I had the pleasure of interviewing Ghanian born and London based music sensation M3NSA and it was pretty insightful.
Music has always been the center of his universe and he cites his mother as his early inspiration. Not wanting to sound cliché, he remembers that he had told his mom at an early age that he wanted to learn the piano and she took that request seriously and quickly arranged for piano lessons. He jokes that he got licks (a British term for getting spanked) if he missed his lessons. Those lessons paid off and set him on a path of discovering his love for his music and the talent that he unknowingly harbored.
When asked who his musical influences are especially the hip-hop artists, he immediately pointed that rap had always been his staple since the days of Young MC. He always mentioned EPMD Heltah Skeltah, Lord Finesse, and Ras Kass among others.
Here are more snippets from the interview:
E – Were you nervous getting into the music scene professionally? What were your expectations as a new artist?
M3NSA – Man, thing about me is…I’ve been making music since I was 12 even but…I NEVER saw myself as a musician. I am almost 30 and I’d say up until 4-5 years ago, I made music and delved into all of it because I simply enjoyed it and created without much effort.
E – So it just always came naturally?
M3NSA – It was never a conscious decision to become a “musician”. I guess it was more of a realization that I was headed in that direction as a full time career and so I embraced it all. And that is why I have such a catalogue of unreleased work. And I don’t really have any expectations, just work hard and hope I never run out of creative juices
E – Did you ever have that pressure to pursue something more tangible?
M3NSA - Naw, my dad is a full blown musician and actor, my uncles and aunts are worldwide recognized artists, film directors, fashion designers and professional photographers…functioning very well in Africa…my folks accept the arts even more than all that other corporate crap…to each their own .
E – Wow
M3NSA – Yeah, Very Strange buh?
E – So you come very a very artistic background?
M3NSA – My cousin co-starred in the last Bourne movie. And his father is probably the most recognized fashion designer in Ghana.
E – Impressive! So it runs in the family. Do you and your father share similar taste in music?
M3NSA – Yeah, we both love jazz and the old highlife music. I mean with my dad on some shows in LA.
E – So are you happy with where you are now and what do you hope for in maybe 5 years? Are there are other aspirations on the horizon?
M3NSA – Aww man, I just want to feed my family. (Laughter) Man I just want to be able to create music I like without any unnecessary pressures from labels, or the industry of even current fads just create you know, and have a solid fan base that appreciates quality music that’s not afraid to push barriers.
E – Do you like any of the music today? A lot of people feel uninspired by some of the stuff out there.
M3NSA – I do! I’m inspired by even the crappy stuff out there…it keeps me in check you know.
E – Is music going to continue to be your main focus, or are you going to get involved in other facets of entertainment, like acting, etc
M3NSA – Aw yuh, I mean I already did a film (pidgin musical) last year with Wanlov called Coz Ov Moni, hailed as the world’s first pidgin musical.
E – Awesome! So what should we expect from you next?
M3NSA – We’re pushing No1 Mango Street hard, you know, playing live with the 6-piece band. So expect us in your city soon!
E – Great! Good luck with the album and look forward to seeing you live soon!
