Ghanaian American Kwame Tsikata ‘05 is a musician on his way up

Once in awhile, a musician comes along whose work transcends borders, economics, and genres and makes you feel your pulse in every blood vessel. Listen to Manifestations, the debut CD by M.anifest, a.k.a. Kwame Tsikata ’05, and just try not to move.

Released at a September party at the Fine Line Music Café in Minneapolis, the CD was described by Star Tribune music critic Chris Riemenschneider as “very Kanye-esque, with clever and cocky but not trite or trashy party tracks, plus harder-hitting topical gems with worldly scope. There’s plenty of Afrocentrism, too, but … this guy’s out to be the best rapper of any nationality.”

A Ghanaian immigrant living in Minneapolis, M.anifest walks in two worlds. He’s an economics major who eschews XXXL pants but nevertheless knows what it is to be pulled over on a DWB—driving while black. In fact, he rarely drives, saying it’s not worth the hassle. “When you’re an immigrant here on a visa,” says M.anifest, “you don’t get into arguments with the police.”

Back in Ghana, he’s the proud grandson of internationally known ethnomusicologist J. H. Kwabena Nketia, professor emeritus at UCLA, and the Universities of Pittsburgh and Ghana. Growing up with his grandfather and mother in Accra, M.anifest poked around his grandfather’s extensive collection of tapes and vinyl, listening to every kind of music, from traditional African to European classical. At Macalester, the man the Star Tribune recently called an artist “on the verge” spent endless hours with friends discussing the tracks they were listening to.

Kwame In 2005, as a new graduate with job, visa, and money concerns, he couldn’t afford expensive studio time, so he began to acquire equipment and transformed himself into a sound engineer. Not being limited to a studio means M.anifest can go anywhere to record with other vocalists, musicians, and beat makers. The recordings are then mastered in a studio, giving every track on Manifestations commercial quality, but with a tart originality. The liner notes read, “All Tracks Recorded and Mixed by M.anifest at ‘anywhere-I’m-at’ studios.”

A musical magnet, he draws talent from everywhere. One artist who appears on several tracks is a 15-year-old from St. Paul. A liner note— “All Interludes by M.anifest and M. Abdullah”—refers to the wry, spoken observations on African American life from a former railroad employee. “Change Gon’ Come” was produced by Coptic, who has also produced Diddy, Usher, and other hip-hop giants. Then there are the Mac friends whose prints are all over the CD: Owen Duckworth ’06 (beat maker/producer); Senam Gbeho ’04 a.k.a. Evil Twin (MC/rapper); and Mandi Masden ’08 and Nisreen Dawan ’04 (singing vocals). The music Kwame created for one of Pepsi’s national advertising campaigns largely financed the CD’s production.

Atop the Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center, M.anifest is seen against the backdrop of his second home—Minneapolis.

“Pepsi helped me get the money to put out the record. Pepsi hired a company to do their whole branding experience for them. They asked somebody in the Cities, who said, ‘You should check out this new guy, he’s interesting.’ They checked out my Web site, and called me the next day. We did it in 30 minutes, and the rest is history.”

As for more ads, “I don’t think about that. The music is my focus; other opportunities that arise will always be a result of the quality and effect of the music I’m making.”

M.anifest’s mission to “represent Africa with a spectacular street vernacular” sets his music apart from most American hip-hop. Also, “Hip-hop, especially American hip-hop, has a strong ethos of ‘keepin’ it real,’ but I can take it anywhere and use different elements that relate to my experience and growth.”

So what does M.anifest think about violence and misogyny in hip-hop? “I don’t make a conscious effort to do something different, but my music is an extension of who I am.” Misogyny, he acknowledges, is everywhere, but because he has a deep respect for his single mother, it’s just not in his repertoire. Rather, he argues for balance in rap. As he puts it in “Africa Represent”:

Relevant forever in the name of Mandela, Masekela, Makeba


Oral traditions in a flavor you can savor…


Whatever happened to rappin’


Without mention of gun clappin’?

He’s also determined to remain independent. “I would not give up control to sign with a major label,” says M.anifest. “I have friends who have done that and just became a tax write-off.” He didn’t even shop a demo. “That’s trying to get the approval of someone who doesn’t make music. They only approve what’s already in the market.” M.anifest can’t tell you exactly how many CDs he’s sold—for one thing, iTunes only sends out the occasional accounting—but he’s pleased so far.

Year’s end brought him more critical encouragement: Manifestations made the top 10 album lists at two Minneapolis newspapers—the Star Tribune and the alternative newsweekly City Pages—and hometown nightclub First Avenue (made famous by Prince) chose M.anifest as one of the seven best new bands of the year.

He’s working with distributors to get his music out there, and he has a number of new projects in the works. His next opus is called Coming to America. M.anifest is also collaborating with the Belgian instrumental hip-hop group 40 Winks and trying to set up gigs around the world. “I want to travel to other countries on continents I haven’t seen to imbibe the vibes,” he says.

Meanwhile, what about his day job, the one that supposedly every artist can’t wait to quit? He’s an original in that way as well. “I love what I do; I have the perfect job to complement my music,” says M.anifest, who works for Progressive Technology Project. PTP, led by executive director Mark Sherman ’72, works with community-led organizations, providing appropriate technology to help them empower their communities. For example, a South Central L.A. group uses voter databases and computerized maps to increase voter turnout.

“Technology, like my music, is a great equalizer,” says M.anifest.