Otis Mensah

Otis Mensah
Origin	Sheffield, England
Genres	Alternative hip hop, spoken word
Occupation(s)	Rapper, poet, spoken word artist
Years active	2015–present
Labels	Independent
Website	www.otismensah.com

Otis Mensah is a British alternative hip-hop and spoken word artist. Mensah was the inaugural Poet Laureate of Sheffield. ^[1]

Career

Mensah has described their work as a means of challenging dominant models of masculinity, which they claim suppress the discussion of emotions, with negative consequences for mental health. ^[2]

As a hip-hop artist, Mensah has performed at the BBC Music Introducing Stage at Glastonbury Festival. ^[3] Their lyrics combine playful imagery and unconventional symbolism, often accompanied by boom bap instrumentals. ^{[4] [5]}

In November 2018, Magid Magid, the Lord Mayor of Sheffield, appointed Mensah as Poet Laureate of Sheffield. ^{[1] [6]} Mensah stated that they wish to use the position to "break down barriers" and change "elitism attached to poetry." ^[2]

Discography

Releases

Title	Release details
Days Over Damson	• Released: February 5, 2016 • Type: Mixtape • Format: Digital download, CD • Label: Self-released
Blancmange Lounge Sessions	• Released: 15 December 2017 • Type: EP • Format: Digital download • Label: Self-released
Mum's House Philosopher	• Released: November 16, 2018 • Type: EP • Format: Digital download, CD • Label: Self-released
Rap Poetics	• Released: October 25, 2019 • Type: EP • Format: Digital download, CD • Label: Self-released
things I should have said a year ago	• Released: May 3, 2022 • Type: EP • Format: Digital download • Label: Self-released
WINTERSKIN	• Released: October 5, 2023 • Type: EP • Format: Digital download • Label: Lekker Collective
before the noise my cousin	• Released: March 14, 2025 • Type: Album • Format: Digital download, vinyl • Label: Self-released

Singles

• "Aurora" (2017)
• "Shadows X Void" (2017)
• "Creep & Crawl" (2017)
• "Free the Slaves" (2017)
• "Oh Jane" (2018)
• "Sanctified" (2018)
• "Solitude" (2018)
• "Float" (2018) (with Isaac Hopes)
• "Breath of Life" (2020) (with Hemlock Ernst)
• "Internet Cafe" (2020)
• "No Record Store Day" (2020)
• "The Thinks" (2020)
• "Troglodyte Jazz" (2021)
• "Like A Dog" (2021)
• "Garden of Eden" (2021)
• "Tumbleweeds" (2021)
• "SWELL" (2021)
• "Black Box" (2022)
• "Aurora Borealis" (2022)
• "Colour of Sunshine" (2024)
• "Tenderness and Cruelty" (2024) (with Seigfried Komidashi)
• "before the noise my cousin" (2025) (with the intern)
• "Silverfish" (2025) (with the intern)

Bibliography

In 2020, Mensah published his debut poetry collection Safe Metamorphosis through Prototype Publishing. ^[7]

A revised second edition was released in 2023.

Title	Publication details
Safe Metamorphosis (1st edition)	• Published: 15 June 2020 • Publisher: Prototype Publishing Ltd. • Format: Paperback • ISBN: 9781913513023
Safe Metamorphosis (2nd revised edition)	• Published: 2023 • Publisher: Prototype Publishing Ltd. • Format: Paperback • ISBN: 9781913513023

References

1. "Hip-hop artist Otis Mensah to be Sheffield's first poet laureate", BBC News, 2 October 2018
2. "Sheffield's first hip-hop poet laureate: 'gone are the days of tradition'", The Guardian, 23 November 2018
3. "Otis Mensah at Glastonbury 2017", BBC Music Introducing, 23 June 2017
4. "Otis Mensah", The Academy of Contemporary Music
5. "Otis Mensah", No Bounds Festival
6. "Hip-hop artist to become Sheffield's first poet laureate", The Star, 3 October 2018
7. Prototype Publishing – Safe Metamorphosis

External links

• Otis Mensah on Facebook
• Official website