Answering questions at a press conference ahead of his fifth annual M.anifestivities concert Friday, rapper M.anifest has explained why he does not have artistes under his wings.

He opines that art is a personal journey, and no one really teaches art:”Artistry is not carpentry”, he says, “Take all the young artistes I meet.

I am mostly interested in meeting them because I appreciate what they are doing, and people are in different times of their lives”.

M.anifest collaborates with quite a number of emerging acts on 'Nowhere Cool', including Cina Soul and Worlasi (with whom he has hinted of a joint project in the near future), and stresses his willingness to support them in whatever capacity:

“I’m very willing to share any bits of information I have that might not exist, but there’s no formula for this. They look within themselves and find who they want to be.

It’s different with technical advice [but] I’m definitely one who is a great supporter of the young ones who I think need to flourish more and not allow the scene to be stale, because otherwise, the scene will be stale”.

This year, like many others, M.anifest has been among the most spoken-about rappers in the country, dominating headlines and being named among the top emcees in the country; notably by international music channel MTV Base Africa.

He also released his fifth project: 'Nowhere Cool' to significant commercial and critical acclaim, including from Damon Albarn, Rocky Dawuni, and Spoek Mathambo.

M.anifestivities 2016 comes off Friday at the SandBox Beach, Labadi, and will see supporting acts from top Nigerian singer Brymo, Worlasi, Keyzus, Cina Soul among others.