Manny Phesto

Last updated
Manny Phesto
Manny Phesto Smokeface.jpg
Manny Phesto in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Background information
Birth nameManuel Levins Holden
Born (1989-09-22) September 22, 1989 (age 35)
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Genres Hip hop, alternative hip hop, underground hip hop
Occupations Rapper, Songwriter, Performer, Entrepreneur,
Years active2010–present
LabelsIndependent
Website www.mannyphesto.com

Manuel Levins Holden (born September 22, 1989) better known by his stage name Manny Phesto, is an Underground hip hop musician based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Manny is also an entrepreneur and business owner in the cannabis and CBD space. [1] [2] [3] Pitchfork Media listed his music amongst their "Best MN Hip-Hop Releases". [4] City Pages named his debut album Southside Looking In one of "The Best Minnesota Rap Albums of 2014". [5] 89.3FM The Current awarded it their "Album of the Year" title [6] XXL magazine also recently jokingly credited him with "getting Action Bronson and Ghostface to agree on one thing." [7] after their recent altercations. The Mexican magazine Me Hace Ruido named him one of their "Artists to Follow". [8]

Contents

Career

In 2010, Manny Phesto and a few friends began performing locally at demonstrations, benefit concerts, and small shows at parties and venues such as Acadia Café, and The Madusa. [9] 2011 saw Manny curating his own events at local Italian restaurant Italiani's and playing other hip hop shows around town.

In September 2012, Manny Phesto co-founded and curated a day long hip hop festival in the Cedar Riverside neighborhood of Minneapolis [10] at which he released his Social Capital EP collaboration with Julian Fairbanks. [11] The festival, Hip Hop Harambee ran two consecutive years 2012, 2013 and featured local and national recording artists, dancers, visual artists, producers, and DJs including: Big K.R.I.T., Talib Kweli, Devin The Dude, Shabazz Palaces, Gritty Committee (Greg Grease & Freez), Mike the Martyr, Axel Foley, Metasota, DJ Frank Castle and others. [12]

April 2014 Manny released his Mike the Martyr produced Southside Looking In project online, followed by a release party in June. [13]

In May 2015 Manny Phesto was featured on the bill of the 8th annual Soundset Music Festival [14] [15] which was named the "Best Hip Hop Festival Around" by MTV". [16] Manny was featured on Sway Calloway's Sway in the Morning show on Eminem's Shade 45 channel aired on Sirius XM.

In June 2015 and 2016, Manny Phesto toured four islands of Hawaii on The Intra Island Music Tour [17] He performed at the 26th annual Saturday in the Park headlined by Aretha Franklin [18] on July 4 in Sioux City, Iowa, and Summer Set Music and Camping Festival in Somerset, Wisconsin. [19] Manny was named one of NoMute.MX's 11 recommendations for Festival Ajusco in Mexico City. [20]

Manny Phesto is the co-founded and co-headlined the HiGH MiNDS Tour (2016), Back in Session (2017) and Breaking Even (2019) tours which toured the United States with fellow Minnesota artists Baby Shel and The Rotation, Cold Sweat, Jantzonia, Ben Buck and others. Manny Phesto has performed at Fabrica De Arte Cubano and Teatro Karl Marx in Havana, Cuba

In June 2019 Manny released his sophomore full length project Over South produced entirely by TZ1.

Manny's upbringing in a working-class family of artists and activists including Ricardo Levins Morales, Richard Levins, Rosario Morales, and Aurora Levins Morales has influenced recurring themes in his music. [21] He has worked with the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign as a community organizer and was an official endorser of its directors 2012 bid for Vice President on the Green Party ticket. [22] [23]

Marketing

During the 2014 midterm election he launched his "Manny Phesto for Minnesota" campaign in which he was "running" as a write-in candidate for any ballot position where his fans felt he was needed. Manny's yard signs appeared in yards throughout the twin cities. [24] In the years since he has reintroduced the yard sign campaigns with "Manny Phesto for US", and most recently, "Manny Phesto for the People" in May 2019 in support of his new Over South album with producer TZ1. [25]

Manny has gathered "endorsement photos" from artists including Slug of Atmosphere, Immortal Technique, Mystikal, Rittz, Ghostface Killah, Action Bronson, and others. A couple of which were highlighted in this article by XXL. [7] Manny has also adopted a Metro Transit (Minnesota) bus Shelter in Minneapolis.

Discography

EPs

Albums

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eyedea</span> American rapper

Micheal David Larsen, better known by his stage name Eyedea, was an American musician, rapper, and poet. He was a freestyle battle champion and songwriter from Saint Paul, Minnesota.

<i>Fishscale</i> 2006 studio album by Ghostface Killah

Fishscale is the fifth studio album by American rapper and Wu-Tang Clan member Ghostface Killah, released March 28, 2006, on Def Jam in the United States. The album features guest appearances from every member of the Wu-Tang Clan, as well as Ghostface Killah's Theodore Unit. It also features production from several acclaimed producers, such as MF Doom, Pete Rock, J Dilla, and Just Blaze, among others. The album follows an organized crime theme, and is named after a term for uncut cocaine.

Twin Cities hip hop, also referred to as Minneapolis hip hop, is sub-genre of rap music that originates from the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Minnesota.

Terrell Woods, better known by his stage name Carnage The Executioner, is an American rapper from Twin Cities, Minnesota. He is best known for rapping, human beatboxing, performing live, and teaching. Outside of his solo work, he is also part of the groups Ill Chemistry and Saltee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fashawn</span> American rapper

Santiago Leyva, known by his stage name Fashawn, is an American hip hop recording artist from Fresno, California. He first gained major attention after releasing his debut album Boy Meets World in 2009, which was produced entirely by Exile. The album received critical acclaim and landed him on the cover of XXL Magazine's Top 10 Freshmen issue in 2010. Since then, Fashawn has collaborated with other artists and producers such as Nas, J. Cole, Wiz Khalifa, Evidence, Murs, Aloe Blacc, Blu, Big Mike, Brother Ali, The Alchemist, and 9th Wonder. In 2014, Fashawn performed the entrance theme to WBO welterweight champion Timothy Bradley's rematch against Manny Pacquiao.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Action Bronson</span> American rapper (born 1983)

Ariyan Arslani, professionally known as Action Bronson, is an American rapper, record producer, chef, songwriter and television presenter. Born and raised in Queens, he released his debut mixtape Bon Appetit ..... Bitch!!!!! in January 2011 and independently released his debut album, Dr. Lecter, in March 2011. In August 2012, Arslani signed his first major-label deal with Warner Bros. Records, but was later moved to the Atlantic Records-distributed label Vice Records.

George Ramirez, better known by his stage name Kap G, is a Mexican-American rapper. He is best known for his 2016 single "Girlfriend", which received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and entered the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dem Atlas</span> American rapper (born 1992)

Joshua Evans Turner, better known by his stage name Dem Atlas, is an American rapper from Saint Paul, Minnesota. He was formerly a member of the group Sifu Hotman alongside rapper Guante and producer Rube. He was formerly signed to Rhymesayers Entertainment.

<i>Mr. Wonderful</i> (Action Bronson album) 2015 studio album by Action Bronson

Mr. Wonderful is the second studio album by American hip-hop recording artist Action Bronson, released on March 23, 2015, by Vice Records and Atlantic Records. The album is Bronson's first for a major label, after signing to Atlantic and Vice, in August 2012. It was preceded by several mixtapes and EPs, including the Blue Chips series and Saaab Stories (2013).

Soundset Music Festival was a hip-hop music festival held yearly in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area over Memorial Day weekend. Since Soundset began in the Metrodome parking lot in 2008, attendance has grown from 12,000 to over 30,000 consistently since 2014. Over 280,000 fans have traveled from fifty U.S. states, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Africa, Europe, Asia, South America, Australia and New Zealand to experience Soundset in Minnesota.

<i>Southside Looking In</i> 2014 studio album by Manny Phesto

Southside Looking In is the first album from Minneapolis hip hop artist Manny Phesto, It was released independently in 2014.

<i>Twelve Reasons to Die</i> 2013 studio album by Ghostface Killah and Adrian Younge

Twelve Reasons to Die is the first collaborative studio album by American rapper Ghostface Killah and American composer Adrian Younge. It is a concept album based on a comic book of the same name. The album was executive-produced and narrated by RZA. It was released on April 16, 2013, by RZA's Soul Temple Records label and RED Distribution. It features guest appearances from Wu-Tang members Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and Cappadonna along with William Hart and Killa Sin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prof (rapper)</span> American rapper

Jacob Lukas Anderson, better known by his stage name Prof, is an American rapper, singer, and producer based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He released his first full-length album, Project Gampo, in 2007 and has since released six additional albums and three EPs. In 2012, City Pages named Prof on their list of Minnesota's 20 best rappers. He was formerly signed to Rhymesayers Entertainment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhymesayers Entertainment</span> American independent hip-hop record label based in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Rhymesayers Entertainment is an American independent hip-hop record label based in Minneapolis.

Axel Dahlen, better known by his stage name Axel Foley, is an American underground hip hop musician based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States.

Matthew Lopez, known professionally as Aston Matthews, is a Guatemalan-American rapper from Los Angeles, California. In 2014, he began to gain recognition following the release of his second mixtape, A$ton 3:16. Matthews is also a part of the Los Angeles hip-hop trio Cutthroat Boyz alongside fellow Californian rappers Vince Staples and Joey Fatts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lexii Alijai</span> American rapper (1998–2020)

Alexis Alijai Lynch, better known by her stage name Lexii Alijai, was an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Born and raised in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Alijai was part of the Twin Cities hip hop scene. She released Growing Pains—her only full-length, studio album—in 2017. Alijai was a rising star in the local music scene when she died in Minneapolis in 2020.

Akeena Bronson, known professionally as DJ Keezy, is a DJ from Minneapolis, Minnesota.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thestand4rd</span> American hip hop/R&B group

Thestand4rd was a hip hop/R&B group based in St. Paul, Minnesota. It was formed by producer and rapper Bobby Raps, producer and rapper Allan Kingdom, singer Spooky Black, and producer Psymun. They were joined on-stage by DJ Tiiiiiiiiiip.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Audio Perm</span> American producer and rap collective

Audio Perm was a hip-hop collective based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

References

  1. ↑ "City Pages".
  2. ↑ Tran, Kyle "New Local Music" MN Daily Planet
  3. ↑ Thompson, Eric "Top 10 Must See Music Videos This Week" retrieved (8/4/15) City Pages
  4. ↑ Thompson, Paul (12/10/2014) "Minnesota Weird: The Best MN Hip-Hop Releases of 2014". Pitchfork. 10 December 2014.
  5. ↑ Jack Spencer. "The Best Minnesota Rap Albums of 2014". City Pages.[ permanent dead link ]
  6. ↑ The Current "Critic's Picks Episode" (12/14/15) The Current
  7. 1 2 Thompson, Paul "Minneapolis Rapper Gets Action Bronson and Ghostface Killah To Agree on One Thing" (08/17/15) XXL Magazine
  8. ↑ "Bandas A Seguir 2016" (02/01/16)
  9. ↑ Regan, Sheila (retrieved 8/6/2015) "Underground Minneapolis venue Medusa closes - Vita.mn". vita.mn.
  10. ↑ Andrea Swensson. "Meet Hip Hop Harambee and Green Room Magazine mastermind Jake Heinitz". Local Current Blog - The Current from Minnesota Public Radio.
  11. ↑ Dave Hoenack. "Big Quarters on Somos no Joke EP, out Friday". City Pages.
  12. ↑ Erik Thompson. "Talib Kweli to headline Hip-Hop Harambee Block Party". City Pages.
  13. ↑ Behm, John (6/18/2014) Reviler
  14. ↑ Justin Davis. "J. Cole, Big Sean, and More Set to Perform at Soundset 2015 - Complex". Complex.
  15. ↑ Penelope Martinez (19 June 2015). "MannyForMinnesota - Complex". Focus Magazine.
  16. ↑ Tardio, Andres (5/25/2015) "Is Soundset The Best Hip-Hop Festival Around? Yes And Here's Why". MTV News. Archived from the original on May 27, 2015.
  17. ↑ "The Intra-Island Music Tour". honolulumagazine.com.
  18. ↑ Justin Wan (4 July 2015). "Saturday in the Park 2015". Sioux City Journal.
  19. ↑ "Summer Set Announces 2015 Lineup". jambase.com.
  20. ↑ Fernando Omedè. "Nuestras 11 recomendaciones del Festival Ajusco 2015". nomute. Archived from the original on 2015-07-02. Retrieved 2015-08-07.
  21. ↑ "Manny Phesto encompasses Southside culture". Minnesota Daily.
  22. ↑ Stein, Jill. "Hip Hop and the Green Party: Jared Ball and Rosa Clemente were right". Jillstein.org. Archived from the original on 2012-11-06.
  23. ↑ Lippman, Daniel (July 11, 2012). "Green Party's Jill Stein Names VP Pick". Washington Wire (Wall Street Journal election blog). Retrieved July 11, 2012.
  24. ↑ Elhert, Derek (November 4, 2014). "Manny Phesto for Minnesota - a MC's launch into politics". Breaks X Lakes. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
  25. 1 2 3 4 "City Pages".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.