M.anifest reveals grandpa’s role in hit song ‘Invisible’
Inspiration often strikes when least expected, and for Ghanaian rapper M.anifest, one such moment came from a simple conversation with his grandfather.
The award-winning artiste recently revealed the backstory behind the beat for his 2016 track ‘Invisible’, a standout on his critically acclaimed album Nowhere Cool.
On 13 August 2025, a fan took to X (formerly Twitter) to hail the song as “one of the greatest songs to come out of Ghana,” praising its message, production and overall artistry. M.anifest, touched by the compliment, decided to share how the beat was born.
“I used to play drafts of songs to my grandpa while working on ‘Nowhere Cool.’ One time, he remarked how it would be interesting if I broke from the standard 4/4 beat pattern a lot of our popular music employs and leaned into the polyrhythmic patterns of our traditional music,” he continued.
The rapper took the advice to heart. Heading straight to the studio, he and his team began crafting the skeletal beat for ‘Invisible,’ weaving in the complex, layered rhythms that define much of Ghana’s indigenous music.
The result was a track that stood out not just for its lyrical depth but also for its rhythmic innovation, proof, M.anifest says, of the “undefeated wisdom of the elders.”
