the Birds & the Beats

Young Entrepreneurs Africa SUMMER PROGRAM - GUIDE FOR MENTORS

2011-05-23T10:38:00.000-07:00

In Ghana this august? want to do some cool and useful volunteer work for the greater good? check out the program from my friends at Young Entrepreneurs Africa.

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Introduction
Young Entrepreneurs, Africa (YE,A) is a not-for-profit organization that empowers underprivileged young Africans to develop themselves and Africa through entrepreneurship.

A thriving private sector is key to driving growth in capitalist economies. The right blend of fresh ideas from creative entrepreneurs, solid business models, and good management teams often determines the success of new enterprises.

Yet, only a tiny percentage of underprivileged students obtain tertiary-level education, and too many African countries' secondary-level education leave these students ill-equipped to contribute to the private sector. It is in Africa's interests for this segment of the population to contribute their creativity and business acumen towards developing the continent through enterprise.

This summer, YE,A plans on launching and running an intensive 4 week program that creates an environment for its participants to nurture their creative instincts, develop their business acumen, and learn by actually becoming entrepreneurs. The organization offers participants an opportunity to work in small teams to develop ideas and start up and run a business.

We believe that this experience will teach our participants important lessons about starting a business and working in a structured environment, critical skills they will need to thrive on an emerging continent.

Mission
Our mission is to empower underprivileged young Africans to develop themselves and Africa through entrepreneurship.

Objectives
YE,A's main objectives are to help its participants to:

* nurture their creativity and business talent
* prepare to face business challenges in the future
* identify pain points and opportunities in their immediate environment
* instill a culture of effective teamwork in starting up business ventures
* teach them the impact of entrepreneurship on the development of Africa
* create and maintain network of young entrepreneurs, across the continent, who will use share creative ideas on how they can help develop the continent

Operational Plan

YE,A targets 14- to 18- year-old students in secondary schools.
Each team, consisting of up to seven members, will:
* Organize itself as it deems appropriate, working together, but with individuals selected to assume the responsibilities of Chief Executive, Finance Director, Marketing Director, Sales Director, etc.
* Generate business ideas and pick one idea for a business
o Each business idea must focus on using any resources available to them to provide a product or service that others are willing to buy
* Write a business plan for their idea
* Raise capital by pitching their idea to YE,A, our corporate partners, or any other individuals or organizations of their choosing in exchange for "shares" in their company
o To keep teams on a level playing field and avoid turning this into a fund-raising exercise, YE,A caps the limit any team may raise at $500
o The business idea they come up with must be one that will be beneficial to the society
* Set up operations and attempt to grow their businesses

The summer program will be intensive and will run over a 4 week period during the long (summer) vacation.

YE,A will set up a mentorship programme, in which mentors will meet with the teams they are assigned to, daily, to guide them in setting up their business processes. The role of the mentor is merely to advise teams; mentors may not make any decisions for any team. The mentors are individuals - local or foreign business owners, MBA graduates, teachers, artists etc - who believe in the vision of YE,A.

YE,A will also arrange for visiting speakers to offer insights on strategy, finance, and other business practices during the programme.

Realizing reward for hard work is part of the entrepreneur's reality. At the end of the programme, YE,A will judge businesses from the various teams and reward members of the winning project with:

1) paid internship opportunities for all six team members in a business development role in partner company/start-up AND
2) Up to $1,000 seed capital to develop their idea further.

Each project will be judged on the basis of:
1. Creativity of business idea
2. Implementation of idea
3. Synergy of team; ability to work together cohesively
4. Record-keeping and presentation

Mentor Roles and Responsibilities
YE,A seeks to recruit individuals with a mix of skills and experience to serve as mentors. These individuals will be committed to the organization's cause, believe in its mission and be willing to share their knowledge with the students.

We ask mentors to:
1. Commit to spending a minimum of two weeks in Ghana in order to take part in this program.
2. Be present at all meetings. The program runs Mondays through Fridays, 9am through 2:30pm. Fridays will be set aside for team building activities, workshops and site visits.
Each team has two mentors. In the event, that one mentor is not able to attend a session, please ensure the other is present.
3. Teach basic business models
4. Offer advice and guidance ONLY. We want the students to use their creativity to take initiative and think
critically
5. Track use of funds
6. Provide moral support (only for competition)
7. Fill out evaluation sheets during every other meeting. We will use these to assess the progress of the students as they go through the program
8. Be present at the launch and/or the closing event for this summer program

Dates

August 1st, 2011 through August 26th, 2011

More Information for Non-Ghanaian mentors

YE,A will provide information on flights.
We understand that the cost involved is high and will subsidize it by providing accommodation, some meals and free transportation to and from the location.
Guided tours to some significant historic and cultural sites such as the Cape Coast Castle, Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum, Kakum Forest etc., will be offered for those interested.

Deadline to sign up to be a mentor: July 7th, 2011

Contact:
If you are interested in being a mentor or have any questions, please contact Kobby Adams at adrian.adams@gmail.com or +233 27 7551957 in Ghana
Lindy Larson at lindy.larson@gmail.com or +44 07904611229 in the UK
Arthur Toole at Atoole3@gmail.com or +1 210 842 0026 in the US

For more information about YE,A:

‘Like’ our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Young-Entrepreneurs-Africa-YEA/131637969587

and Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/yeaonline

South African Kid Phenom, Vicus...Whoa!

2011-02-22T20:20:00.000-08:00

Chale, this 10 year old South African kid Vicus...crushing bieber fever. i know i know, it's not a competition. but this right here! past dope. big up to Doc who put me on this. enjoy the vid tho. I hope it goes viral already. only MJ sang that good at that age. what do u think? BTW i haven't blogged in forever so might as well slip in a plug. go ahead and get my new jawn, "One night only" feat eLDee the Don. On itunes. peace

We're taking Giant Steps Tomorrow!

2010-09-30T10:00:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is going to be epic! i bs u not. check the list (below) of workshop presenters and panelists going to be at Giant Steps conference tomorrow Oct 1st. It reads like a who is who in arts and entrepreneurship fields! Twill be at the Neighborhood house on the west side of St. Paul! Still a chance to register today!

Ashanti Abdullah - Artist Management
Ta-coumba Aiken - Artist, Muralist, Activist, Educator
Kevin Beacham - Social Media Manager: Fifth Element, DJ
Nichelle Bell - Founder LITT Magazine, IT Consultant
Maurice Blanks - Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer, Blu Dot
Desdamona - Artist, Co-founder of B Girl Be, Educator
Marcus Genzlinger - Web Designer, Entrepreneur
Jon Goodman - Founder, JGoods LLC
Crystal Grobe - Food Writer, WCCO.com
Jon Hallberg, M.D. - Medical Director, Mill City Clinic
Diallo Hall - Founder, AddisTunes
Jamal Hashi - Chef, Co-Owner Safari Express
Maria Isa - Artist, Actor, Founder SotaRico Productions
Aaron Keller - Founding Partner and Managing Principal, Capsule. Author
Brendan BK-One Kelly - Artist, Dj/Producer
Ken Kunkle - Attorney, Kunkle Law PLC
Crista Lentsch - Business banking officer, U.S Bank
Kyle Myhre - Artist, Activist, National Slam Poetry Champion
Chris Osgood - Vice-President of Organizational Development, McNally-Smith
Rhea Pappas - Photographer, Educator, Community Organizer
T Mychael Rambo - Emmy award Winning Actor, Educator, Vocalist, Organizer
Jon Rasmussen - Executive Director, Midway Contemporary Art
Blake Richardson - Sake Brewer, Owner: Moto-I, Herkimer
Brent Siddiq Sayers - Co-founder/CEO Rhymesayers Ent
Danny Schwartzman - Owner/Founder Common Roots Cafe
Ben Shardlow - Community Developer, Co--Founder of Give & Take Works Progress
Nichole Smaglick - Founder and President, Another Land
Andrea Swensson - Music Editor (The City Pages)
Toki Wright - Artist, Organizer, Educator

Also peep the trailer...

Plus there will be an early concert 7:00pm - 9:00pm at Cause soundbar and spirits with me and Desdamona! pow

Katrah-Quey is a genius. Makings of...

2010-09-16T15:51:00.000-07:00

...street symphony. wow how did i miss this? one of the first songs i recorded for "manifestations!" he takes u thru the sample and editorializes a likkle bit. don't front on fruity loops people. i've put audio of the full song beneath it too. shouts to my guy KQ! and Ado who loves this song. i'm all nostalgic now

here's the song

Get manifestations on SALE here or here on itunes!

Celebrating "Manifestations" - 8.99 (shipping included) sale!

2010-09-10T09:10:00.001-07:00

To celebrate the 3-year anniversary of "manifestations," I've put it on sale for only $8.99 (shipping included!) for the next week. There are only a few copies of the original pressing left. Buy a copy for yourself, for a friend and family member! This album was awarded top 5 albums of the year by the Star Tribune, and top 10 albums by the City Pages. Re-released in Europe by Jakarta Records/Groove Attack. Get yours! Much respect to all of you who copped the record and helped to put me in a position where i am now as a full time artist. spread the word! I've written a short reflection piece below.

Sept 11 2007 i shared "manifestations," my first musical child, with the world. It was an act of faith. no record label backing, going the independent route, balancing time i didn't have (i had a full time job with a non-profit at the same time), and having to let go of artistic anxieties of this not being good enough. I remember days upon days agonizing with my friend and manager Ashanti about how we were going to find money to press CD's and do all the printing and promo stuff. Writing and recording the music was the "easy" part. Then out of the blue i worked on a pepsi jingle through Asche and Spencer which ended up being chosen by pepsi to be used for radio ads and as their theme music on their website! God sent i tell you. Finally some mullah landed into my lap, and i could do for myself what many of my peers were waiting for a record label to do for them.

3 years later i can only give thanks that folks all around the world not only liked the record, but actually were generous enough to buy it! 3 years later i'm now a full time artist. 3 years later i've been able to tour many cities in America, played incredible shows and big festivals in Europe, had some amazing critical reviews, met some amazing fans/kinfolk and accidentally made some more good music along the way. There are so many to thank for manifestations which in all honesty was a group effort from me and my 4shades crew.

Much respect to all the amazing producers i worked with: O-d, G Mo, Katrah-Quey, Sebmaestria, B-Live, Dela (Dee), M.A, Coptic. Much respect to the artists who contributed their vocal talents to the record: Desdamona, Checkmate, Wanlov the Kubolor, Evil Twin, Mandi, Nisreen. To Mahdee Abdullah for the hilarious skits. To Ashanti for helping to make it happen and bearing with my stubborn self. And of course for the scratches on "Street Symphony" u were never credited for! haha. To roli, for being the critical ear. To Joe Mabbott for mastering the record. To Jonah for the artwork - good lookin! To Mikal for the link to Jonah. To Biq Quarters, I Self Devine, Maria Isa for playing the Cd release party. To Paul Yutaka for doing the website and all sorts of random stuff i needed - much appreciated. And to all of you who bought the records, burnt copy, or sent a link to somebody, or ever gave me critiques and/or words of encouragement. Much love
M dododotidoh

To all my friends that ever lost their minds…

2010-08-31T14:20:00.000-07:00

To all my friends that ever lost their minds…
Only to find it was a good thing to lose
Cause in the mind is where fear dwells
And a life of fear, is a life that might as well be hell
might appear fear is a basic instinct
Not something you hear, but something u see in a baby for instance
For some, fear is a driver. And they’re passengers going the distance
Seatbelt strapped in so tight it’s hard to put up a resistance
Does a market for fear exist?
perhaps I should check with ebay and craigslist.
fear is on my shitlist for all the times I was scared shitless
so I try to leave my fears behind, or give some to the devil for Christmas.
he deserves it.
when fear grips me and my tears are ‘bout to well up
I remember “fear is a darkroom where negatives develop”
At least that’s what some old bloke wrote
Seems like a remarkable quote.
All good things must come to an end? true indeed tho'
So is this prose about to end? I’m afraid so.

M.anifest - Been crazy before ft. I Self Devine & Checkmate (prod O-D) by manifestive

Africology!

2010-08-13T18:19:00.000-07:00

Africology is very fresh, so jump on the bandwagon before the wagon gets congested :). www.africologymedia.com. They came thru to Le poisson Rouge for the Alternative Apparel showcase i played at the night before Africa Express in Spain. I spit some bars, they ask some questions, and then there's a likkle footage of yours truly performing blackstar over there. enjoy. My NYC folks always show mucho love. Big up to Gibril, Kalab and Ado.
Holleration
M dododotidoh

M.anifest on Africology from Africology on Vimeo.

Spain "Festa Dos Mundos"/Africa Express Recap.....

2010-08-12T11:27:00.000-07:00

So much to say so much awesomeness to remember. but most importantly we give thanks for the opportunity to rock in front of 50,000 plus people on a beach and to do so with a brilliant and amazing group of musicians. truly humbling. peep these two vids and a pic of the crowd. Big shoutouts to Africa Express!
yours truly,
m dododotidoh

Blackstar Live. shouts to m3nsa and wanlov!

M3nsa performs "show me how"

a flick of the crowd

Civilization is a weird place

2010-07-26T19:53:00.001-07:00

Civilization is a weird place chale. somewhere in between the plenty gadgets, the rules, the news, and the blues, our humanity is missing and misplaced. still i'm tickled by it.

This evening i saw a white collar fella in his white collar dress clothes wearing a screwface, walking on a side walk, and picking every piece of trash he saw. he either is selling a house on the block (property value?), has a chip on his shoulder, or has a compulsive need to manual street sweep at the end of his work day at whatever office downtown. Could be one of the above or i'm just a presumptuous idiot.

Civilization is a weird place chale. Where else can lebron james making a luxurious decision of which city and NBA team to pay him the most and satisfy his career be more important than the gross injustice of the verdict in the cop that shot and killed Oscar Grant in the back?

Civilization is a weird place chale. there's a curtain of illusion that makes us think talent and a meritocracy is what runs things. nope suh. It's always politics and bullshit. it does off course pay to be a pleasant person because people tend to like that even in the cut-throat and nepotism riddled world of politics and music.

civilization is a weird place. fashions that come and go. Twitter's 140 characters runs the information world. crabs in a bucket and the rat race being civilly called "competition" or the workings of the free market if you want to get sophisticated.

civilization is such a weird place i think i have to keep reminding folks of what i have in my discography thus far to keep the $ support going. so here goes. shamwless plugs is a part of the weird civilization. so allow me:
manifestations CD. On Itunes
Sankofa On Itunes
The Birds and the Beats. Free Album!
2Africans and a Jew CD Itunes

Stay Human,
M dododotidoh

Black Stars Ayekoo! More Than Just Sport

2010-07-05T05:51:00.000-07:00

First things first: Black Stars Ayekooooooo! It was a great run. pride oozing from every pore of my africa-man-original body. Ghana's looking real good on the stock market and in the hearts of many right now. Every Black Stars victory had every African beaming... yes we came from Africa

second things second. I'm slowly nursing the heartache of losing on penalties to Uruguay in the World Cup quarter finals. I haven't been this salty about a sports loss since Senegal 92. Back then 'twas the African cup of nations when Ghana's best player ever (forever ever *Andre 3stacks voice), Abedi Ayew, couldn't play the final cause the ref in the semis showed him a yellow card for dissent. guess what chale? we lost that one too on friggin penalties! as fate would have it, 18 years later his son Andre Ayew, who had an amazing tournament, also missed this decisive game cause of yellow card fckery. ebei! History needs to stop repeating itself already. i'm not even going to talk about Suarez and his goaltending madness. It'll make my blood do all sorts of volcano larva boiling.

You see chale, it's more than just sports. The hullabaloo about winning or losing is rooted in many things. it's everything from national pride to faux nationalism, to continent and kinship, to diaspora love (i love how my Caribbean peoples and others were supporting the black stars), to finding joy in a life rife with struggles, etc. Personally, been having it rough for a week and some change so i know a victory would've been more than a good look for my spirit chale. It can be as much an escape as it can be motivational. some people probably know more details about the world cup than any of the world wars. bet.

Back to life, back to reality now. Get vuvzela blackstars mp3 for free download, featuring yours truly, and celebrate the team with the best dance moves. gone but not forgotten. Black Stars, y3 ma mo Ayekoo!

M.

Brighter than Sunshine...vote already :)

2010-06-15T21:03:00.000-07:00

before you read this, just go underneath the video and click VOTE. thanks.

now that that's out of the way...long time no blog. i'm in leavensworth Washington. A bavarian style village with some pretty mountains and thangs behind it. why? more on that next post. but urgently though, i need you to Vote for my friend Budo and i. we were invited to submit a remix of Aqualung's "brighter than sunshine" to Alternative Apparel's contest and we did. and folks are loving it. but it's a contest. we need to get an incredible number of votes to stay in 1st place. spread the word to ya friends on twitter, facebook and their a-alikes. let's get it!
Peace
M.

Unsigned Artist Competition

Sponsored by Alternative Apparel

A.R.M, Soundset, the Grind, and the Sun Set

2010-06-01T15:41:00.000-07:00

we came, we saw, we soundset, sun up to sunset. 17,000 or so people in the same location is what we call nuts. Hip-Hop festivals for the win. we give thanks that i could be on that stage with Budo and Krukid as A.R.M. (African Rebel Movement). Second time i played Soundset and it only gets bigger by the year.

lemme just say, for those who don't realize this here is a vocation, it's certainly a full time job performing, helping to sell your own merch, shake hands with the generous fans, sign tees, caps, posters, cds, vinyl and answer random questions. i love it though. i'll shut up and let the flicks speak.

kruk and i. Budo on guitars and horns (and mic) in the back left.

Muja Messiah and Dodi Phy come on for "refuse to lose," posse cut off "2 africans and a jew" album.

Shouts to Susan Campion and those cool and talented students from HSRA school: such support makes it twice as nice to enjoy the vocation.

last but not least, A.R.M tent and tees.

Bonus:
Potholesinblog.com recently re-posted this circa '06 recordings between me and wicked dope Belgian producers 40 Winks. download and enjoy. it''ll shed some light on the evolution of my voice.
http://potholesinmyblog.com/under-the-radar-40-winks-m-anifest-untitled-ep/

Hilarity! peep this...

2010-05-27T00:39:00.000-07:00

okay, so i should be blogging about my london and paris journey i'm on right now. but i'm enjoying it too much to be blogging. :). however tho, this video/mockumentary right here is hilarious, and brilliant and vulgar. i've been waiting for Paul (who designed and manages my www.manifestmc.com) to put this out for a minute. he just did so i'm geeked to post it for my own mischievous reasons. see you at soundset on May 30th if you're in MN! you don't want to miss out! peace

struggles, faults & promise; all in one man

2010-05-04T21:50:00.001-07:00

i struggle with a lot. i have too many faults to count. i try not to make too many promises. their too hard to keep. i have too many friends, i'm not sure i need anymore. even though i'm learning to keep that friendship circle smaller cause there are too many parasites and plenty opportunists waiting to sodomize my dreams for their own short term benefits.

i shouldn't throw fits. but sometimes i probably do. my fault. or perhaps just a struggle i need to keep, to keep the balance. i'm probably a dope strategist but not always a great judge of character. i can't swim. i love to win. i got a secret stash of that M.J competitiveness. the one that showed up at his NBA hall of fame speech - google that incredulous event. it's one of those necessary faults though. just can't take it to the podium like his royal airness.

i have thick skin. i have thin skin too. which skin shows up when? can't promise. i'm a scorpio, so do the math. i've seen funny-style reviews of my art that don't affect me none at all. i think too highly of myself maybe. on the other hand, i've heard slick sh*t said behind my back by supposed-to-be friends that irks the hell out of me. why should i care? i dunno why i do. i might end up learning to do the same from them. Jah Forbid!

with all my many faults, and my struggles to rid my life off the absolute drama it is sometimes, i've promised myself to remember to tell u guys where you can purchase and support the music and movements i'm making. i'm like public radio, currently membership driven. so here goes...

1. Tomorrow Wed May 5th at the Guthrie theater, Minneapolis, at 7:30pm. i have a show! it's a big one. come thru! get tickets here or at discounted rates at fifth element
2.Tuesday May 11th (next week), the long awaited "Two Africans and a Jew" EP Debut from the phenom of a group known as A.R.M that i'm a part of. Pre-order it here
3. Did you already get "sankofa" from itunes? released this year. Get it!
4. My first album was called "manifestations." buy it on itunes or a physical copy.

thank you and goodnight.

sincerely,
mr struggles-faults-and-promises

That New New!

2010-04-12T18:10:00.000-07:00

In case you missed this.... Here ya go! A.R.M. (Budo, Krukid, & yours truly) featuring Slug. thank me later :). Download below.

A.R.M. feat. Slug - Fear of the Mundane(Dirty)
A.R.M. feat. Slug - Fear of the Mundane(Clean)

Off A.R.M.'s upcoming "Two Africans and a Jew" EP. Big up to Slug for such a good look and going in on that verse eh! spread the word and link up with A.R.M. on facebook. And oh yeah *drum rolls*, we'll be performing at Soundset 2010!

"Two Africans and a Jew" is dropping (do people still use this term? :)) late April/Early May. I'm geeked (squad) for this. Listening to the mastered version of the record right about now. mmmm...

peace peace
m.anifest

Kiss and tell...

2010-04-10T14:46:00.001-07:00

...or in this case, "live and tell." this one's a quickie.

Infancy: run wild, run free
Adolescence: rebel for no reason. lose things you can't get back (virginity?), enjoy thinking u know better than your parents and other adults. hubris
20's: time to make a lot of really bad decisions and a few good ones :)
Thats all

life begins at 40. can't wait. i take that back. i can really wait. no rush. you're welcome to share your abbreviated version of what you now know to be the cycle of life.
m diggy

See the picture, name the rapper

2010-04-07T18:46:00.000-07:00

when i travel i usually muse on a little creative project for myself. usually don't do nathin about it. thanks to my blackberry bold, that has changed. here's my little picture and rapper name/rapper lyrics association from a recent trip. i have other photos but hey....
so here goes

"Couldn't afford a car so she named her daughter Alexus..." - Yeezy

Fatima, what did the young man say, before he stole you away..." - K'naan

Quite Obvious

14KT - Producer

Sorry Kanye. Jesus walks, but some people on Jamaica Ave in Queens have strong opinions on the popular image of Jesus

btw do you have sankofa? cop it from itunes and support yours truly. stank you very much.

Thinking Man's Muse

2010-03-30T16:48:00.000-07:00

I'm a thinking man. I can't help it... fortunately. I think at noon, night, dusk, dawn, and times in-between. I think when i eat; how delicious or salty is this banku and okra soup? or mmm...nourishment. I think when i shit; geez, can't believe i held it in this long? & how am i going to fix that Protools mix? I think thoughts so much i start to think I'm thought. Amusing thoughts, confusing thoughts, black thoughts, brown thoughts, Twi thoughts, English thoughts, and what was that drunk-cat-in-the-bus-thinking thoughts.

Maybe I'm a thought process... cause of the way i process thought. For instance i want to backhand slap the fella who came up with “a penny for your thoughts.” i think he lied. Cause my piggy bank would be bigger than Alaska by now, and my banks accounts fatter than the one black dude that won American idol. Foul thought you say...

I think thinking is my right. I swear I'd gladly picket for the right to think. Even though my primary school teachers mostly subscribed it to my genetics. “It's in his nature” they must have said. “Look at his family tree.” Shake it gently and an avalanche of thought-leaves will follow. So much for nurture right?

Regrets? one of the few kind of thoughts i despise. So when you ask me “what were you thinking?” my Scorpio resentment creeps in on the ASAP tip. I think you're deepening a wound that needs nursing. It's hemorrhaging can't you see? Think twice they tell me, and all i can think is that Donald Byrd song. Chale, e hard oh. Pidgin thoughts.

My thoughts are gonna take me places. “I let my mind travel, on occasion my body tags along.” Those kind of thoughts i put in song. Songs i conceive in places of pain, and sometimes dreams, and deliver in syncopated rhyme schemes, seen? The beautyful ones are not yet born. Beautiful thoughts that is. So let me keep impregnating these emotions and translating them thru this, what chu mo call it,....gift. I'm in love with this gift of thought. it's a gift with an infinite source, yes I'll keep giving. You might not like it sometimes. That's cool; It's the thought that counts

Richy Pitch feat Yours Truly - BlackStar (BBE records)

2010-03-30T16:40:00.000-07:00

Very happy with this here. i hope yall dig it. if you do...tell a friend or three.

Richy Pitch, BBE, New York, Toki Wright & etc...

2010-03-18T13:17:00.000-07:00

Imagine an album featuring an all-star Ghanaian cast: Reggie Rockstone, Samini, M.anifest (me? :)), M3NSA, Wanlov the Kubolor, Yasmeen, Sena, AB, DJ Black and Kwesi Dankwa = Pure Awesomeness! Well that album is indeed on it's way June 7th! Courtesy Richy Pitch (London), Producer/DJ/& Soon to be published Author of a book on beatmaking. His Album, "Y3 fr3 me Richy" featuring all the names above will be released on the famed label BBE on June 7th. BBE has put out albums by the great Jay Dee a.k.a Dilla (Welcome to Detroit), Dj Jazzy Jeff, Will.i.am, and more. Great Discography.

.....and *drum rolls* I'm featured on the first single! The video (which is animated) of the single, "Black Star" will be out in April. Both the song and the video reach for some dope creative styles and i think yall will dig it. I'm also on another song on Richy's album: with M3nsa and Wanlov the Kubolor - quite a collab eh. Richy's discography includes production for the likes of J-Live, Mr Complex, and Asheru. Anyways, much kudos to Richy Pitch. He put in a lot of work whiles living in Ghana the past 2 years to produce this pure awesome record. A good look for Ghana, a good look for music in my opinion.

I arrived in New York Last night. here to do a 15 minute set at a Ghana @ 53 independence celebration show this Saturday March 20th. Click here for details of the show. Shout out to Rych Ent who made my appearance happen. New York is a fascinating place every time i visit. still i had my mouth open at one of the first things i saw in the city... a car aflame in the middle of manhattan! of course i took a pic

When i return i'll be playing the homey Toki Wright's "BlackMale" EP (Rhymesayers/SoulTools) release at 7th street Entry on Saturday March 26th! it's going to be a funky good time i tell you. Get advance tickets here and invite all your facebook friends here.

till next time. be beautiful in thoughts and spoil yourself with fun times! Don't be too cool to wild out sometimes. spring!
peace
m.

M. March Madness... Updates! Updates!

2010-03-09T05:15:00.000-08:00

Almost a quarter way through 2010. Time indeed waits for no man, woman and everything in-between. This year's main goal: not to sabotage myself by feeling crippled by the rapidly lengthening to-do-lists i have. but so far so good...knock on wood.

Friday Mar 5th: we had the show with Bamboo, Krukid and I.B.E in Minneapolis. went very well! energy was high! one thing for sure and two things for certain: there were lots of energetic and pretty black, brown, white, African, and all other colors and tribes of peoples. i like how these shows are turning out to be the United nations of Music. next time tho', bigger venue and it should be sold out! bet.

Didn't sleep till 5am that morning. Around 10:30am on Saturday my manager Ashanti calls me up; he was on orange alert for our 4 hr drive to Moorhead, bordering Fargo North Dakota. He gave me a hilarious lecture on how I'm always on African Time and then turns out he was the one on CPT. ha. We got to Concordia College without incident. Have to say they had a very warm group of volunteers and organizers for the event. The panel discussion was very interesting. Hip-Hop has so many different perspectives it could be refreshing or frightening. All depends. Shoutouts to Shin B, Ernest Rhodes, Kipp, and the other folks on the panel.

Suffice it to say, i enjoyed the hell out of the show. The students/crowd were dancing outta control and it didn't matter that the arena wasn't packed. the folks there filled the whole space with their energy. they were vocal and put their bodies into it. that's how it's supposed to be done. Concordia College students at the show - i salute you! anybody got pictures?

Meanwhile On Friday, A.R.M. (the supergroup made up of myself, Krukid and superproducer Budo), released the first single of our "Two Africans and a Jew" EP featuring Slug of Atmosphere (Rhymesayers)! The song is available on itunes here. Get it! Slug and Brother Ali especially have both been so helpful and the amount of gratitude we have is alot. Shoutouts also to DJ Hyphen who premiered the song on Seattle's Kube 93 two sundays ago.

Happy belated Independence day, March 6th, to my homeland Ghana! First African country south of the sahara to re-gain independence. Nkrumah FTW.

I'll be in New York for a post-independence Show on saturday March 20th together with Kwabena Kwabena. Shoutouts to Rych Entertainment!

To all friends and family who i haven't returned emails or VM's in timely fashion. forgive me and bear with me. i'm trying to get better at it. we'll talk soon.

I'll shut up already :). later is greater. link up on facebook.
sincerely yours,
M.anifest / m diggy dot/ M dododotido

Busy Body... a Promising Week

2010-03-01T06:48:00.000-08:00

Fail to plan, plan to fail.so yeah, I'm on my grizzly chale! love busy weeks...

- Thursday March 4th: I'll be speaking and appearing at a Hamline University Anthropology class, "Africa, Music, and Cultural Production." Should be an engaging affair.

- Friday March 5th: This will be epic! i'm performing at 7th street entry, downtown minneapolis with with my A.R.M compadre, Krukid (Uganda), and Kenya's favorite, Bamboo. here's more info...

- Saturday March 6th: I'll be Headlining Concordia University, Moorhead's Hip-Hop Summit. I'll also be speaking on a panel discussion earlier that evening.

Last week, i spoke to Toki Wright's class at McNally Smith College of Music in St Paul, MN. i think it's dope Hip-Hop is at the collegiate level. I'm meeting a lot of interesting opportunities in the education realm and i'm looking forward to exercising my intellectual and strategic prowess more. Shoutouts to T Mychael Rambo who was generous in enough to invite him to join in an artist residency t PCYC alternative school, North Minneapolis. The students did a wonderful job and we managed to help them produce 3 songs they performed for the community at the capris theatre on Jan 19th.

enough about me, How's about you? :). later is greater
peace
m diggidy

Get "Sankofa," for 99cents on iTunes or Amazon Right Now!

2010-02-23T20:09:00.000-08:00

Audio Stream is @ bottom of post
Sankofa on Itunes: http://tinyurl.com/ycewcsz
Sankofa on Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/yf3f8vc

Read the Lyrics to Sankofa

A subjective soundtrack for black history month that details a bit of my personal journey and thoughts on reclaiming the past to move forward.please do cop it. would be much much appreciated. And do Share the itunes link as well with your friends and fam. thank you so kindly. enjoy :)

More on the subjective of Sankofa later. here's a stream of the song - produced by Sebmaestria (France). i know u'll still cop it though. medasi!

Guest List...

2010-02-16T15:43:00.000-08:00

all so close... we mixing up the medicine as we speak. March it will be :).

Two Africans and a Jew .... so close

2010-02-06T12:46:00.000-08:00

I'm working to contain my excitement with this 8 Track EP (and a bonus track :)) we're bringing to you in March. i mean... if i may say so myself, it's sounding like a damn good precursor to the full length LP "Uprising." Lawd have mercy. Budo and Krukid go in! i do my best to keep up :). btw, i'm talking about A.R.M. - the three headed monster that is Krukid, Myself, and Budo on Productions. The title of this post says it all. We might lead the campaign with a super dope collabo with Slug (Atmosphere) on there. he really comes through on the stellar tip. oops! just let that one out the bag....

what up tho..

Bless up.
m.

oldies but goodies... free 99

2010-02-01T07:24:00.000-08:00

What up Tho (Ode to Dilla) - Download
Silence is golden ('05) - Download

The first is a Bonus Track only on the Europe/Japan re-release (Jakarta/Groove Attack) of my '07 debut "manifestations." produced by eyecue, another dope twin cities talent. The second is the first track i ever put on myspace! recorded circa late '05. Over a Dilla track ironically, that was officially used by Raekwon 4 years after for his ODB tribute. We had er... unofficial access to those amazing Dilla beat tapes. whew. They were quite the CPR for a dying inspiration.

just sharing some of my past forays with the music. sankofa. Thoughts? holleration
sincerely,
m.

cover of Europe/Japan re-release (Jakarta/Groove Attack) of "manifestations."

Random Note on Avatar

2010-01-20T17:21:00.000-08:00

Disclaimer/Movie-spoiler-alert: If you haven't seen the movie and intend to see it, stop reading this right now. anyways. some questions need asking, some answers need questioning, and some movies are good but there's a trend here. Dances with wolves? The last samurai? erm...

This white messiah complex needs to kill itself already. I mean if the natives (indigenous people, or whatever synonyms u want to use) are so advanced and connected to nature, can't we just find the messiah in their midst? The great white hope slash great white Jesus must be such a compelling idea for it to keep recurring in movies. A story about marginalized peoples redemption is not complete, it seems, without that messiah-like outsider.

anyways, i enjoyed the flick otherwise. :). first time i saw a movie in imax. I Know i'm behind the times, but hey, there's always a first time.

Okay that's all.

peace

The Human Condition

2010-01-19T15:41:00.001-08:00

It's vexatious to see someone celebrate in you moments of despair and grief. Doesn't matter that he/she is a total stranger and has cause to bask in the glory of their graduation or some other joyous happening in their life. It's the human condition. September 11 is many a man's birthday, anniversary, etc,- but we'd like to begrudge them the joy of that day though right?

I've had a few of those moments since the earthquake struck Haiti. Is is apathy? do people not care enough? Could everything just shut down for a few to address this cataclysm of epic proportions? Probably not. It's the human condition. I should know. I was born in circumstances that epitomized the polar chaos between joy and grief.

My Mom had a C-Section, much to my grandma's (rest her soul) dismay and worry. My father was grieving and burying my paternal grandfather the same day. Suffice it to say i made both a majestic and difficult entry onto earth in an emotionally strained time. Those of you who know me personally (or are my facebook 'friends') know that my middle name is Amet. Ametepee is the full thing. An Ewe name. Means in place of somebody or more metaphorically, stepping into the shoes of another. They were all happy i came i bet, but there were other mitigating factors, to put it mildly, that i'm sure made for a mix of joy and other emotions.

So no, i'm not making excuses for anyone; but its useful to motivate others to help alleviate in suffering that hits home with us rather than expect an immediate response from everybody. Tragic as this sounds, it's the human condition. Or more aptly the human experience.

on that note. My heart still really aches for Haiti. Dig into your pocket. I've donated... have you? Please do. Thank u. Thats all. Text Yele to 501 501 and $5 will be donated and charged to your next phone bill - toward earthquake relief in Haiti.

On a lighter tip. Are you watching the African Cup of Nations in Angola? Ghana's looking a bit shaky. I need to be more patient with the Black Stars. It's difficult though. Years of heartbreak, have made me an easily emotional fan of my beloved team.

Also, Peep this very moving song and video, that is making major virial rounds, from High School Students from the High School fo Recording Arts (HSRA): an alternative school in St Paul, MN. They decided to contribute their talents to support relief and healing in Haiti since they couldn't do too mcuh financially to help. Kudos.

"Two Africans and a Jew" is on the Horizon. Boom Bam. I'm out

m diggidy

fear of the mundane...

2010-01-13T07:04:00.000-08:00

who works harder than a kayayo (pic below)?

End of '09 i put up a Facebook status: "been a year of extreme highs and extreme lows. still grateful. still hopeful. still terrified of living an 'ordinary' life." Really meant that. I realize it could have been easily misconstrued as perhaps me looking down on the hardworking 9to5ers (more like 8to6ers) amongst us. NOT so. I was working a 9 to 5 and simultaneously working on music full time for four straight years! A task and a half i tell you. so i can appreciate the working man's hustle.

But at what point do we make a choice between a vocation and working to survive? The merits of Adjuma (hard)work are undeniable; whether you have investment banker hours or do the graveyard shift reluctantly. Whatever our reason(s) no one can knock us. but awareness, intentionality, and choice are perhaps what advance us from being zombies to self-determining individuals. Hardwork is not an option or variable. its a constant. see Wayne's "the carter" documentary

Like all other years, I have every intention of making a living this year, not being homeless, and affording some of the luxuries of modernity: internet, blackberry, the occcasional movie theatre visit. But this will be the year i try to fully control my destiny more intentionally. I'm creating music, workshops (solo and with other collaborators), booking performances, panel discussions, speaking engagements, amongst other moves that exercise my talents and are hopefully gainful as well. Yup. Making sure i let inspiration meet my vocation(s) at ever single point in time. Good luck to me. it's a struggle. I'm bracing myself. Geeked though.

Best to you and yours in your works and vocation(s) this year.

Randoms:
There's an A.R.M.(my group with Krukid & Budo) song called "Fear of the Mundane." off our "Two Africans and a Jew" EP which will soon be near completion

Best hopes, thoughts and prayers to the kinfolk in Haiti. Wyclef (follow him on twitter) is doing an admirable job raising funds and visibility for relief. Let's be motivated by our humanity and how historic Haiti is for the Diaspora.

Bonus: Adjuma video by ultra-talented M3nsa.

How to Book M.anifest in 2010: An Easy Guide

2010-01-08T18:56:00.000-08:00

Being that I'm all over the internet informally, folks are often confused about how to get business done with me: i.e. how to book me for shows at your university, night club, conferences, workshops, speaking engagements, etc., or to do interviews for your magazine, website, etc.

For all intents and purpose you can use booking@manifestmc.com or call 612-208-2033 (Contact:Ashanti Abdullah) for all your inquiries. But below are specific and alternate email addresses to make sure you can reach me and my management so we can get work done. Feel free to share with friends and business colleagues who might be interested.

Book M.anifest for Shows: booking@manifestmc.com or armmgt@gmail.com

Media Inquiries (Interviews): manifest@manifestmc.com or booking@manifestmc.com

Other Inquiries: manifest@manifestmc.com

You are also welcome to book A.R.M. - my amazing group with Krukid and Budo - using these channels. Looking forward to coming to your city, town and what have you in 2010! Let's make it happen.

Peace Peace

m.anifest
My Official Website

The Joy is in the Journey...

2009-12-14T17:49:00.000-08:00

Overlooked, under-booked, overwhelmed, underpaid. These are The overs & unders of the "upcoming artist." The joy is in the journey. it must be, cause otherwise a lot of us would have fallen into oblivion yesterday or the day before it. I mean even Lauryn Hill who we've now immortalized got booed at the Apollo - she persisted tho and won them over at the end- as a young teenager. So who are we mere mortals to be discouraged when we meet roadblocks.

Granted I've been very very fortunate to have been very well received since my debut record in '07 and had some really great opportunities come my way ever since... but ladies and gentlemen of the jury, there's lotsa bumps on this road. Brushes with opportunists, janky promoters, bills, false promises, redundant collaborations, snaky middle-men, frustrations with music outlets and media, non-musical businessmen at the helms of power, a lack of capital capital capital! etc. without enjoying the journey many of these factors can be dream-killers and unnerving.

everything in good time tho'... everything. And its amazing how some total strangers become the strongest allies and supporters without asking for a dime eh. i love it.

Reason I'm having this retrospective? I'll be speaking to students of the High School for Recording Artists (HSRA) in Saint Paul this Wednesday about my journey and how I'm utilizing social media in my journey as an artist. Had me thinking of the good, the bad, and the fugly of the journey. to be uncompromising sometimes is necessary on this journey, hence why i made a song like "Pardon me" on the birds and the beats.

woe to them that are picking up this artistic journey for the wrong reasons; ye shall experience shock and awe. But not to worry, everything in good time... everything.

Peace peace
m diggy

PS: i despise the term "upcoming artist" anyway. when does one stop upcoming and just be? when you make your first millie? do tell.

The Burden of Genius...

2009-12-07T14:02:00.000-08:00

The idiosyncrasies of a brilliant mind are rarely met with warm embraces. Somehow we've thought it normal to mock the peculiar ways of the gifted amongst us. Its amusing and its human chale. And it should be comforting to the rest of us 'normal' Joe earthlings that its okay when our moments of brilliance are met with giggles. Einstein probably suffered that every day.

Van Gogh died broke, Galileo was prosecuted and convicted for defending Copernicus' challenge of geocentrism when he suggested that the earth goes around the sun (not vice versa), and somehow i bet you the guy that came up with the idea to build a spaceship was more steve urkel than stefan urkool.

Its okay to be brilliant and to do all those little funny things that somehow allow genius to reside in you. If you murmur to yourself on long promenades every day, keep doing it. If you're like my friend kubolor and your bare your soles daily keep doing it. If you're Lauryn Hill and you want to strum your guitar and sing brilliant painful poems unplugged, do it. Hopefully i can medicate myself with this advise in the moments i need it most

the burden of genius? That would be ridicule.

monkey see monkey do

2009-12-03T10:05:00.000-08:00

Imitation is the highest form of flattery, but damn originality should count for much more, no? culturebully.com asked me to participate in something that had me retrospecting with amusement on the many "hot" trends that came and disappeared quicker than vanilla ice's career. remember crunk? remember hyphy? remember the sped-up chip-munk soul sound? remember rims? platinum jewelry? autotune is damn near on its deathbed. the featuring-lil-wayne trend is still booming thanks to dwyane's prolific output and intriguing personality.

the irony in all of it is that, a lot of these trends are intrinsically original, and the locals/natives that organically came up with it deserve mucho kudos. But immediately an idea gets a glimpse of the spotlight and catches fire, a zillion imitators and another zillion so-called devout followers emerge out of the blue. monkey see monkey do.

i can't wait till the "get-an-african-doing-tribal-raps-on-your-tracks" becomes the in-thing. we'll milk that cow for every penny the short-sighted music business folks will offer. amen.

sincererly yours,

africa-man-original - mr tribal raps

i'm blind in the eye so i see with my heart...

2009-12-03T09:01:00.000-08:00

brilliant song and well executed video. doesn't hurt that one of the best voices in R&B Stokely Williams of Mint Condition, does some simple but madddd effective back up vocals. Peace to Brother Ali, Peace to Mint Condition, Peace Twin cities! Ali's Album US is out now. go gadget go get it.
peace peace
m diggy

M3nsa = mad nice...get familiar with his music

2009-11-30T09:26:00.000-08:00

M3nsa - Suicide in the Disco (Download
M3nsa - Gently Smile(Download)

M3nsa is one of the most talented people i know period. i've seen him work, heard his work, and the brother got work! he raps, he sings -i mean realllly sings good (no autotune or any other digital crutches)- and he also produces some really cutting edge stuff. he produced both tracks i put up above.

Lately ive been been feeling the ghanaian diaspora is having a resurgence, a really powerful musical renaissance with some real powerful artists and personalities: what up kubolor, what up sena, what up sway, what up blitz. M3nsa defintely is a big part of it. he's been a bonafide muscian since we were all in high school; producing, rapping, and singing hit records for regggie rockstone wayy before most of us ever recorded a single joint. if there was a high school yearbook of my ghanaian musicians peers, he'd have had most likely to succeed under his picture.

but off course with mucho talent comes lots of pressure and the burden of perfectionism. so its been a long time coming for my brother to put out his brilliant music. but don't fret, finally he's got 2 or 3 records in the bag just about ready to be let out. i'll keep you posted.

peace peace
m diggy dot

Baggage claim...

2009-11-29T13:06:00.000-08:00

just got back to the twin cities last night. found out Northwest merged (or perhaps ate up) Delta airlines - gotta love capitalism. they lost my bags in transit off course and i was mucho peeved. bad enough i had to transit through Chicago to get to mpls for what should have been a very short direct flight. gotta love capitalism: cutting costs triumphs over convenience.

being the writer i am though, i woke up with a two word motif hanging over my heard - comic strip style. all i could think of was "baggage claim" x20. makes for a good metaphor for a song. out of misfortune come good songs. who woulda thunk.

and oh, here's the immem stream for "the birds and the beats." you can always post it up on your blog if it tickles ya fancy.

peace peace
m diggy dot

Ps: on the picture above: huh? Louis vitton? or Ghana-Must-go?

The Birds And The Beats

Liner Notes: to Enhance Listening...

2009-11-23T07:38:00.000-08:00

M.anifest - the Birds and the Beats Liner Notes

1. Born Free ft. Sarah White (Prod. Budo)
how this eventually came out is a tribute to patience and the competence of my co-conspirators. Wrote this intro in 2005 to my favorite P funk song. I let it marinate till '09. Sent Budo my vocals and he crafted a beast of a beat around it. I re-recorded, Sarah did some amazing backups which i loved so much i used as the main vocals. My voice and hers blend so well together especially on the lows- at times u don't know who's singing the low melody. Look out for our S&M project.

2.How I Used to be (prod. Budo)
If you listened to my first record, manifestations, you can easily tell I'm heavily inspired by Fela Kuti. As famous as this sample of his is, Budo definitely killed it with the additional horns he layered. Plus the groove bumps like acne! It also happens to be the first song i did with ultra-talented Budo since i met him - circa March '08. Mandi is a great co-conspirator. She's always so patient with me as i create quirky hooks, and she eventually adds her own sultry creativity to it. Much love sistren.

3.Golly Gosh (Prod. G Mo)
G Mo is the best producer you only just heard of! 17 years old he produced a 1/3 of my first album when he was between the ages of 13 and 14! he's the lebron of this art form. He made this beat live @ at a big quarters cd release so effortlessly. His talent is scary and exciting to watch evolve! He's in Atlanta competing @ the Red Bull Big Tune National finals as i write this. This track is basically me lyrically stunting on fools to elicit a response such as the title. Just cause i have meaningful content doesn't mean my skills ain't unfuckwittable chale.

4.Get Away (Shafiq-Husayn Re-fix)
O-D put me onto Sa-Ra. Them dudes are dope and dope chale. Check for them. A friend recently hipped me to the Shafiq Husayn(part of Sa-Ra) solo album, Shafiq En' A-Free-Ka, which absolutely affected me deeply. Spiritual Soul! I got onto pro-tools and committed a sacrilegious act: looped different parts of one of his songs to make a beat so i could vent. A friend had just called me in the custody of immigration too so i needed this for catharsis.

5.2nd Coming PSA (Prod. Katrah-Quey)
Katrah-Quey - another Ultra talented part of the 4shades production collective. They are the backbone of the music I've been pumping to y'all. He's the most likely to make a beat that makes you wide-eyed wondering how he thought to try that! His beat making style is daring, organically unique, and I'm always sure he won't conform to whatever bullshit is poppin' @ the moment. He's G Mo's uncle as well. Runs in the family! The way he flipped this Manu Di..(well nevermind)...it bangs so hard! First used it @ a show at which i opened up for K'naan. worked

6.Hubris (Prod. M. & Budo)
Donny Hathaway loop meets live horns and synths by Budo, meets stream of consciousness from yours truly. We did this on Halloween, a day or so after the mpls A.R.M. Listening party which was very well received. Inspiration and Jack Daniels get recognition for being part of the process. I do tribal soulful music. Songs like this with congas, horns, and synths – i could live on. Shouts to Budo and all those Africans @ Kilimanjaro partying it up below the studio.

7.Still Hungry (Prod. G Mo)
when i. You're low on resources, ii. your last album was released 2 years ago, iii. you're self employed, however i. you're rich in ideas ii. and music - u end up writing a song like this. G Mo is like a one-man-band with some of his beats. He does non-sampled beats just as good as sampled ones. Kid is a beast. Boom bam.

8.Walk Away ft. Sarah White (Prod. Dee)
Every time i go to Ghana there are some folks i make sure to get up with cause I'm inspired by their boundless creativity. Dee is one of them. We sat in Reggie Rockstone's studio whiles he and M.A (2 of the best prod in Ghana) hit me with dope beat after dope beat. This one tickled my fancy and i ended up writing one of the hooks I'm most proud of. Song's also extra special cause 'twas the first time Sarah and i had a creative collision ... and it was magic. She's extra talented and sultry... and oh don't sleep on her emceeing skills.

9.My Lady Oh (Prod. G Mo)
In high school chemistry, we were taught all these mind-numbing and complex formulas and derivations, but none can aptly help us figure out the chemistry between women and men. Bet. If you've ever been in a serious relationship, not just casual “situationships,” this song will register. Dodi Phy is easily top 5 emcees in MN without a doubt – his parents are from Sierra Leone. He's made me re-write verses on a couple of occasions. The hook is loosely in pidgin english - my west Africans should dig it.

10.I love it PSA (Prod. G Mo)
Another G Mo gem! I begun this joint and never really got to finishing it tho i had a second verse to it. Budo helped me executive produce this project and he suggested that we make this a second short song/PSA on the album. It's a very self-explanatory joint: sh*t's not rosy and the struggle is tasking... but i'd have it no other way! pow.

11.just like a lion (Prod. Budo)
stadium status right here! one of those songs that made me knock myself in the head and ask if i was really giving this out free! Budo and I work well with rudiments. He's a dope instrumentalist, and his playing ability stunts on most of the producers out there. Hooks are one of my strongest musical attributes. I go full throttle, soul first, with hooks and Budo always ups the ante on how epic sounding it all is after we are finished with it! Boom bam chale.

12.Pardon Me (Prod. O-D)
i can make joints like this all day. Introspection mixed with splashes of social commentary is my bread and butter. O-D has been a very good friend since college. He is responsible for a good amount of my musical growth (and vice versa) cause we've been on this journey together since day 1! He's a quiet assassin on the beats! He makes some of the most soulful and monstrous beats on the planet. We were roommates for a minute and this is one of those joints where i was writing as he was banging on the mpc and doing his thug thizzle in logic. My half-frican brother with roots in the Seychelles – an African country most know nada about. Google it! He's the final part of 4shades collective.

13.Ghana, 52 (Prod. Budo)
March 6th 1957, Osagyefo Dr Nkrumah, Ghana's first president, ushered us into a new era of self-government. Bye-bye queen, bye-bye absentee British landlords. Every year we make merry on this day back home. Truth is, we have little to celebrate and a lot more to reflect on since our leaders have failed us since '57 and keep throwing dirt in our eyes. This is one of those joints where i show my ambivalent feelings towards such celebrations. On one hand its good to remember those that fought for us to be free, on the other its harmful to act as if everything is heavenly now that the British packed up and left. Budo does his thug thizzle on the instrumentation for this beat!

14.The birds and the beats (Prod. Weedy of 40 winks)
I have to credit weedy of 40 Winks cause he titled this beat “the birds and the beats” and sparked the idea for the album. 40 winks is a dope instrumental group from Belgium: consisting of Padmo' and Weedy. I love their sound so much! We have a free EP out there - Google it!. My musical approach is on some global-express-crossing-borders type thang. And my work with 40 winks, is a reflection of that.

15.Slow Your Roll (Prod. O-D)
Krukid and I are here to carry on tradition. Hes one of my favorite rappers easily – no jokes! Together with Budo, we have a frightfully potent triage called A.R.M. that I'm deeply enchanted with. It begun with this song which was prophetically the first song i ever did with Krukid. In his verse he prophetically and unknowingly proclaimed “This is the African Rebel Movement.” In the beginning was the word right? O-D is killing it with this beat too! Whoa. He lost the original session files :( when someone stole his laptop. Mr thief thief, we see you oh. Thumbs down to crack heads breaking into cars in broad day light.

16.D'angelo Said (Africa Re-fix)
The weight of having talent and meaningful songs in a world sometimes so cold and superficial can torment a tortured soul. D'angelo remains one of the most inspiring musicians of our generation, and hopefully he forgives me for this eh. But i couldn't find a more fitting way to cap off this album. Every time i listen to voodoo i can't wait till when i can say “Africa is my descent!” I'm unapologetically Ghanaian, and so African that at the slightest provocation i burst into vocal mannerisms – eish chale!. I had to loop parts of “Africa” and commit one final sacrilegious act.

Artistic Panic and Insecurities Plus "Cold Feet" Mp3 (Miike Snow re-fix)

2009-11-12T10:18:00.000-08:00

"Cold Feet" mp3 - Download Here.

This was inspired by a moment of panic i had 2 weeks before the release of "the Birds and the Beats" which will be out for free Nov 20th. Truthfully it's hard to ever feel like a project is finished or great enough. that's how come some of your favorite musicians take forever to put out music. artistic insecurities are real...and necessary if you ask me. I've accepted it to be a great safeguard against mediocrity and complacency.

On the song itself and its origins:
I've enjoyed the Miike Snow record alot ever since Budo put me onto it. check em out. I looped parts of the last track, "faker," on their self-titled record and committed another sacriligious act of looping.ha. its not going to be on any project, but i liberated it cause u my facebook sistren and bredren asked me to :). hope you enjoy it for what its worth. let me know your thoughts

"The Birds & the Beats" - Nov 20th - FREE

2009-11-06T19:28:00.000-08:00

More Details soon! in the meanwhile. enjoy what i did with a Shafiq Husayn track i was inspired by on 2dopeboyz Peace
m.

and the tracklisting...

G Mo Vs. Boon Doc Beat Battle (Red Bull Big Tune)

2009-11-06T18:58:00.000-08:00

Both these producers are dope in my opinion, and i suspect are fans of each other. i came across a message board with fascinating commentary and a few sycophants disparaging one of the producers cause they were obviously fans/msg board homies with the other. hilarity. i'll say more on what i think under the vid. but peep the extra round below. G Mo plays a beat that i've had a song to for a while now. called "my life is a motion picture." Producer battles >>>>>>> rap battles.

first off. i think all the producers were prolly dope and deserve credit for making it there. props. Second, beat battles are not a reflection of how dope a producer is, but how dope of a "battle beat" they can create. granted you have to be past a certain level of dope to make a dope beat period. but beat battles have an uncanny semblance to rap battles in that what works in a battle, and @ that moment, is not necessarily timeless material or stuff that can soulfully move the masses of people

did folks see the faces of Jake one and vitamin when the beats were played? yeah. point exactly.

G Mo is a phenom. 17years old and definitely top percentile of producers. bet. he produced a third of my first record when he was 14 and i was in awe then. he gets better too. on monday, i'll release a song with a beat i think he had in the stash for the battle but didn't get a chance to play. Boon doc is dope. definitely checking to see what he does in the future.

A toast to good music. And Red Bull Big Tune for putting the musicians in the limelight. congrats to Frank Dukes, the eventual winner.

i'm no expert. so i'll shut up already.

peace peace
m diggy dot

Ghanaian movie posters - mmmm... nostalgia

2009-10-11T15:11:00.000-07:00

Justin schell sent me this link to this blog post about Ghanaian movie posters. wow the memories these trigger cause i've seen many similar ones in my younger life growing up in madina, accra. the author of the blog post says "Most of these posters come from the book Extreme Canvas: Movie Poster Paintings from Ghana." curious to peep the book. i jacked one of his flicks and reposted it below. check out more film paintings here

http://assemblyman-eph.blogspot.com/2009/08/film-poster-paintings-from-ghana.html

Losing Rhythm: Strange Story Behind the Making of “Life Dey Jom”

2009-10-07T15:19:00.000-07:00

"Life Dey Jom" - M.anifest, Wanlov the Kubolor & Kwabena Jones (Play/download)

First off,
i was surprised at how popular this song is back home in Ghana when i last touched down this past January. It actually plays in clubs - whoa! shoutouts to DJ black (Joy FM) and Dj Edu (BBC 1xtra) who have kept it on rotation.

Second off, and getting to the point of this piece, the weirdest thing happened to me recording this song, "life dey jom." And by weird i mean a deeply surreal occurrence i hadn't experienced prior to writing this song, and thankfully i haven't ever experienced in the aftermath!

The Scene
'Twas October of 2007, both Wanlov and myself had just released our debut records “green card” and “manifestations” respectively. In celebration of Wanlov's release, we did a show @ the Shrine, in Harlem NY. Kwabena Jones (aka Bosco when he's on the beats) was kind enough to let us stay at his jersey city abode afterwards where he has his studio.

Nextday
After shooting the breeze and being shocked and awed by Kubolor's hooping abilities, we thought it'd be a good idea to write some songs. Bosco (kwabena Jones) went through a whole bunch of dope beats he had crafted and we eventually settled on this one: the bassline stuck out to me and the Rhythm was distinctly hip-life. Fast forward. After i was done writing my verse - and quite ready like freddy to record it - i couldn't for the world of me hear the beat the same way i heard it when i wrote it!!?!?! it was surreal, frustrating, and i damn near thought my sense of rhythm had been infiltrated by some martians. The clever little verse i had just written all of a sudden sounded off-beat! It happened so suddenly and that's what perhaps made it terrifying. Twas as if i had slid into a well of confusion and couldn't see anything in this particular rhythmic universe that surrounded me – with regards to the song that is. All i could think was “Dayum, why on earth? my mind is playing tricks on me” © scarface. And no we weren't puffing herb u doubting thomas u.

as we proceed.
I told Bosco about it, and very reluctantly recorded my verse. It just didnt sound right. But since my collaborators were not perturbed, i thought i would sleep over it and maybe like Jesus on the third day i would be back to normal. About 4months or so later, Bosco gives me a call with excitement reeking from his voice talking about how well folks were receiving the song. All good. He sends me the finished the track and oh goodness, i still couldn't hear it the way it was supposed to sound. I actually begged him a number of times to take me off the track cause i thought i sounded offbeat! What worse than to ruin a yet to be solidified reputation with an underwhelming performance. Yep, i was that desparate.

Lazarus Moment,
Fast forward a few days later, a friend of mine came to visit after she just returned from a trip to Ghana (What up Susie). Chopped it up a bit and slid into the topic of highlife. Decided to get an unbiased opinion of the song to shake off my paranoia. Song comes on, and i hear it exactly as its supposed to be heard. Makes absolutely no sense and i can't even fathom hearing it any other way. Nwayz, i filed it under “never-shd-happen-again” and kept it moving. Weird, i know.

I decided to liberate the joint – Bosco, chale i beg mek u know kill me ooooo :)! http://www.zshare.net/audio/6663935170340223/ Enjoy it, play it to impress your african friends, play it at all your african soirees, and send the link to a friend. And keep this story between you and i shhhh :)

Peace Peace

m dodotido

* Life Dey Jom translates as “life is going very good” or “life is jamming” in more literal terms

losing my religion w/ Sarah White

2009-07-22T08:19:00.000-07:00

listen to the song here!

Peace peace people.

I've been sporadically working on a project, S & M , with the mighty talented and sultry Sarah White. the synergy has been dope thus far. and with time and schedules permitting we'll have a full ep for you and yours this year. here's a pre-final-mix song "losing my religion" off the project. It's produced by the ultra-talented Gmo who is part of our 4shades collective. we recorded this late spring when Sarah came to minneapolis to visit fam and thangs. enjoy and let me know your thoughts. peace peace
m.

4Shades Ubiquity Beat Tape w/ Songs Included

2009-07-21T10:44:00.000-07:00

i'm privileged to work with some very talented producers. enjoy this "Ubiquity" beat tape with exclusive songs and remixes added for good measure. and we do do business. so if some beats (imeem playlist below or download here) grab your attention, holleration! 4shadesmusic@gmail.com . peace peace
m.

4Shades - Ubiquity

Red Bull Music Academy - "Content Under Pressure" this Thurs June 25th!

2009-06-23T11:57:00.000-07:00

This is a very fresh idea! The basic concept is to pair 7 producers randomly with 7 mc's on the day of the event and give them 3hrs to record a song to be performed later that night. The event is all ages and is FREE to the public! At I.P.R. in Minneapolis - I'm a part of it. Should be dope! There'a video below with Kevin Beachem (Rhymesayers) speaking in detail about the event. C u there!

THE MCS: Abstract Rude, M.anifest, St Paul Slim, Carnage, New MC, Sims, & Felipe Cuauhtli

THE PRODUCERS: Blueprint, Medium Zach, O-D, Katrah-Quey, Benzilla, X:144 & Big Cats!

Lauryn Hill - Lost ones (Katrah-Quey remix)

2009-06-22T14:29:00.000-07:00

I love this right here. makes me want to hear a Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu Collaboration. big shouts to Katrah-Quey from my 4shades production crew. its featured on a beat tape/compilation we just released called ubiquity.

been a minute..."blueberry skies" (new song)

2009-05-11T15:30:00.001-07:00

do you copy, do you read me? been m.i.a. just figuring out life's details. smoothing out kinks, trying to walk str8 and not bend over backwards. enough of the abstraction.

a producer friend of mine, DJ Unwind dropped an itunes single of a real smooth tune called "blueberry skies." He's on production and i'm on vocals with a singer, kaytee.

Hear it on myspace
Get it on itunes

check for it, enjoy and buy it when it tickles your fancy. more about life and music later. blessings, always
m.

Free M. Song + Sebmaestria's Legendary Remixes free album!

2009-03-26T14:09:00.000-07:00

Download M.anifest - Who ft. Guiguipop

okay, i'm still on my international grizzly. Producer comrade of mine, Sebmaestria - produced two songs off "manifestations" and has done work with "arrested development's" speech - just dropped a mixtape of remixes to some classic songs. mos def, kweli, pharcyde, biggie, etc. Seb is nice with his and we have a statsh of songs in the archives. Download the Mixtape here. enjoy!

m diggy dot

Guiguipop dropping sixteens on "who" track

Chester French & M.anifest chop it up on tour bus

2009-03-24T01:11:00.000-07:00

Attended the Lady Gaga & Chester French concert. Afterwards, D.A & Max (Chester French) benevolently played us a bunch of dope tracks off their mixtape that will precede their major label (interscope/ star trak) debut. A lot of surprise guests on that mixtape. Pharrell signed them and they certainly deserve the shine. i appreciate the honesty, creativity, and dopness they bring with their music. look out for them soon. good times.
m.

Chester French & M.anifest on tour bus from M.anifest on Vimeo.

PS: and oh, i added an intriguing convo we had to the video. funny stuff about costumes and endrogeny. Shout out to Prince!

Sold out. Rhymesayers artist meets artist show

2009-03-10T12:55:00.000-07:00

one day somewhere in twin cities history...this day will be remembered.

Sold Out! Rhymesayers Artist meets Artist Show from M.anifest on Vimeo.

Here's a summary of my thoughts.

- Twas a dope night. packed to capacity
- Rhymesayers has an insane loyal following - beautiful thing
- Plain ole bill and Jimmy 2times did a nice DJ set that was biggie infested. very appropriate for the night - March 9th seen
- Toki and Slim came out swinging
- Muja Messiah and I came on stage to Curtis Mayfield's "we the people darker than blue"
- crowd response was great. Muja's that dude. big up chale
- but just as an artist that's hard on myself i'd say there were a few moment our energy wasnt quite parallel to the audiences. but only a few short moments. good otherwise
- Slug and Ali with Ant on the wheels was very well done. Smooth. Crowd loved it.
- All six emcees gathered on stage at the end for a short but savory cipher much to the crowds delight
- Homey that did the sound check is a beast. Rhymesayers Cat...trying to remember his name. vocals were clear all night. Shout out to EMS too
- was good to see I Self Devine afterwards. Big O.G respect
Shouts to Dj Fundamentalist! what's good turtleneck

Thank you and good night. well not quite.

m diggy dot

Budo Mixes song for "Coming to America"

2009-02-26T07:22:00.000-08:00

This is a lo-fi snippet of Budo mixing a joint of my upcoming "coming to america" called "how i used to be. Pretty epic joint i would say. very excited for it. Budo laces some serious horns on them. Budo is cold on productions, chale.
Peace
m diggy dot

K'naan - one for the continent

2009-02-25T09:55:00.000-08:00

congratulations to the brother. much success.

M.anifest Chats w/ K'naan & Cops Troubadour later from M.anifest on Vimeo.

Finally!

2009-02-19T14:33:00.000-08:00

finally put up the title track to "the birds & the beats" ep that will precede "coming to america" sophomore release. enjoy it on this link here!

peace
m.

Fox 9 review of K'naan & M.anifest concert

2009-02-16T07:17:00.000-08:00

“Twin Cities rapper and native Ghanaian M.anifest was the opening act and got the show started about an hour after the doors opened. Adorned in necklaces of wooden beads and traditional West African garb sporting the symbol of Gye Nyame, the emcee implored the crowd to warm up with him, while he waxed poetic about the warm breeze of his homeland. His set included a number of songs from his debut album, Manifestations, which focuses on life in Ghana and struggles the artist has faced in this experiment we call life. His sound was polished and enchanting, his message Afro-centric yet relevant. It's no wonder M.anifest earned 2008 honors as the City Pages' Songwriter of the Year. His performance was a perfect primer for the performance everyone came to see.”

Full Article...

the creative process...sometimes

2009-02-05T06:21:00.000-08:00

how do we create? no formula. just saw this vid on my hardrive from a late saturday night in '08. Baraka, Nisreen, and myself negotiate the arrangement of a very simple hoook...i shd put this song out for free no? fatigued and croaky voices..but the soul while be in there somewhere on the actual record. o-d on the beats!
sincerely yours
m diggy dot

the creative process...sometimes from M.anifest on Vimeo.

Soundtrack to a Recession

2009-01-29T10:17:00.000-08:00

It’s been remarked by many that songs like “whateva u like” and “pop champagne” are analogous to the times. In plain speak – shit don’t add up to how life is now. So let’s see what an appropriate tracklist for the recession would look like. Get your soulseek or itunes out - the list is below the photo. and oh i had to steal this photo from Marlowe williams - hilarious kinda things u see in ghana

1. Destiny’s child – bills bills bills [sing it to your bank account]
2. Koo nimo – ohia y3 ya
3. Mos def – there is a way
4. Wanlov the kubolor – choptime, [no friend]
5. Ebo Taylor – Wofa no nu [oto a ontua ka] - a.k.a “uncle buy-and-never-pay”
6. Mensa – when it rains it pours – [ especially when he says “I just lost my job// but my bills don’t know that”]
7. King Aysioba – My father – [ I remember he spoke about 20 thaasen cedis somewhere]
8. Biggie – everyday struggle
9. Lauryn hill – when it hurts so bad - [ could work after a hangover the day after a job loss]
10. Buju Banton- Destiny – [ in the end we’ll all find a way to control ours]
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………to be continued

okay...rhymes on B96 - Peter Parker show

2009-01-23T11:21:00.000-08:00

so i gave the little behind the scenes video previously. this is some actual rapping stuff.
sincerely yours
m diggy dot

peter parker says "shout out to Africa!"

2009-01-22T17:51:00.000-08:00

snippet of an interview appearance i made on B96 yesterday. its refreshing to get airtime on there without being on the billboard top ten...yet. the response was great from callers! big up to peter parker. i'll have footage of me rhyming on there another time.

sincerely yours,
m diggy dot

m.anifest on B96 w/ Peter Parker from M.anifest on Vimeo.

on FM radio in Ghana

2009-01-19T16:02:00.000-08:00

what does it take to make it? dunno...but i shared a few random thoughts at that moment w/ Dj Black

M.anifest on Joy FM (Ghana) - w/ Dj Black from M.anifest on Vimeo.

chop time, no friend

2009-01-19T04:49:00.000-08:00

retirement package for Ghanaian ex-presidents...
no wonder everyone wants to "chop" president. see the retirement conditions below the picture

"former presidents should be given fully furnished residences that befit a former president at a place of their choice - one in Accra and another out of the national capital.

In addition, a former president would be entitled among other privileges, to six fully maintained comprehensively insured, fuelled and chauffeured-driven cars to be replaced every four years. The fleet comprise of three salon cars, two cross country cars and one all-purpose vehicle."

is there something wrong with this picture?

m diggy dot

Menoosha & M.anifest - African Boy (What up Estelle!)

2009-01-15T14:05:00.000-08:00

Coupé Décalé! fancy a remake that takes the music and the idea a bit further into the motherland.fancy that. Big shout to Menoosha for her incredible vocals and taking the concept further. was happy to contribute a verse to it. enjoy
m diggy dot

ps: Estelle has African roots no?

5 epic moments of 2008

2008-12-31T01:30:00.000-08:00

Culture Bully asked me to do a top 5 list for the year. this is what i came up with the night before dipping to the mamaland. yes i'm here! its a heat wave and i'm grateful....
sincerely yours

m diggy dot

M.anifest: 5 Epic Moments of 2008 from M.anifest on Vimeo.

Charlie Rose & Jay-Z?

2008-12-28T22:46:00.001-08:00

i saw a couple of ignorant videos today that left my spirit sullied about this culture we say we love but are so eager to make look stupid. So me and my bredren Baraka decided to salvage the day by checking for this charlie rose interview with jay-z. the brother is very thoughtful, pleasantly eloquent, and gives Hip-Hop a good look on this one. if you haven't seen it, feel free to take the hour off to check it out. really.
sincerely yours.

m diggy dot

i'm i in this Gnarls Barkley video?

2008-12-25T14:23:00.000-08:00

Okay, the homey Roli insists the cat playing the lead looks like me. what do u think? if it's close enuff, i'll shamelessly add it to my discography.

i love this song though. doesn't hurt the video has an apparent m dot look alike in it. you be the judge.

Free Tsatsu Now! - Song

2008-12-10T06:35:00.000-08:00

M.anifest - Free Tsatsu now - Song - Download here

politics is wildly divisive and should have nothing to do with justice...anything else is egregious and should be concerning - you could be next to be victimized. but everything is politics right? well, last couple of months my father has been unjustly incarcerated in the land of my birth. i'll spare you the rational and emotional tirade on screen. i divulge my feelings in the song above. for more on the case you case check out http://freetsatsu.com/

"Mom's Rules"

2008-11-29T08:34:00.000-08:00

Who need's a platinum plaque when you can get a "mom's rules" plaque! chuuch. My future house and future wife will own one of these.

"Mom's Rules" from M.anifest on Vimeo.

Much love to my Auntie Yvonne for introducing me to this precious piece. ha. my lil cousins must love looking at it.
bless up
m.

he got some hova in him?

2008-11-20T14:09:00.001-08:00

"M.anifest was great too, at times his robust rapping sounding slightly Jay-Z-ish."
From the Citypages slideshow of last nights show with the herbaliser.

okay Hova stans, don't flood me with hate mail. wasn't the one that said it. flattering tho, flattering.

sincerely yours

m diggy diggy dot

Supastition & M.anifest - on upcoming A.R.M collabo joint

2008-11-01T19:55:00.000-07:00

Peace to Supastition - a real humble and intelligent brother.

Supastition & M.anifest – on upcoming A.R.M joint from M.anifest on Vimeo.

This is Post a halloween show in champaign illinois we did. college towns are intriguing places, especially on an occassion such as halloween. what did i not see? ha. peace to Krukid, my A.R.M brother in rhyme.

Brother Ali & M.anifest - Paling Around with Lyricists

2008-10-26T21:41:00.000-07:00

Peace to all the joe the rappers out there! jane the rappers too!

Brother Ali and I were judges at a battle of the bands show this past Saturday at Macalester College - on some random randy and simon american idol type shit. He did a set after the bands went on. we chopped it up bout some things: from our future collab, to obama to the Gil Scott heron joint - we almost lost detriot - (see common's "the people" and Black Stars "Brown Skin Lady") the man knows his breaks. I have an exclusive clip of Ali doing a song called "Good Lord" i believe. its at the end.

shouts to BK-One and Vince.
OneTime
M.

Brother Ali & M.anifest - Paling Around with Lyricists from M.anifest on Vimeo.

economy got jokes

2008-10-22T22:32:00.000-07:00

i received this recession inspired text msg:

"Obama was on CNN news this morning. he said the economy is so bad he saw 3 africans swimming back to africa. so i jus wanna check on u. did u make it?"

Halfrican

2008-10-22T20:34:00.000-07:00

Getting our grub on in a cuban joint before chicago world music festival show. Sept '08. Feat. Kemi, Krukid, Baay Musa

Halfrican from M.anifest on Vimeo.