Today we’d like to introduce you to Mani Da Brat.
Hi Mani, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
So, long story short, I’ve been writing songs forever. Since preschool, actually. I wrote my first ‘serious’ song in middle school, which snowballed into writing songs almost daily. Every day was writing or singing, or rapping; I eventually started mimicking Nicki Minaj. I came up with my own alter egos– the first was Menchi. At that point, I started plotting out storylines and concepts for songs and albums. I would write songs with no beats or instrumentals, just the vibes and the song titles. I had written a song in math class called Do It For The City; I was 12 and a homebody. After some, uh, character development and life happening, I found myself being pulled back into making music with the same passion and vigor that 12-year-old me had possessed. Being fussed at by my old coworker (thanks, Josh!) to re-record my song ComputaLuv at his studio pushed me back into my artistry.
Fast forward to now, and here I am, going across the country and back for shows (which still feels unreal) and making my name slowly stand out on the internet. It’s surreal to see this, let alone live it. I also think it’s time for a new version of Do It For The City since I’m officially grown and out doing things in the cities I live in.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Pursuing your passions is never a smooth road, especially not when you live on a mountain. Some of my main struggles come from a lack of resources for music artists in my area. There’s no studio, seldom a place to perform, and my target demographic differs from the local population. There’s no point in complaining, though, so I use it as motivation to market my music and reach a broader audience.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a rapper, but I do so much more than rap. Everybody who knows me knows I’m a poet at heart, so conveying certain feelings and ideas in my music is effortless. I think that’s why Jupiter and SpaceShip took off the way they did. Putting these songs out was weird, and having people hit me up, saying how relatable they are, was weirder. I just thought I was in my world, feeling how I felt, and it made me feel better that other people thought it, too. I’m proud of candidly talking about things in my music. I’m so proud of my vulnerability becoming more prevalent in my music. I don’t have a “safe space” to talk about things in my head, and I’m proud of using music and art to express it. What sets me apart from other female rappers is that I do not know what’s happening with them, which sounds terrible, but it’s true. I follow the ones I enjoy, but I’d rather not be so wrapped up in what somebody else is doing that I forget what I’m doing.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
As far as music goes, the thing that matters most is authentic expression. I’m tired of seeing and hearing people claiming to be authentic, but you can tell they’re not. To me, being an artist is the most sincere form of expression I have; I don’t understand why I would take something so precious and ruin it by making it look different than what it is. Let’s call a spade a spade.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.manidabrat.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/manidabratttt
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/manidabratttt/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/manidabratttt
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEDNyEeJHGpWMMfAjLuS0Cw?feature=gws_kp_artist&feature=gws_kp_artist
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/manidabrat
