Talking with Spectac

Every now and then you'll run across someone who changes the way you think about a topic. Nearly 15 years ago, I ran across a guy by the name of Mervin Jenkins - better known as Spectac - or Spec for short. With long dreads, a beard and a mellow voice, Spec changed my perceptions of rappers and the music I listened to. In a small record store in Columbia S.C. Spec, showed me what Hip Hop was all about  through one amazing freestyle session. Now years later Spectac is back, and he's a bit older, a bit wiser, and proving why he is someone I call the heart and soul of Hip Hop.

JAMAL: "You’ve been an artist for quite some time. How did you get started on this particular journey."

SPECTAC: "I was listening to the radio in my dad's garage around 1983 and I heard Run DMC's 'Sucker MC-- I fell in love with the movement at that moment. I also had a cousin who moved to my hometown in SC and introduced me to [Hip Hop] around that time."


JAMAL:  "You have an extensive track record when it comes to working with established artists. Who have you collaborated with in the past?"

SPECTAC: "Big Daddy Kane, Little Brother, Large Professor, Phife Dawg (of a Tribe Called Quest) and a few other notables."

JAMAL: "Now I've known you for a minute, but there might be some people on this blog who aren't familiar with your story. Can you fill them in and tell them about your extraordinary background."

SPECTAC: "I graduated from Benedict College in Columbia, SC and worked at Sounds Familiar record store for a couple of years after finishing school. Afterwards I became a teacher in Charleston, SC and worked on my masters in school administration while teaching full-time. Once I graduated with my masters, I started a job as a high school assistant principal in Chapel Hill, NC. All the while I steadily pursued a career in hip hop. Around 2001, I charted Billboard's top 100 R&B chart with a single called 'Lessons from the Ghetto'. Soon after I began to work with the likes of 9th Wonder, Little Brother, Median, and a host of other North Carolina based hip hop artists. Later I became a school principal and currently I'm working as the assistant director for the eastern division of a national education training company called AVID."

JAMAL: "And I think that distinguishes you from a lot of other artists out there. You already have a successful career as an educator - what brings you back to the mic."


SPECTAC: "I realized I had a passion for the movement that will never die. Even though I make my living as an educator I also know that Hip Hop is my first love. I find time to combine the two when I do public speaking for educators and students around the country."


JAMAL: "To me Hip Hop has a totally different sound now and a lot of people sound a like. I have to admit that I don't listen to it as much as I use to. But tell me,  how do you maintain your own sound and still manage to keep it fresh and stand out as an individual"


SPECTAC: "I just try to avoid the hype. I make the music that I love and if someone likes it-- cool. I just refrain from letting the mass dictate what I want to produce."


JAMAL: "It's a known fact that you’re really good at freestyling. For those on the blog who don’t know, what is freestyling and how do you do it? What is the key to freestyling?"

SPECTAC: "The art of freestyling is rhyming in 'real time'-- improv of sorts. It's truly a natural ability that I've managed to improve through practice. For me the key is hearing a track that moves me and then just getting into character. If the track moves me that's half the battle. Of course you have to think quick on your feet."


JAMAL: "What’s in the future for Spec. Can we expect to see a future album?"

SPECTAC: "This past April I released 'Almost Famous' with my partner Amiri on HipNott Records. In August I dropped 'Spectac Returns' (a solo project) on Domination Recordings. Hopefully Amiri and I will release another project early 2011... tentatively titled 'Our Time'.

Alright 'J' it's been good bro! Stay up... 100!"

To hear a clean version of Spectac's song Superman from his album Spectac Returns click here

To purchase or to check out more of Spectac's work and the Spectac Returns album on Amazon click here.

Spec breaks down the art of freestyling: