The the annual Manifesto Festival of Community and Culture came and went with a huge bang. Celebrating their 10th anniversary, the festival is a massive celebration of hip hop culture. Over the span of one week, Manifesto reached across the four foundations of hip hop through workshops, speaker panels, art exhibits, film screenings, concerts and parties.
The festival kicked things off with a launch party at Mascot Brewery. Hosted by Rich Kidd and with sounds provided by Nora Tones, DJ Recklezz, Sophie Jones, Boi-1da, JAYEMKAYEM, DJ POWER, and SOJI, Manifesto had all 3 floors of the building going late into the night.
Saturday saw part 1 of the 3 part Summit speaker series. Award winning Toronto journalist and activist Desmond Cole kicked of the Summit with his keynote address. In his keynote address, Cole spoke on issues surrounding social justice, equality, immigration, systemic racism and poverty. He also shared some poetry, before engaging in a discussion with the audience about the aforementioned topics.
Next came a panel with the creators of HBO Canada’s Hip Hop Evolution. Director Darby Wheeler, writer Rodrigo Bascuñán, and host Shad K talked hip hop history, their experiences creating the documentary, and the direction that hip hop was going. They also fielded questions from the audience.
The third panel of the day focused on branding, and featured major label publicist Jamelia Campbell, actor and youtuber Marlon Marcel Palmer aka ThatDude Mcfly, social media director for INK Entertainment/Rap Season Dreyuh Safo, and sports stylist and creative consulty Megan Ann Wilson.
YES YES Y’ALL came through with Walk Like A Champion: Young & Queer in the Dance. With BlacKat and Yung Bambii sitting on the panel, the spoke about history of the Toronto “urban” music scene in the LGBTQ community, the challenges they encountered navigating this space, and how it’s changed.
The Summit Part I ended with a live choreography session. Manifesto has always prided itself on showcasing the dance side of Hip Hop. The brainchild of Esie Mensah, the session featured Jasmyn Fyffe Dance and Ofilio Sinbadinho collaborating on a choreography on local professional dancers.
Later that night, Manifesto played host to Fly Girl Fly, an art exhbit and opening party. Featuring work by Shani Crowe, Rajni Perera, Esmaa Mohamoud, as well as a host of other artists, attendees could take in the visuals while listening to sounds provided by Yung Bambii, Killa Kels, and Sunclef.
Sunday was kicked off with A Brunch Ting, in collaboration with Thoroughbred Food and Drink. One could dine on a curated menu while listening to music provided by Cratery.com.
The Summit Part II then kicked off on Sunday. With a keynote address from Nam Kiwanuka, a Q&A with Stacey McKenzie, a panel discussion about the state of creative industries, a Q&A with Director X, a panel discussion about women in media, and a closing keynote address from Kim Katrin Milan, Part II was dominated by powerful and insightful conversations.
The Summit Part III was presented in two parts: Intersessions, a DJ workshop curated by and for womyn, non-binary and queer folks, and MPC Skills, presented by Fresh Kils and Creeazn.
Happening the same day and into the next day as well, was a screening of KiDULTHOOD and AdULTHOOD, and a panel discussion with its writer, director, and star Noel Clarke. Also taking place on the Tuesday was Buy Local, featuring lots of local talent, and hosted by R. Chung.
The following day at the Gladstone Hotel, the hosts of Gyalcast hosted a live podcast, where they spoke to local talents Ponytailz and Tanisha Scott. Touching on a myriad of topics, the session really highlighted just how much talent Toronto is brimming with.
Thursday night saw the debut of Toronto’s own Big Lean, playing his first ever liver show. The Mod Club was packed and plenty of guests took the stage throughout the show.
RnB sensation BJ the Chicago Kid took the stage on Friday night at Adelaide Hall, along with allie and Adria Kain.
For most of Saturday, the rain poured down on the city. But as soon Daniel Caesar took the stage to kick off concert, the rain stopped and made way for golden sunshine. Coming back from a trip to the west coast, Daniel and his band wooed the crowd at TD Echo Beach with his blend of RnB, soul, and rock.
Montreal’s Kaytranada took the stage next with unique and eclectic sound.
Topping off the night was Anderson .Paak and the Free Nationals, electrifying the crowd with his stage presence and genre blending music.
The final day of Manifesto 10 went back to hip hop roots: a block party. In the heart of the city, Yonge and Dundas square turned into a massive celebration at the end of a stellar week of events. The crowd came out early and partied through the day.
Kardinal Offishal and the Celebrity Marauders kept the party going on into the evening
Finally, headliners A Tribe Called Red took the stage, bringing with them their blend of electronica, hip-hop, and First Nations sounds.
Happy 10th birthday, Manifesto.
Manifesto X Recap (2016) from CJRU1280 on Vimeo.
