Mann

Dijon Shariff Thames, or MANN to give him his altogether snappier nickname, is less than three months older then myself, but just a quick look over his impressive CV to date is enough to put a frankly dizzying dent in my own sense of self-worth. What he’s already achieved is quite astonishing for a young man who has not long since turned twenty-three years of age; he’s released a slew of red-hot mixtapes that have had him the talk of hip hop, his debut album, Mann’s World, dropped in 2011 to fine reviews and a decent commercial reception, and the list of stars of the genre that he’s collaborated with to date is genuinely intimidating, including the likes of 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg, Jason Derulo, Kendrick Lamar, Kid Ink, Frank Ocean and Jermaine Dupri, amongst a slew of others. What sets Mann apart from his contemporaries, though, is his laid-back, experimental flow, and lyrical content that shies away, often, from the typical trappings of the genre. This makes his live show a genuinely fascinating proposition; with his latest release dropping just this past June, expect him to line updates pretty quickly across the U.S. and Europe for later this year.