M.anifest facts for kids

Quick facts for kids M.anifest
M.anifest
Background information
Birth name	Kwame Ametepee Tsikata
Also known as	M Dor-dor-dor-ti-dor, M Digidi, god MC
Born	(1982-11-20) 20 November 1982 (age 42) Accra, Ghana
Genres	Hip hop, Hiplife, R&B, Afrobeats
Occupation(s)	Rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer
Instruments	Vocals, Pro Tools
Years active	2005–present
Labels	Singitdamnit Music
Associated acts	Rocket Juice and The Moon, Damon Albarn, Flea, Tony Allen, Burna Boy, Brother Ali, Erykah Badu, Richy Pitch, A.R.M, Ko-Jo Cue, Efya, EL, Sarkodie, Brymo, Paapa, G-Mo, Jayso, Worlasi, Cina Soul, Dex Kwasi, Nomisupasta, Tumi Molekane, Evil Twin, Wanlov the Kubolor, Checkmate, Desdamona, Coptic, Samahra Daly, eLDee the Don, HHP, Bisa Kdei, Camp Mulla, Obrafour, Blackway, Kid Konnect, DJ Mic Smith, MzVee

Kwame Ametepee Tsikata (born 20 November 1982), known professionally as M.anifest, is a talented Ghanaian musician, rapper, and record producer.

He won awards for Best Rapper and Hip-Hop Song of the Year at the 2017 Ghana Music Awards. M.anifest has worked with famous artists like Damon Albarn, Flea, Tony Allen, and Erykah Badu. He is even featured on five songs from the Rocket Juice and The Moon album.

M.anifest is the grandson of J. H. Kwabena Nketia, a very important African expert in music history and a composer. In 2012, BBC Radio's The Strand show named him one of the top four artists to watch. In 2015, his song "Someway bi" won third place in the International Songwriters Competition. That same year, The Guardian newspaper called M.anifest "the foremost rapper on the continent." Today, M.anifest spends his time between Madina in Ghana and Minneapolis in the United States.

About M.anifest's Life and School

M.anifest's father is Tsatsu Tsikata, a Ghanaian lawyer and professor. His mother is Rev. Dr. Priscilla Naana Nketia, who is also a lawyer and a pastor. His grandfather, J. H. Kwabena Nketia, was a well-known composer and professor who studied music from different cultures.

In 2001, M.anifest moved to the United States to study at Macalester College in Minneapolis-St. Paul. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics in 2005. Before that, he attended high school at SOS-Hermann Gmeiner International College in Tema, Ghana. There, he was known as Amet Tsikata and was in charge of entertainment.

M.anifest has also been a guest speaker and lecturer at several universities. These include St. Lawrence University, the University of Ghana, Hamline University, Macalester College, Penumbra Theater's Summer Arts Institute, and Ashesi University.

M.anifest's Music Journey

While living in the Twin Cities, M.anifest learned a lot about being an independent musician. He even sang for a Pepsi jingle that played on U.S. radio. The money he earned from this helped him create his first solo album, Manifestations, released in 2007. This album won him "Songwriter of the Year" from City Pages and was named one of the top five albums of the year by the Star Tribune. In 2009, he released a free album called The Birds and the Beats. This was done to help raise awareness and money for a group called Young Entrepreneurs Africa.

In 2010, M.anifest joined Africa Express and toured France and Spain. He impressed Damon Albarn, a co-founder of Africa Express, who then invited M.anifest to work on the Rocket Juice & the Moon album the next year. In September 2012, M.anifest joined the Africa Express tour in the United Kingdom. He even wrote about these experiences for The Huffington Post.

In September 2011, he released his second album, Immigrant Chronicles: Coming to America. This album included popular songs like "Suffer," "Asa," and "Blue (Chale What Dey Happen)." It marked ten years of his life in the U.S. and the start of his move back to Ghana. In 2012, M.anifest became very popular in Africa. He performed on the Big Brother Africa stage and at the Channel O Music Video Awards in South Africa. The music video for his song "Makaa Maka" was nominated for Most Gifted Hip-Hop Video at the 2012 Channel O Music Awards. It also won Best Hip-Hop Video at the 4Syte Music Video Awards in Ghana.

M.anifest also helped create a short Hip-Hopera for Channel O about Ghana's independence. He performed a piece about the history of Ghanaian music at the first-ever Ghana Music Week. M.anifest is also a co-founder of Giant Steps, a conference for creative people who want to start businesses. He is also featured in the documentary We Rock Long Distance.

On June 30, 2016, M.anifest released a song called "god MC." This led to a musical rivalry with fellow rapper Sarkodie. Sarkodie responded with his own song called "Kanta." M.anifest's "god MC" later won Hip Hop Song of the Year at the Ghana Music Awards. Two years later, on December 24, 2018, the two artists showed they were friends again. Sarkodie performed at M.anifest's yearly Manifestivies concert in Accra. On June 18, 2020, they further showed their friendship by collaborating on Sarkodie's song, Brown Paper Bag.

2016: god MC and Nowhere Cool Album

On June 30, 2016, M.anifest released "god MC." This song was a response to Sarkodie's "Bossy" track. Sarkodie had used one of M.anifest's famous taglines, "dor dor dor ti dor," in a way that M.anifest felt was disrespectful. In "god MC," M.anifest rapped about respecting others. Sarkodie replied with "Kanta," but M.anifest chose not to respond further. He explained that "god MC" had already made people think more about the meaning of songs. He also used the song to talk about how Ghanaian popular culture was changing.

On July 14, 2016, M.anifest released another song called 100%. This song featured Worlasi and quickly became a hit. It had a catchy beat and was easier to understand than some of M.anifest's more complex songs.

On September 6, 2016, M.anifest shared a trailer for his album Nowhere Cool on YouTube. He then released "B.E.A.R." and "Sugar" as lead songs. Nowhere Cool officially launched on September 8, 2016, and received good reviews. It featured many talented artists from Ghana and other countries, including Worlasi, Cina Soul, Tumi Molekane, Nomisupasta, Dex Kwasi, and Brymo.

The Nowhere Cool album tells a story. The first song, "Nowhere Cool," talks about the challenges artists face in Ghana. The last song, "Good Bye," features Brymo and is about letting go, like an album being released to fans. In between, the album has songs about everyday struggles and hopes for a better future. M.anifest has said Nowhere Cool is his best project. The album's title comes from a short story by the famous Ghanaian author Prof. Ama Ata Aidoo. She even recites a part of her story on the album:

"Nowhere cool sister, ain’t nowhere cool. Therefore let me hide here among the thorns while I dine on wild desert green. And if they should ask you of me, tell them the name of the game was life, and I never learnt the rules."

Awards and Recognitions

M.anifest has received many awards for his music:

• Songwriter of the Year (2008) - City Pages
• Minnesota Emerging Composer Award (MECA) (2010) - American Composers Forum
• Best Hip-Hop Video - 4syte Music Video Awards
• Hip-Hop Song of the Year (2013) - Ghana Music Awards
• Best Rapper of the Year (2013) - Ghana Music Award
• Best Special Effects Video (2016) - 4syte Music Video Awards
• Best Individual Style (2016) - Glitz Style Awards
• Hip-Hop Song of the Year (2017) - Ghana Music Awards
• Best Rapper of the Year (2017) - Ghana Music Awards
• Midem Best Artist (2017) - International Midem Awards, France
• Best Artiste in African Hip Hop award (AFRIMA 2018)
• Known to his fans as the Greatest Rapper of All Time

M.anifest's Music Albums

• Manifestations (2007)
• The Birds and the Beats (Free Mixtape, 2009)
• Immigrant Chronicles: Coming to America (2011)
• Apae: the price of free EP (2013)
• Nowhere Cool (2016)
• The Gamble EP (2019)
• Madina to the Universe (2021)
• Madina to the Universe: The E.P.Ilogue (2022)

M.anifest's Singles

• "Babylon Breakdown" (2007)
• "Gentleman" (2007)
• "Coming to America" (2011)
• "Suffer" (2011)
• "Asa" feat. Efya (2012)
• "Makaa Maka" (2012)
• "Blue (Chale What Dey Happen)" (2012)
• "Ebei" (2013)
• "Mind Games" (2013)
• "Someway Bi" (2013)
• "Jigah" feat. HHP (2014)
• "No Shortcut to Heaven" feat. Obrafour (2014)
• "W'ani Aba" (feat. Bisa Kdei)
• "Forget Dem" (2015)
• "god MC" (2016)
• "100%" (2016)
• "Sugar" feat Brymo (2016)
• "Do My Own" feat bigBen (2017)
• "Me ne woa" feat King Promise (2017)
• "Azumah Nelson Flow" (2017)
• Be my woman feat M.I Casa (2017)
• "Don’t Follow Me" feat. Bayku & Yaa Pono (2018)
• "Okay" feat. Worlasi
• "Feels" feat Kwesi Arthur
• "Rapper 101"
• "Big Mad" feat. Simi
• "Rapper 101 (Prod. by MikeMillzOnEm)" (2019)
• "No Long Talk (Prod. by MikeMillzOnEm)" (2020)

Songs M.anifest Has Been Featured On

• "Camp Mulla" feat. M.anifest - All in (2013)
• "E.L." feat. M.anifest - Hallelujah (2013)
• "Lyricalwaanzam" feat. M.anifest - For sheygey reasons (2013)
• "Bodi" feat. M.anifest & Team Dharma - Hercules (2013)
• "Kindness" feat. M.anifest - 8th Wonder (2014)
• "Proverb" feat. M.anifest - Proverb's Manifest (2014)
• "Dee Moneey" feat. M.anifest, Ice Prince, Paedae(R2bees), JTown, Reminisce - Finish Line (Remix) (2014)
• "Sedem" feat. M.anifest - Falling in Love(2014)
• "Obrafour" ft. M.anifest - Odasani (2014)
• "Sarkodie" ft. M.anifest - Brown Paper Bag (2020)
• "A-Reece" ft. M.anifest - West Africa Time (2023)
• "A-Reece" ft. M.anifest - Champions (2023)

Collaborations with Other Artists

• A.R.M (Budo, Krudid, M.anifest) ft Brother Ali - Heaven Only Knows (2009)
• S&M (Sarah White & M.anifest) - Losing My Religion (2010)
• A.R.M (Budo, Krudid, M.anifest) - Two Africans and a Jew EP (2011)
• Burna Boy ft M.anifest - Another Story (African Giant, 2019)