M.anifest is an accredited Ghanian rapper who has been in the music scene for almost all of his life. Growing up in a relatively privileged houshold with connections to the music industry, M.anifest went on to attend university for music.
M.anifest continued to pursue music outside of his education independently–a path that many in the industry choose to take. One of M.anifest’s first album’s is Immigrant Chronicles: Coming to America. In the album, M.anifest reflects on his decade spent in America as a Ghanian man.
One single released from this album was “Coming to America“. The song primarily addresses how coming to America, at least for him, largely serves as a financial opportunity. However, this opportunity does not come without several hardships, as addressed in this song.
Although the song is about traveling to America, M.anifest’s Ghanian and African identities are vital to the message of the song. To represent his Ghanian culture, M.anifest wears vibrant Ghanian clothing. In this video, M.anifest not only takes pride in his culture using his clothing, but also addresses how difficult American life can be for Africans.
In particular, M.anifest mentions being called a negro when entering the United States, which speaks to an experience felt by many Africans who come to the U.S.. M.anifest goes further to address other systemic issues that were foreign to him before arriving.
By recognizing this conflict, M.anifest is representing his culture by identifying the unique experience felt by Africans in the United States. M.anifest expertly does this not only by explaining why he and many others come to America, but also what their experience looks and feels like when they are there.
Through his use of vibrant visuals and masterful rapping, M.anifest expertly expresses the complex experiences of Ghanians, and Africans at large, even outside of the continent.
To find more of M.anifest’s music, visit his Spotify page here.