Genre:Hip-Hop / Rap
<p>Across the last decade and some change, Manafest has steadily cemented his status as one of the world’s most diverse, envelope-pushing and all around uplifting artists. His seamless, lightening-like blur between the spectrums of rap, hip-hop, rock and pop hasn’t just led to 300,000-plus album sales and four coveted Juno Award nominations (essentially the Grammy equivalent in his home country of Canada), but also more than 1,000 shows logged over four continents.
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<br>With such a wealth of experience and achievements, anchored by a rabid, tastemaking fan base, the singer/rapper/songwriter/author/skater could easily put his feet on the dash and coast through the next career chapter, but considering he’s never been one to phone in the predictable, Manafest is taking a completely Reborn approach to his intelligent but ceaselessly contagious music throughout this fittingly named new album. Perhaps the chief catalyst in the ambitious leap forward comes from the decision to once again oversee his affairs, which after six albums within the major label system, has inspired a full circle season that mirrors the hunger and predominant hip-hop flavors accompanying this versatile artist’s self-released debut a dozen years ago.
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<br>“The idea of going independent is a big deal, going back to my hip-hop roots is a big deal, returning to skating a lot more is such an important outlet for me, and then of course the whole concept of my faith is always all about being Reborn and starting anew,” muses Manafest of the factors that helped formulate the title. “I’ve done this for a long time, but at times I feel Reborn because I’m basically starting over. And I say that as someone who’s not jaded or broke, but as someone who’s happy and stoked. I still have lots to say and lots to create.”
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<br>Released just over a year after his last studio effort, the current collection is clearly part of a creative surge that’s been churning in the performer’s mind for quite awhile. “I’ve always rapped, even on the rock stuff, but I’ve wanted to do a more hip-hop influenced record for a long time,” he continues. “I started thinking about that just after Fighter came out, which was my second kind of more real rock record like The Chase, and then last year’s The Moment was a bit of a hybrid record. For Reborn, I decided to go back to hip-hop, but even the way I do hip-hop isn’t the traditional ‘boom, bap,’ stuff, so I don’t think the fans who like more of the rock stuff will be disappointed.”
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<br>Follower feedback has always been a priority for Manafest (frequently the very last person to leave one of his concerts) and the Reborn sessions have brought him even closer to core listeners than ever before thanks to a PledgeMusic campaign. “It’s allowed me to have direct communication with my number one supporters,” he verifies. “Just being able to have access to that is huge and I try to go the extra mile every way I can for them. We talk, they get access to as much behind the scenes stuff as they are interested in, I give them a ton of bonus content and we’re building a relationship in the process.”
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<br>And speaking of relationships, a simple scan of the Reborn track list indicates a slew of guest collaborations, which in keeping with Manafest’s diverse history thus far, come from literally all walks of life. For starters, there’s frequent friend Trevor McNevan of Thousand Foot Krutch fame, who joins in for the insane hook of “Shine,” a song about living each day to maximum capacity and beaming your light along the way.
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<br>From there, rapper Tedashii vibes alongside the headliner throughout the peace and unity promoting “I Have A Dream” (which even drops a skillful sample of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famed speech). Another instantly famous voice comes via Soul Glow Activatur (formerly of Family Force 5) on the rhythmic party rocker “Stick To Your Guns,” an all-out anthem for surviving the struggle and never going down for the count.
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<br>“I wanted more features on this record period,” asserts Manafest. “I just realized as an artist, man, you can get so much farther when you work together with people rather than doing your own thing all the time. I find the lone soldier mentality doesn’t work out as well sometimes, plus when you work with artists you’ve never worked with before, everyone gets to reach new fans, plus it’s a ton of fun.”
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<br>The same could be said about the decision to team with super producers Seth Mosley (Newsboys, Audio Adrenaline, Sanctus Real) and Joel Bruyere (Thousand Foot Krutch), both of whom encouraged Manafest to bring in additional musicians to contribute additional layers and atmosphere. “Seth and I met when he was in Me In Motion and he did the majority of The Fighter record as well,” the singer explains. “He’s phenomenal, man, and just nails it. Believe it or not, I’ve never gotten to watch a live drummer track before, so that was surreal, plus he brought in live string players- people who worked with Red- which w</p>