Chris Scott Greenwood (born July 19, 1979), better known by his stage name Manafest, is a Canadian Christian rapper and rock artist from Pickering, Ontario. He has been nominated and won multiple awards for the GMA Canada Covenant Awards, GMA Dove Awards, and Juno Awards. Signed for almost a decade with BEC Recordings, Manafest became fully independent as of early 2015 and continues to write and record music.
Plato said, "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a battle."
Plato said, "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a battle."
Manafest knows the saying well; his uphill climb began at age five when his father committed suicide. Years of childhood insecurity and fear gave way to a promising skateboarding career, but then an injury took that away, too. Music soon filled the void, and it would prove to be a perfect fit.
Manafest kicked-off his career with a rap-rock sound, but later he changed gears and returned with a more traditional hip-hop style. Manafest made his debut in 2003 with the album My Own Thing. Glory followed in 2007 while The Chase arrived in 2010. The Fighter landed in 2012, introducing Manafest's more-rap, less-rock sound. The Moment followed in 2014 with Manafest now firmly in the category of hip-hop.
Putting words to driving rhythms gave Chris a way to be a visible light ("manifest") for other people wrestling with their own junk: strained relationships, betrayals, loss, broken dreams. He knew plenty about getting through the past and working toward the future.
"I'm always there to give you the don't-give-up message," he says in a quiet offstage voice that balances out his amped up live presence.
Since 2001, Manafest has battled his way into the business—playing a thousand shows in nine countries, winning an armload of industry awards, and gaining recent victories like his first No. 1 hit, "Bring the Ruckus." 2010's The Chase blew up in Japan, quadrupling sales of previous efforts, but it looks like 2012's Fighter is going to be the real knockout.
Produced by Adam Messinger (Justin Bieber) and Seth Mosley (newsboys), Fighter vents the Toronto native's losses and draws hurting people toward inspiration like never before. With great hope, the starting title track crunches down hard on life's oppression while Manafest retells his story to encourage others going through their own hard times.