M.Anifest
Barclays Bank Ghana has unveiled award-winning hip-hop artiste and songwriter, M.anifest, as its brand ambassador.
This comes ahead of its rebranding to Absa Bank Ghana Limited on February 10.
Making the announcement, Ms Nana Essilfuah Boison, Marketing and Corporate Relations Director at Barclays Bank Ghana said “as a forward-looking bank deeply rooted in Africa with global connectivity and a passion for excellence, we are excited to be associated with M.anifest—who exhibits and exudes similar characteristics and passion.”
She added, “As we become Absa, we are not only building on our 100-year heritage in Ghana, we are also one of Africa’s top three largest banks, backed by a large capital base and strong balance sheet with a commitment to connect people’s dreams with financial opportunities.”
On his part, M.anifest noted that “it is an absolute thrill to be the brand ambassador for Absa, a forward-looking bank with a global scale. My career has led me on a path of upholding global standards of excellence whiles maintaining local relevance. I believe Absa represents this on a higher scale in banking, thus the synergy is seamless. I’m looking forward to this new chapter in which together we bring more value and unique solutions to individual Ghanaians and Ghanaian businesses.”
M.anifest is known for his musical boundary-crossing, multilingual wordplay and a refreshing hybrid songwriting approach that acknowledges both his Ghanaian upbringing and his sojourns in the west.
In 2012, BBC’s arts program The Strand tipped him as one of four acts to look out for in 2012.
Described in 2015 by the Guardian (UK) as “the foremost rapper on the continent,” M.anifest’s originality and impressive lyricism had earned him collaborations with musical giants such as Tony Allen, Burna Boy, Damon Albarn, Flea (Red hot Chili Peppers), Erykah Badu, Femi Kuti, A.B Crentsil and more.
In the same year his single “Someway bi” earned him a third-place honour in the International Songwriters Competition (ISC).
The hip-hop artiste, who won Best Rapper and Hip-Hop Song of the Year at the 2017 Ghana Music Awards, had worked with celebrated music icons and was featured on five songs on the Rocket Juice and The Moon album.