ferocious lyrical double header. Each MC has his own concept side -- Mindbender explores paranoia, porn and power structures on ‘Mental Reverse’, while Conspiracy eulogizes roaches and talks regeneration and space travel on ‘Spiritual Rebirth’." - international journalist Lizz Mendez Berry, eye magazine - February 1999

"Known as half of Canada's infamous Supreme Being Unit (SBU) and major part of the "In Divine Style" movement (which included a magazine and a weekly spot at The Hooch) - Mindbender is a familiar voice and face in Canada's scene. Fusing spacy imaginations, barrier bursting vision, and a love for Hip Hop as a culture, Mindbender's rapid-fire delivery is his signature sound... transmitting charged emotions through microphones, his style appeals to the mind and to the emotions." - Toronto Urban Music Festival performer for WORD Magazine - August 2002

"...listening to his debut LP, one would scarcely guess that underground MC Mindbender hails from Toronto, let alone Planet Earth…" - Chart Magazine album review, February 2003

"Mindbender's rapid-fire spitting and complex rhymes combined with spaced-out Dorc production, creates a completely out of universe experience…" - Pound Magazine album review, #16, April 2003

"As evidenced on Beautiful Mutant and its predecessor, Fantasyland Before Time, Mindbender's verbosity is breathtaking" - Errol Nazareth - eye magazine - October 2004

"Hip Hop's Hidden Gem: Mindbender of Supreme Being Unit--a Toronto-area MC, DJ, host, promoter, manager and all-around pillar of the Toronto hip hop community" - The McMaster Silhouette - March 2004

“For a taste of true Toronto hip hop, raw and uncut, catch the ‘In Divine Style’ open stage Thursday night at The Hooch (817 Queen St. W.). Hosted by none other than Mindbender himself, and featuring DJs Fritz the Cat (of Vice magazine fame), Druncness Monster, and More or Les spinning beats in between sets, it's a showcase for local underground talent that won't disappoint." - The McMaster Silhouette - March 2004
- various international magazines


Discography

2010: Mindbender Supreme and Rich Kidd: "Jupiter", SBU: "In Space, No One Can Hear You Rhyme" feat. DJ Weez-L,
2009: "Obeah" feat. Micill Shazzam Write
2007: "Better Late Than Never Made EP" on Urbnet/Futurecho Records
2007: "The Invisible Rhythm Showcase: Mindbender's Acappella Album" on Futurecho/Urbnet Records
2006 - "No More Mr Fu*king Nice Guy Vol. 2" - Mindbender Mixtape/Concept CD
2006 - "Invisible Rhythm Showcase" - Mindbender acapella album
2006 - "In Space No One Can Hear You Rhyme" CD - Supreme Being Unit album featuring Conspiracy, produced by Weez-El, Western Canada DMC Champion
2006 - "Supertoke Vol. 1" Rhythmicru mixtape CD
2006 - "Thundera Sound Crew - The Middle Man" DJ Extrodinare mixtape CD
2005 - "One Mic/50 MCs" mixtape CD - a DJ Projeksiun/DJ Flash release
2005 - "Let The Games Begin" Just Entertainment double mix CD
2005 - "The 5th Element Fast Lyfe" Compilation Series Vol. 3 CD
2004 - "Beautiful Mutant" ~ Mindbender album/Futurecho Records double CD - Urbnet/Outside distribution
2004 - "No More Mr. Fu*king Nice Guy Vol. 1" - Mindbender Mixtape CD
2004 - "The Invasion LP" - guest appearance on Dragon Fli Empire CD
2003 - "Bassments of Badmen Vol. 2" - Hand'Solo Records compilation CD
2002 - "Fantasyland Before Time" - Mindbender album/Futurecho Records CD
2001 - "In Another Universe" - Mindbender EP/Futurecho Records CD
1996 - "Mental Reverse/Spiritual Rebirth" CD - Supreme Being Unit album featuring Conspiracy

Photos

Bio

Since 1996, Adhimu "Mindbender" Stewart has consistently created a completely new definition of MC, every single time he rhymes into a mic. His mission is to open the mind's third eye while simultaneously satisfying the third ear of the listener, taking them into a brave new world where intellectual song concepts, creative metaphors, and deep social commentaries reign supreme. Mindbender's exciting and unpredictable flow is intense and refreshingly original, displaying a vast vocabulary and delivering unique wordplay in every song. In 2006, Mindbender completed a record-breaking fifth consecutive year as the host and organizer of Toronto's most popular and longest running open mic showcase, called "In Divine Style".

Mindbender also has been involved in numerous volunteer collectives in various Toronto communities, using hip hop music and culture to help children's self-development, while being constructive and creative. Before attending the historic Millions More Movement event in Washington, Mindbender finished background work on 50 Cent's "Get Rich or Die Trying" major motion picture, and "Sixteen Blocks" with Mos Def and Bruce Willis. Mindbender is also a journalist/columnist for Pound Magazine, where he has covered the Canadian hip hop scene from coast-to-coast for over 3 years, along with writing the cover story featuring Kanye West in 2003, and interviewing John Legend, Prince Paul, Twista, Kool G. Rap, Young Buck, Phonte of Little Brother, among others. In 2006, Mindbender completed "The Invisible Rhythm Showcase", his long-awaited experimental acapella album, and "No More Mr. Fucking Nice Guy Volume 2: The Blasphemy Masterpiece" concept mixtape/album, which are both the official follow-up releases to the critically-acclaimed double CD "Beautiful Mutant". He has recently released "Better Late Than Never Made", an EP with Urbnet Records, as well as "Invisible Rhythm Showcase", an experimental acapella album like nothing else ever known in music history. Currently, he is preparing many projects, including the official follow-up to the critically acclaimed Canadian classic "Mental Reverse/Spiritual Rebirth" with Supreme Being Unit rhyme partner Conspiracy, called "In Space, No One Can Hear You Rhyme", as well as a collaboration album with Micill Shazaam Write called "Obeah". On top of releasing these powerful projects, Mindbender released "Jupiter", co-produced by Rich Kidd (producer for Busta Rhymes, Redman, Saukrates, Drake, M.O.P., and many more) in 2010, and toured Ontario with Abstract Rude, NiLLa and Partyboobtrap, with DJ Tramlife from San Diego, and made an unforgettable impression. In 2011, the amazing artistry simply continues to get bigger and better. Get on board now, who knows what incredible ideas are next to come from Mindbender Supreme?