After a six year hiatus from the stage St. Paul, MN resident Angelique Hanschen a.k.a Sinycal has returned, polished and perfected to breathe new life into the local scene. The buzz around this female emcee was high as she honed her craft in the early 2000’s. Surrounded by a wealth of the best hip-hop artists this city has to offer, Sinycal was selling out shows, and making a name for herself by collaborating and guest appearing on dozens of records while working on her own debut. Her first glimpse of fame was touring as a child star with a young group of singers, actors and performers. Years later, she was rediscovered by Try-D, made her first cameo on a mixtape by Souls of Life in 2002. By this time she was a single mother to a young daughter, and unlike most female rappers she wasn’t trying to go down the obvious routes of a sex goddess or a baggy jean, baseball cap wearing tomboy femcee.

Sinycal burst onto the burgeoning hip-hop scene as a bolt of lightning, unashamed of her femininity and unwilling to exploit it. Her shows were a frenetic mix of cutting edge hip-hop and heartbreaking spoken word. In 2003, she went full force into writing and recording and co-founded her own independent label to release music for her and other artists she believed in. Her vision of a co-operative collaborative group of artists sharing resources and stages was shattered when she trusted a fast talking business student with seemingly strident credentials. Over two years, his maneuvers made a once beautiful vision an embarrassing combination of bad business, broken promises, stolen music, masters, and money.

Needless to say this experience left Angelique disillusioned with the business of music. She retreated into her personal life and her relationship. While the Minneapolis/St. Paul hip-hop scene moved on, and other female emcees claimed the crown she once held, Angelique worked at local restaurants, and gave birth to another daughter. Reaching her mid twenties with the dream of stardom far out of reach she dreamed of sharing a life with her long term boyfriend, getting married and raising a family.

Fate had a different plan, Angelique was destined to once again become Sinycal. Watching her relationship deteriorate and writing more than ever about the heartbreak she endured fueled her desire to return. It wasn’t until that relationship finally ended that she would get her chance. In late 2009 she recorded “Find Myself” with her longtime friend and collaborator Anonimust. It was an honest reflection of her failures and her longing for a better love. Now a grown up single mother of two girls, she channeled the energy, the pain, heartache, conviction, regret, hope, and passion into the next 25 tracks written and recorded over 2 more years. The 15 that made the cut she titled “The Severance Package.” (thanks to the advice of friend and collaborator Orikal Uno). This album shows the obvious the amount of determination and hunger Sinycal possess for her art. Not your everyday breakup record , it is an honest diary of love and loss, a wake up and call to action for the brokenhearted.

Sinycal brings together the raw and swift delivery of one of the freshest voices in hip-hop, with one of the most talented and in your face live performances around. She is speaking to and for every one who has ever been in and out of love, cheated on, cheated with, for every woman who became a single mother after hoping for a wedding ring. With versatility, determination, and a rapidly growing fan base, she has transformed her passion and art into an unstoppable force bound to deliver a new voice in hip-hop. On Mother’s Day 2012 she gave the gift of her debut release to the world for free via her website www.sinycal.net. Now working with in collaboration with LA based producer Shells, and her longtime partner Anonimust, Sinycal plans to deliver two more releases before the year’s end. Set to become a household name not only to hip hop fans in Minneapolis/St. Paul but the world over. Now one of the best-kept secrets in hip-hop is about to be let out, with a point to prove and a unique voice. Look for “The Severance Package” available now free online at her website or via Bandcamp.

Sinycal will be headlining August 10th at the Nomad in Minneapolis as her first show to promote “The Severance Package”

Severance Package – Clean – Direct Link

Severance Package – Clean – Mirror Link

Words by Sinycal – Music by Anonimust

Severance Package – Direct Link

Severance Package – Mirror Link