Thread by @nfreduagyeman

Keep Shining
———
"Keep Shining" is a 2014 track by M.anifest, produced by Coptic. It could be what made me a M.anifest fan, or "Forget Dem." I've forgotten.

https://twitter.com/Tokersi/status/1644954894531457025?t=nR_lGPDUzz_ODri5T2lfZw&s=08

"Keep Shining" is a hard-hitting Hip-Hop track suffused with the usual dose of Hip-Hop braggadociosness. It's similar to some of the songs the rapper would later produce, such as #NoLongTalk and #BEAR.

———
[Intro: M.anifest]
Uh Huh, Coptic
Connect the dots (M dɔ dɔ dɔ ti dɔ)
M diggy di
———

This is the traditional use of intros. It simultaneously introduces the artists of the song while preparing to introduce the song itself.

M.anifest has many sobriquets, including "M dɔ dɔ dɔ ti dɔ," which is an onomatopoeic play on the spelling of his stage name "M," followed by a dot. The same goes for "M diggy di." The song was produced by Coptic.

———
Yeah, I stood tall they thought I'd slip and fall
I have a very firm grip so jokes on y'all
The game is all mirrors, smokes and all
Vain; is what fame and mirrors are for
———

The first line of this verse introduces the artist as someone who faced many challenges but didn't capitulate. "To stand tall" means to be proud and confident, with your back straight and your head raised. This is the posture of confidence.

They—the ones who threw him numerous curve balls, those who worked tirelessly to bring him down, those who rejected and sabotaged him, and those industry players who outrightly refused to play his music—thought he'd slip and fall, that he'd fail in his quest.

This creates an alternating positive and negative sentiment: "stand tall" and "slip and fall."

His grip is firm (metaphor for his focus, grit ("firmness of mind or spirit; unyielding courage in the face of hardship or danger"), resolve).

They never imagined the strength of his determination. So the joke is on them (irony). They tried to make him fail & they failed in their pursuit.

The game, the music industry, is just one huge illusion. A set up of smokes & mirrors.

Everything is dressed up to look like something it isn't. What we see isn't the reality. This means that the industry isn't meritorious. It runs on the slogan: "whom the industry like, it promotes". And this like has nothing to do with capability or artistic talent.

It can be as frivolous as who your parents are, perception about attitudes, how slim you are, and many such useless attributes. The game has Houdini-esque characteristics. Smokes & mirrors are what magicians use to divert attention from what's really happening,

in their sleight of hand moves, & create illusions to deceive. The game is just a giant magic trick.

The mirrors reflect oneself & anyone who's obsessed with themselves is mostly conceited (vain). They have pride & overestimate their worth.

They see themselves as the most important thing in the world, or in the game. Fame is also vain (worthless). It comes and goes & has no currency if you don't back it up with mettle. That's, "vain" is used as a pun.

The rapper is saying that the things the industry players consider to be the most important (fame) are vain (worthless & conceited).

There's an internal rhyme in the first line—"tall" & "fall"—& on line three—"all" & "all".

The first three lines have end rhymes—"fall", "y'all", & "all". There's also an internal rhyme on lines 1 & 2—"slip" & "grip"; on lines 2 & 3—"jokes" & "smokes"; & lines 3 & 4—"game" & "fame", "mirrors" & "mirrors". These rhymes improve the verse sonically.

The locations of these rhymes & their role are a testament to the rapper's skills. There's the alliteration & consonance of the "t" sound in line one—"stood", "tall", & thought", & the "s" sound (all over the lines)—"stood", "slip", "so", "jokes", "is", "mirrors", & "smokes".

———
The more the merrier of course I rep my area
You no dey like? cool hop off my genitalia
I'm telling ya, you can can't tell me jack, son Mahalia
I no dey fear death, I'm afraid of failure
———

The rapper took poetic license & inverted the usual line—the fewer the merrier, to "The more the merrier", which is the basis of a market economy. In economics, competition is what drives innovation, quality products, & lower prices.

In this game, the more players there are the more the collaborations, synergies, innovation, & creative "miscegenation". In the creative enterprise, the more players you have the better & stronger the industry & the stronger the industry the more resources it pulls,

which goes back to making it stronger. The industry isn't a cake that is consumed & hence the fewer people there are the better. The industry is a social organism that grows with the size of its players & gets stronger the more there are.

The return on investments will be higher & each one goes home happy (merrier).

The rapper adds that "of course" he represents his area. In the music industry, artistes choose their base & represents it firmly.

In Ghana, you'll hear "Tema based artistes", "DC based artistes", etc. M.anifest reps Madina (the alliterative "M", everywhere).

If it hurts you, if it offends you that he reps his area, then hop off his "genitalia" (euphemism for "dick").

The actual phrase is "get off my dick". Get off his "case", his "matter" (issue).

He's boldly telling you in the face, you can't tell him "jack" (slang for nothing, zilch). However, the rapper broke Jackson into jack & son.

The "son" here is used as an epithet for the person he's referencing. "You can't tell me jack, son". It shows that he's speaking from a position of power & authority & he's fearless with his words.

When we use "son" in a message/conversation, it's to appeal to the inherent authority that we have as a result of the power dynamics & power differential between us and the person we are addressing. This is exactly what the rapper is doing.

Get off his case, if you don't understand that he represents Madina, he's informing you & you can't do nothing, son. The two lines are an enjambment as they form a complete thought.

The line is also a reference to Mahalia Jackson (play on words: Jack & Son). Mahalia Jackson "was an American gospel singer, widely considered one of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century" (Wikipedia).

The rapper compared himself, his resolve, to that of Mahalia

who, born into slavery, strove to become a great musician. She "faced intense pressure to record secular music, but turned down high paying opportunities to concentrate on gospel". Thus the rapper isn't afraid of death; instead he's afraid of failure.

Failure to hold onto his resolve, failure to live up to his creative juices—we become failures when we sell ourselves & do things that don't align with our constituents—make up as human beings—but do them for the "kudi" (money). The rapper has been criticised by many

industry players to sort of "dumb down" & become commercial.

The rapper continued with his internal rhyme as "for", which ends the line—"Vain; is what fame and mirrors are for", rhymes with "more" in the next line—"The more the merrier of course I rep my area".

There's an end rhyme for all the lines—"area", "genitalia", "Mahalia", & "failure". There's also an internal rhyme on line 1—"merrier" & "area" & line 3 (polysyllabic)—"I'm telling ya" & "genitalia". The use of "fear" & "afraid" i is polyptoton—different word forms with same root

There's an assonance on the "o" sound in "more", "course", "hop", & "off" & the alliteration on the "m" sound in "more", "merrier", "my", "me", & "Mahalia".

———
[Hook: M.anifest]
Keep shining till eternity
Keep shining, shine as bright as can be
Keep shining mek the whole world see
No other place dey for you and me
———

In the hook, the rapper is encouraging all of us, & himself, to keep excelling, keep achieving... Keep doing this until eternity (hyperbole), keep doing it forever. We should shine as bright as can be; do the best that's possible. We should not give up.

We should keep shining (metaphor) & let the whole world see us since there'll be no other place for us, until they can't hide from our excellence.

"Keep shining" is an anaphora repeated on the first three lines. There's an end rhyme on all four lines of the hook—"eternity", "be", "see", "me".

———
[Verse 1: M.anifest]

No dey hia me to impress or beat on my chest
Only two rappers in Ghana, M.anifest and the rest
While they happy playing checkers I was mastering chess
All these clowns in the town are they mastering jest
———

The rapper says, he doesn't need to impress anyone. There's no one to impress as there are none like him. This is an irony because though he doesn't need to impress, his reason—"only two rappers in Ghana, M.anifest & the rest" (hyperbole)—shows him impressing or

"beating his chest". To beat on your chest is to show superiority, pride, to display one's dominance.

While they're happy playing checkers, he is mastering chess (chess & checkers are metaphors for high & low level strategy). Checkers is the same as draught (locally, "dame").

Though checkers & Chess are both a two-player strategy game, checkers is considered relatively easier than chess. Mdot is playing against the rest/everyone (only two rappers in Ghana M.anifest & the rest).

This metaphor suggests that while other rappers are satisfied with simple moves in their music, he's on a more advanced level.

The rapper goes on to ask, all these clowns in the town are they mastering jest (sarcasm; rhetorical)?

chesspulse.com/is-chess-or-ch…

Jest is a joking or mocking remark, a prank. A prankster is a jester. To speak in jest is to make jokes with humorous intentions. The clowns are the "rest" and clowns master jests. They aren't rappers.

They're jesters—"All these clowns in the town are they mastering jest". While he masters chess, they master jest. There's an allusion to "master" & "clowns", which is a motif in Hip-Hop.

All the four lines rhyme—"chest", "rest", "chess", "jest". But there's a double rhyme in the last two lines—"mastering chess" & "mastering jest" & they create a sort of antithesis—chess & jest.

There's an internal rhyme in line 1—"impress" & "chest"; line 2—"M.anifest" & "rest"; line 3—"checkers" & "chess"; & line 4—"clown" & "town". There's the alliterative "s" in all the lines ("impress", "chest", "rappers", "M.anifest", "rest", "checkers", "mastering", "jest", etc;

and an assonance on the "a" in "Ghana", "M.anifest", & "rappers" & the "e" in "rappers", "M.anifest", "rest", "there", "contender", etc.

———
Just touring and soaring, that's on my agenda
These guys not my size, chale, there is no contender
I was fresh back in may I'll be fresher in December
Been the man for so long have you questioning your gender
———

The last word in the previous line—"jest" rhymes with the first word of the succeeding line—"just". This also serves as a pivot that changes the direction/focus of the rap. The rapper is now describing what he's been up to—touring & soaring.

Soaring is a pun. "To soar" is to progress in a field. But it also means flying. That's he's touring & his career is flying (progressing) & he's literally soaring (flying) from city to city, venue to venue, on his tours. The arrangement indicates that he's touring & his career is

flying. These are the things that are on his agenda.

These guys, these clowns, the rest, are not his size (metaphor for "not his competitors", in the sense of being superior to them). This is obvious in the final clause "Chale, there's no contender"—there's no competitor.

No one can contend with his skills set.

He was fresh back in May & will be fresher in December. He doesn't get drained by anything. The more he gives, the more he delivers, the fresher he becomes.

He's talking about not repeating himself, not becoming stale with monotonous sounds & outputs.

He's been the man (he's been the boss, he's been dominating, he's been standing tall) for so long that the others, the rest, are questioning their gender

(metaphor for questioning their position/performance (their masculinity) in the industry).

The entire four lines rhyme—"agenda", "contender", "December", "gender". There's an internal rhyme in line 1—"touring" & "soaring" & line 3—"fresher" & "December".

The use of "fresh" & "fresher" in the line—"I was fresh back in may I'll be fresher in December"—is referred to as polyptoton.

———
Now you feel inadequate, no I don't exaggerate
All you cats claiming to be king, you are rather late
Silly songs you used to make, just to make dem percolate
Me I always knew azonto had an expiration date
Was and still I'm the MC you impersonate

Let that sink in better yet let it resonate
Book of vim, show you how to win this is lesson eight
They claim they're great, bring the résumé let's investigate
———

He's been the man for so long that these guys are starting to feel inadequate, which is the logical outcome after questioning their gender & coming out short. To feel inadequate is to feel incomplete. To feel as if there's something lacking—not having the right attributes

/qualities to cope with life.

However, to feel inadequate is also an euphemism for a man whose manhood is dys/(mal)functional—either he's impotent or his genitalia is just a stub. He feels inadequate for his manly role.

No, he isn't exaggerating. All the cats claiming king are late. The crown has been taken. In rap, a cat is a slang for other rappers. As an aside, "cats" is an anagram for "acts". Thus, these artistes/acts/cats calling themselves king (metaphor for being on top/superior) are late

They make silly songs, pay for play until it percolates, filters/seeps/diffuses through, & people begin to falsely equate "being played everywhere" with "great". It doesn't matter how many times a song is played, if it's a silly song, it's a silly song.

Azonto is a subgenre of Hiplife that came up in the mid 2000s in Ghana. It was the wave at the time & most rappers hopped on it. The rapper is saying that he always knew it was a fad that was going to blow over. He always knew it had an expiration date (metaphor for its passing).

This stance emphasises the previous line—"I no dey fear death, I'm afraid of failure". He's not selling himself. He's not jumping on a fad.

He was, & still is, the MC they impersonate, the one they want to be like. Here he's addressing both his listerners & the rappers—

"let it sink in" is a metaphor for listen to it carefully, let it enter your ears (consider it) & think about it (you'll appreciate it). And if you can't do that, then better let it resonate (harmoniously relate to it; to be in agreement) or let it resound repeatedly.

If you can't think about it (sink in), then you can agree with it (resonate).

The Book of Vim (determination) shows you how to win in lesson eight (imagery—one can picture a book opened to lesson 8 with the title "How to Win").

He ends this verse by throwing the challenge—they claim they're great but bring the résumé & let's investigate. Let's dig into the achievements they have touted over & over, which they put forth as their claim to some greatness.

All 8 lines rhyme—"exaggerate", "late", "percolate", "date", "impersonate", "resonate", "eight", & "investigate". There's an internal rhyme in line 1—"inadequate" & "exaggerate"; line eight—"great" & "investigate".

There's the consonance/alliteration of the "q/c/k" sound in

"inadequate", "cats", "king", "claiming", "make", "percolate", "sink", etc.; the "s" sound in "silly", "songs", "always", "was", "still", "sink", "used", "just", etc.; & the "t" sound in "let that", "better yet", "let it", "resonate".

The repetition of "make" in the line—"Silly songs you used to make, just to make dem percolate", is referred to as Diacope. This is the same as the "let that/it" in the line—"Let that sink in better yet let it resonate". The use of "no, I don't exaggerate" is known as Litotes.

———
[Verse 2: M.anifest]

Dem dey see me peace-like, like I be Kwame Despite
Ntɔkwa dey excite, dem want see Kwame fight
But I'm sure you guessed right, seen me in my best light
Hwee ɛnfa me ho, Amet the I know dey vex type
———

"Dem dey see me peace-like, like I be Kwame Despite"—They see me as a quiet, peaceful person like Kwame Despite (simile). Kwame Despite is the owner of Peace FM (allusion). But "Ntɔkwa dey excite, dem wan see Kwame fight"—but because fighting elicits excitement,

the instigators want to see him (he's also called Kwame Amet) fight. The fight being referred to could be rap banter, which finally occurred in 2016 with GodMC. Since this beef, people have always looked forward to rap beefs as they bring out the lyrical dexterity of the rappers

& create excitement.

In #NoLongTalk, he said "No more Mr Nice Guy, Chale, the door close". This together with the lines above show that the rapper is no longer prepared to be silent on mistreatments in the industry; he'll speak on it & if it'll lead to fights then bring it on.

However, though you've seen him in his best light, nothing concerns him (hwee ɛnfa me ho) any more, Amet isn't vexatious. It's ironical that though he isn't vexatious, he's unfraid if the defense of himself will lead to disturbances.

The first three lines has end-rhymes—"Despite", "fight", & "light". There are internal rhymes in line 1—"excite" & "fight" & line 2—"right" & "light". Consequently, there is an internal rhyme in lines 1 & 2—"excite" & "right".

There's an alliteration on the "s" in the second & third lines—"guessed", "see", & "best"; "t" in "right", "best", "light", "ntɔkwa", "excite", "want", & "fight" & in other lines too.

The repetition of "like" in line 2 is both an antanaclasis (same word in different meanings) & epizeuxis (repeated words with no other words in between).

———
Massa u putting GH on the map?
How? when you create Gh crap
B.E.T gives awards to Africans off air
Not a diss, just a stone cold fact I swear
———

The first line is a direct address & a rhetorical question. "Massa you putting GH on the map? How? When you create GH crap". These two lines are an enjambment as you need both to form a complete thought. Who told you you're putting Ghana (GH) on the map?

How are you doing this? With that crap rap? The rapper uses irony to call out those who claim to be putting Ghana on the map but are actually creating subpar content.

When B.E.T started awarding African musicians, they used to do it off air & the rapper is saying that this is not a diss to those who received it off air, it's just the cold fact.

The rhyme scheme is "aabb"—lines 1 (map) & 2 (crap) rhyme & 3 (air) & 4 (swear) also rhyme.

———
No be say I no dey care, numb is what I've become
In an industry that's just one big slum
I no be deep saf, just these bums are dumb
Musical infants still sucking their thumbs
———

It's not that he doesn't care about what they say or have been saying about him; it's just that he's become numb (unfeeling; indifferent) to them in an industry that's just a big slum (metaphor). The use of sarcasm in this line suggests that the rapper actually does care but

has become emotionally detached due to negative experiences. The phrase "no be say I no dey care" also employs Litotes to downplay the fact that the rapper cares about the industry.

The rapper compared the music/creative industry in Ghana to a slum—no structures, no regulations, no infrastructure, no facilities; everyone does what they like without recourse to principles.

The nature of the Ghanaian music industry has been discussed over and over again with some questioning whether we have anything that can be described as an industry.

He adds that he hasn't been lyrically deep or he's not intentionally being deep.

The only reason people complain that his lyrics are difficult and that he uses complex grammar and vocabulary is that they—the bums (these lazy folks)—are dumb (stupid). Lacking the technicalities of music, & being easily bamboozled by the frivolous,

he describes them as "musical infants" who are "still sucking their thumbs" (imagery). They're immature in their musical journey—appreciation and enjoyment—so they fall for anything.

There have been cases where people have confused "fast" rap with "hard" rap. It's only now that lyrics have become important in people's appreciation of rap. Thus, the rapper addressed all the players in the industry, including the musicians and listeners.

Music is an art, and language is a tool. Whichever language one can muster, one must master and use it to the best of their ability. Mastering and using a language isn't a negative in rap, a genre that relies on the technical (not the ordinary) use of language.

The rhyme scheme is "aaaa", as all four lines rhyme: "become," "slum," "dumb," and "thumbs." There's an internal rhyme in line 1: "numb" and "become," and in line 2: "bums" and "dumb".

———
Let's not pretend that I'm not ill with the pen
All my lines get power never needed a gen
Another nigga with an attitude I'm MC Ren
Much bigger than your gratitude so save it friend
———

The line—"Let's not pretend that I'm not ill with the pen"—& the previous line—"I no be deep saf, just these bums are dumb", create an irony, as the rapper says he's not forcing himself to be deep but also says that "let's not pretend that I'm not ill with the pen",

which is saying he's "ill"/dope/sick/devastating/great/good with the pen.

The line uses double negatives or Litotes (not pretend, I'm not) to understate his capabilities.

M.anifest has said on many platforms that his pen game is a problem for a whole generation to worry about.

https://twitter.com/ManifestQuotes/status/1488975377770987520?t=Vh5CTnhPsxN2qDKmS2XK4A&s=19

All his lines have power, they never needed a gen (hyperbole). His lines are deep, powerful—they hit hard; they don't need a generator to power them up. They have power on their own. The rapper plays on the double meaning (pun) of power as in strength & electrical power.

Another nigger/person/rapper with an attitude—he's MC Ren (allusion). MC Ren is an American rapper who was a member of the earliest rap group, NWA, which included Arabian Prince, Ice Cube, Eazy-E, DJ Yella, & Dr. Dre.

The rapper uses irony to compare himself to MC Ren, a member of the rap group N.W.A. known for their confrontational lyrics, while simultaneously downplaying his own "attitude."

He's much bigger than your gratitude so save it. He doesn't need your gratitude; if he's done anything for you, it depends on you what you do with it. But not showing gratitude doesn't make him smaller.

All the four lines rhyme—"pen", "gen", "Ren", & "friend". There are internal rhymes in line 1—"pretend" & "pen"; lines 3 & 4—"nigger" & "bigger". There's an assonance/alliteration of the hard "g" sound in "get", "nigger", "bigger", & "gratitude".

———
[Outro: M.anifest]
Alright, y'all fit to fight for artist of the year
I had a year that surpasses your whole career
No dey hia me to impress or beat on my chest
Only two rappers in ghana M.anifest and the rest
———

The Outro summarises what's been stated prior & brings the rap to an end. You all can fight for artiste of the year ("Ghanaians are so concerned about diplomas and awards
Titles and the bible, i find it absurd" —GodMC), since that's what defines you;

however, he's had a year that surpasses your entire career—he's been touring & soaring, making advanced moves, among others.

And ends with the "No dey hia me to impress..." refrain.

The first two lines rhyme—"career" & "year". There's alliteration of the "f" sound in "y'all fit to fight for artiste of the year".

Watch the video here on YouTube

.@threadreaderapp, unroll