Music, they say, is therapeutic so anytime renowned Ghanaian rapper M.anifest feels troubled, he uses it to fight his depression.
He made this disclosure in a conversation after the death of South African rapper Jabulani Tsambo, popularly known as HHP had openly struggled with depression in recent years when he together with colleague artistes E.L. and Pappy Kojo shared their experiences with depression and how they dealt with it.
According to M.anifest, “those of us who are artiste types are more prone to depression. We are more prone to feeling the weight of the world on our shoulders.
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“We are more prone to feeling pain with an intensity, feeling the depth of darkness.
“Sometimes we have to figure out ways to get support systems and also people should not be so dismissive of people.
“And he (HHP) spoke of issues of depression in the past and people thought it was just a cry for attention,” M.anifest said.
He continued, “I’m fortunate enough to have something that is easy for catharsis and that’s music. So when I’m making music I can put pain, I can put joy, I can put all these things into them so it helps with a certain level of release.
“I tend to be a person who also likes to be by myself so I can understand how being depressed is, because I do not want to talk to people sometimes,” the Someway Bi hitmaker said on Starr Drive on Wednesday.
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The Nowhere Cool singer added that “for me, I’m fortunate to have enough key people around me who I can be vulnerable around and yet not feel the need to put up appearances.
“I think the hardest thing about feeling pain is not being able to share it honestly with certain people.”
However, the rapper urged and encouraged people who have that not to keep it to themselves rather reach out for help adding that, there is nothing to be ashamed of when it comes to being depressed.
“It’s nothing to be ashamed of. Don’t let these people mock you because ‘they want to get retweets for Twitter’,” he added.
Commenting on the death of HHP, M.anifest said “It was a devastating loss. I have many fond memories of him. He was always warm and embracing.
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“Since I met him in 2012, I always like to tell people the first time I had a conversation with him, we weren’t just talking about music.
“He asked me ‘are you cool? Do you need a barber etc. and he took me to his barber.
“He just was humane at that level. He had a depth to his humanity where he opened himself to a lot of people, and gave to a lot of people from Cassper (Cassper Nyovest, South African rapper), to me, to all these people so it’s quite a devastating loss,” M.anifest continued.
M.anifest added, “I think there are challenges that sometimes we all face when we are in our own little quiet corner and not knowing how to deal with it. Different people have different personality types.”