M.anifest (Kwame Tsikata)

Described in 2015 by the Guardian (UK) as “the foremost rapper on the continent,” M.anifest has been shifting the status quo of the African music scene since his arrival. Known for his signature sound that marries traditional African sounds with Hip Hop sensibilities, he is an award-winning artist from Accra, Ghana.

Born Kwame Tsikata, M.anifest, who describes his music as “transformative,” has received wide recognition for his clever wordplay and effortless trilingual lyricism, employing English, Twi, and Pidgin English to produce boundary crossing music.

M.anifest was one of the stars of MIDEM 2017 winning an International Midem Award in Cannes, France. His performance on the beaches of Cannes and at the Awards Gala made him the talk of the conference. He is Ghana’s reigning Rapper and Hip Hop Artist of the Year.

An unabashed music lover, M.anifest, is comfortable crossing, and collaborating, across genres. His impressive list of collaborators includes Erykah Badu, Femi Kuti, Tony Allen (Nigeria), Brymo (Nigeria), Highlife legend A.B Crentsil (Ghana), Tumi, Kwesta & Proverb (South Africa), Fatoumata Diawara (Mali), and Hypnotic Brass Ensemble (U.S). M.anifest also recently scored the film adaptation of Chimamanda Adichie’s short story On Monday of Last Week. He co-created and performed the credits song for groundbreaking Black historical fantasy short film, 'Forever Tree.'

He is a co-founder of Giant Steps, a conference for creative entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial creatives that has been a valuable part of many success stories of a community of like minded pioneers in the Twin Cities. M.anifest has had artist residencies and given lectures at St. Lawrence University (NY), University of Ghana and more.