He is also a skater, which led to his career in hip hop; after an accident in 1998, he took time to focus on rap and was noticed by Trevor McNevan of Ontario-based band Thousand Foot Krutch. This led to his signing to an internationally distributed label, BEC Recordings, and debut release Epiphany, which was made primarily of West Coast hip hop with several rapcore outings in the vein of Limp Bizkit. He released two independent albums, Mislead Youth (2001) and My Own Thing (2003), prior to Epiphany in 2005. He has toured in Canada, the United States and Ireland to date. His second album, Glory, emphasized rap-rock elements with more Linkin Park-esque nu metal, and included more authentic hip hop stylings. Central themes of Manafest’s music include nonconformity, hip hop culture, and walking with God. Manafest says in regards to Glory that: “I wanted to allow all of my influences show on Glory. Musically, I wanted to blend the appeal of Linkin Park, Sum 41, and The Beastie Boys. Vocally, I wanted to merge that with popular hip hop à la Eminem and Kanye West. But beyond musical influence, I wanted to reflect on the issues around me in the most positive way possible. And whether I am talking about the loss of loved ones and abuse, or breakdancing and skate culture, it’s all for the glory of heaven. In the end, my prayer is that people would not simply bob their heads to this, but feel a very real sense of healing from the words. However, this record is not all serious. Some of my favorite tracks are the most lighthearted ones.” |
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