By: Seli Baisie
Ghanaian rapper M.anifest speaks on the GTV Breakfast Show, sharing his experience exploring Africa, saying he loves East Africa.
According to him, East Africa is greener and more serene.
“Oh, I love the East. At least the places I have been to, Kenya, Rwanda, I have been to both this year, and their cities are much greener. They build around trees, they don’t cut them down,” he said.
The ‘God MC’ said it is easier to love places where you don’t live, and regardless of how much he loves the East, they also have their own problems.
M.anifest is one of Africa’s finest lyricists, having worked with musical legends such as Damon Albarn, Flea, Tony Allen, and Erykah Badu, and appearing on five songs on the Rocket Juice and the Moon album. A decade ago, he won Best Rapper and Hip-Hop Song of the Year at the 2017 Ghana Music Awards.
Speaking on the ‘Scoop’, a segment on GTV’s Breakfast Show on Wednesday, December 7, 2022, M.anifest recounted how South Africa plays a vital role in his musical journey after he relocated from America to Africa.
The ‘Game Over’ hitmaker said he holds South Africa dear to his heart because he met his favourite creators there and South Africa was a great ‘Springboard’.
“I hold South Africa so dear partly because when I came back from America to Africa, South Africa was such a great springboard for me. In terms of just being able to make inroads into the Africa music scene. Partly because I met some of my favourite creators on the continent there across the industry,” he recounted.
The multiple award-winning musician also revealed that his album cover, ‘Nowhere Cool’ was designed by a Zimbabwean friend and the video was shot in Cape Town.
When asked where his inspiration comes from in terms of designing album covers, the rapper said, ‘he is a fan of creative work’.
“I am a fan of creative work, not just music, but different creative fields, and I believe that in creating, you have to be cross-disciplinary and also a bit vast,” he explained. “My inspiration is to take you beyond the music. It’s not just, ‘Oh, take a picture of my face and write something.’ You have to see the artwork, and it extends the potency of the music.”
Born Kwame Ametepe Tsikata, the rapper also touched on Ghana’s football team, saying the national team is ‘problematic’.
“Institutionally, there is so much problems, how else is the main thing going to flourish when the backbone of it, the institutions of it are problematic or beyond problematic from everything we hear.
“You know, we’ve seen documentaries, we’ve seen everything that shows that. We know that football is already problematic, but Ghana football institutionally is problematic, so when this thing happens, I don’t even think it’s usually even the players.”
“It’s ultimately a testament to the fact that we have a broken system,” he added.
M.anifest is currently gearing up for his annual concert, Manifestivities which has been scheduled for Sunday, December 18, 2022 at the Bukom Arena, Accra.
Manifestivities makes a return after a year’s hiatus, promises to be exciting with artistes such as Kwesi Arthur, songstress Gyakie, T’neeya, BBrave, Kojo Manuel and many more.
Watch the full interview below;
