Citizens Activ is about people that are taking action in their lives & communities and striving for a dream that is bigger than they are. This record is a fusion of Hard Rock, Hip-Hop, mixed with pop styles that'll will make this album a classic for years to come. When writing for this album "Citizens Activ", Manafest wanted to make every song stand out and have its own personality. To do this he had to take on the character and persona of each track. Since the album "Citizens Activ" is so diverse fusing Rock, Hip-Hop and pop styles together it allowed him to be creative and stretch as an artist. The record features Manafest singing a lot more with songs like "Steppin Out" "Top Of The World" and "Lean on Me" giving it that pop commercial flavor. When asked about the record, Manafest said "In my case I'm speaking about the musical journey of being an artist, like sleeping on floors, driving through the night and being away from home. The result is seeing kids lives affected in a positive way and knowing you played a small part in it."
NOTE: There is NO video for "Out of Time"! (Below)
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An Incredibly Solid Album| Posted June 11, 2008
Manafest first caught my attention with his last release, Glory. Songs like "Bounce", "Where Are You?" and "Don't Turn Away" were incredibly solid, but I still never got into the album. That has changed with his new album, Citizens Activ.
I've listened to this album non-stop for four days now. This is the most commercial and accessible Christian rap album I've heard in years, and with Enimem (the obvious comparision here) coming back later this year (*groan*) the timing couldn't be better.
Manafest layers rock, hip-hop and pop styles into an album overflowing with memoriable beats and rhymes. Standout tracks include the rockin' "So Beautiful" (with an awesome video that was filmed to compliment the first single) and "Top Of The World," featuring Trevor McNevan of Thousand Foot Krutch, with a soaring chorus that says "your love and grace / they comfort me / no one can take it from me". I also dug the intro club track "4321" and the futuristic sound of "Free." The album closes on "Yahweh", a beautiful song that talks about leaning on God in all circumstances.
Overall, this album takes everything we love about KJ-52, everything we hate about Enimem and wraps it in an extreamly tight package that glorifies God, has some fun with everyday relationships and gives Christian rap a new tentpole project to tout.
Manafest is reaching for the "Top of the World"| Posted June 30, 2008
In a world where Christian rap is mainly run by KJ-52, tobyMac, Grits, and John Reuben it’s easy to pass by Chris Greenwood (Manafest). While his debut was pretty much under the radar he earned some recognition for his sophomore effort Glory. Now trying to get a larger a fan base, Manafest is out with his third studio release Citizens Activ.
Employing rap with a mix of rock and hip hop, the result isn’t always top notch but it moves enough to keep the listener interested. Citizens Activ rocks the hardest on “kick it” which features Trevor McNevan of Thousand foot Krutch, FM Static, and pretty much a guest star on every other rock album. But his presence helps the formula as the song is a tremendous rock/rap tune. Some of the latter tracks sounds too similar with “lean on me” being the absolute worst in terms of simplicity and plain boring. “Top of the world” has a smooth up beat rap thing going in the verse, the chorus, however, is more hip hop and reggae. The opening to the hit “so beautiful” sounds like KJ-52, but the chorus sounds like John Ruben; the song itself is more rock with a rap influence than the other way around.
“Steppin' Out” isn’t very impressive, as the sound is a little annoying, and with the exception of a girl singer, “good day” is simple and fades into the worse half. “Free” works well because of the way Manafest worked in the “frees” into the chorus and the rock into the bridge and “break up”, which uses a more upbeat tune like Rueben, stands out some. There are some songs that Rappers can pull off that, people who don’t even like Rap can really appreciate like “live on”. The music shines, as “live on” seems to be the most complex song where Manafest has everything working for him.
Most Christian rap, like mainstream rap, is lobbied toward those closer to the streets; that’s the reason for all the modern phrases and expressions. Manafest uses a similar style to try to relate better to his fans. “1234” seems like an utterly useless party song, but make no mistake about where his heart is because “So beautiful” could have been a worship song without the rap beat (‘When I try to climb, feel like I'm losing my mind /You I can always find, your beautiful’). Manafest wants people to know that they can rely on him in tough spots on “lean on me”, and even though he is Canadian Manafest recognizes God’s influence on America (‘Shouting out to God for a nation through was founded’) on the thoughtful song “turn it up”. While “top of the world” makes a humanistic statement for the chorus ‘Show you the way, every day is a mission to be/On Top of the world’, it puts an emphases on Christ (‘I wanna live forever, while storing up some treasures/I wanna go to heaven and never be abandoned’).
Even people who are not fans of the rap genre may find themselves hopping on Manafest’s band wagon -- at least for Citizens Activ. His tunes are just diverse enough to move past basic rap, and the rock he sprinkles in is also helpful. Add his meaningful lyrics and you have got a solid album despite the repetitive beats.
very good!| Posted June 15, 2008
This cd is filled with great beats and a overall great message of hope and perseverance.the songs flow so well together.I think its not a big stretch from his last album witch was also amazing.I am gonna buy this when it come out for sure.the one thing that i wish there was more of a mention of god or the lord in his words this cd doesn't have alot of it.hes a new artist so the music will just keep getting better.
Amazing but short| Posted October 02, 2008
This album has great catchy songs and an amazing mix of Hip Hop with some Rock!!!
Trevor Mcnevan of TFK sounds great on SO Beutiful and Kick It-two songs that are sure to get your foot tapping.
The one negative of this album is that it is very short-only forty some minutes.
All in all this is a great album from a Canadien rapper with a strong faith-and is a good buy!
manafest rocks| Posted June 21, 2008
Manafest has been a great inspiration to my life. They're song "Impossible" from the album Glory has been a great inspiration. They're message is so powerful and uplifting. Never will i stop listening to this music.
Amazing Album~!!| Posted June 10, 2008
A little different from the other manafest albums but still that Manafest feel with new styles changed up a bit. Still Amazing though, one of his best yet!! Each song grows on you too... He has rap, rock, pop, some acoustic stuff, and its all just incredible! Make sure you get this when it drops!
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