Friday, February 12, 2010

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Spreading the message of 'hip hope' By Arthia Nixon ~ For The Guardian: For the second year in a row, Manifest (born Lavard Parks) will be kicking off the new year outside The Bahamas with a January tour. On Friday, January 15, 2010, he'll be headlining his four-day tour in Tampa, Florida. "I am thrilled to be heading to Tampa/St. Petersburg, Florida for my first tour of 2010," said the multi-award winning producer and Bahamian hip hop icon. "I'm even more excited that this is the first tour I'm doing with my eight-month old son Jojo along for the ride, especially since he said his first word, 'hi' the other day to help greet fans. My wife Radel and I recently got his passport and he's already well behaved in a studio and it's definitely a different feeling you get onstage when you know your child is watching you create a legacy for them to live up to. It feels awesome. I love having my family with me as I have set aside a whole day on the tour in 2010 just to spend quality time with them." Along with meet and greets at several popular Tampa venues, Manifest is booked for interviews with local media. At the invitation of holy hip hopper Urban D, Manifest will be performing at Crossover Hip Hop Church on Sunday, January 17. Visitors to www.crossoverchurch.org can also watch a live webcast of his performance at 7 p.m. During his tour, Manifest will also reveal another side to his fans as he gets set to be a part of a major campaign. "For the past decade, we've been hard at work in the Dunamus lab helping launch new artists and raising the standard," he said. "[This] year where we decided work outside the studio and outside The Bahamas and Caribbean region to meet some fans and supporters first-hand through tours. We're looking to add more to the fan base and ultimately share the message of 'hip hope,' and to help create a li'l better buzz about the newest album which should be out in April. The Tampa fans will get limited edition full length pre-albums and so I am very much looking forward to that." Manifest, the CEO of Dunamus Soundz Records helped launch Ricardo "Mr. Beeds" Forbes' debut album last January in the Cayman Islands before heading to Atlanta with Mr. Del, formerly of 36 Mafia. After taking a break last year to be with his wife following the birth of their first child, Manifest says that he's back on the circuit and ready to have a busy year. Thursday, January 14, 2010