About
ELUS, The Kindgenius
Recording Artist. Award Winning Audio Engineer. Music Producer. Artist Manager. Educator. Creative Entrepreneur.
The Story
Nearly three decades in the culture
Born in Angeles City, Philippines, and raised in the Bronx, New York, ELUS, also known as The Kindgenius (Malik Sinclair), is a multifaceted music professional whose career spans nearly three decades. From discovering his passion for music at an early age to becoming an award winning audio engineer, recording artist, producer, and entrepreneur, ELUS has dedicated his life to mastering his craft and helping others navigate the music industry.
His musical journey began at just 12 years old as a DJ, eventually expanding into songwriting, production, recording, mixing, mastering, and artist development. Since 1997 he has been co-owner of FMR Studios in the Bronx, contributing his engineering expertise to projects involving Nas, Jim Jones, French Montana, Pharoahe Monch, Joell Ortiz, Sauce Walka, Sheff G, Sleepy Hallow, Fred The Godson, and Homeboy Sandman, along with numerous independent artists. He recorded Brucie B's vocals on "The Definition" for Nas' Grammy winning album King's Disease, and the vocal sound he delivered was kept on the final record. From 2006 to 2008 he also worked in music programming as a Programming Assistant at Music Choice.
As a recording artist, ELUS was a founding member of the Bronx hip hop group TRIBORO, which earned recognition at the Underground Music Awards, including the 2011 Essence of Hip Hop Award and the 2012 Best Rap Group Award, plus Buzz Factor of the Year at the 2012 All Star Music Awards. His individual contributions were further recognized in 2021, when he received the All Star Music Award for Engineer of the Year.
Beyond the recording studio, ELUS has established himself as an artist manager, educator, and music business strategist. As manager of award winning Bronx R&B singer B.Ankha, he oversees artist development, branding, release strategy, business administration, and career opportunities, and he runs her publishing home, Sign My Check Publishing, an active member of The MLC. Recognizing the challenges independent artists face, he founded ELUS Artist Advantage and the ELUS Music Business Academy, and created No Beat Needed, an acapella performance network for independent artists.
Whether behind the mixing console, developing an artist, teaching the next generation, or creating music of his own, ELUS brings the same philosophy to everything he does: knowledge is meant to be shared, excellence is earned through experience, and independence begins with understanding your worth.
