Manifest Now Solo Star On His Dunamus Soundz Label

Nassau, The Bahamas… After spending the past decade launching the musical careers of well rounded entertainers such as Bodine ‘BE’ Johnson and Ricardo ‘Mr. Beeds’ Forbes, multi-award winning producer/hip hopper, Lavard ‘Manifest’ Parks announced that he is now the sole artist on his Dunamus Soundz Records label.

Manifest established himself as pioneer on the Caribbean hip hop scene as a teenager when he started the label, after being musically moulded by Double Syx, the producer who introduced the world to Manifest and other artists such as Ternielle ‘TaDa’ Burrows. Now, the hit-maker and founder of the Bahamas Hip Hop Fest says he’s ready to take his music to a whole other level, and as a result has had to make changes to facilitate the road he’s now travelling.

“I just want to clear the air that no one was dropped or fired or anything,” stated Manifest. “The people who were on the label were and still are family. Everyone got to complete what they were working on and it was really cool how we are still able to chat each other up when it’s time to make music and such. The real deal is that I am unable at this time to commit to developing the whole artist as I once did because the vision I wrote is becoming plain and there is room for the work of my hands. In other words, Manifest is about to blow the roof off! Because I’ll be travelling the Caribbean and North America very soon and of course my obligation to my family and even the youth I mentor, I simply won’t have the time to focus on polishing up an artist.”

Manifest noted that while he will be pushing himself as an artist with a team of managers and publicists in the Caribbean, Bahamas and North America, the overall goal is to take the lessons he’s learnt and come back to help establish more artists from his country.

“I mean, it’s like this – in order to take your craft to another level once you’ve saturated a market, you have to follow opportunities as they present themselves,” he says. “I’ve been blessed to have had a great decade of hits in my country, and I’m blessed to see that the hardwork has paid off with the awards I’ve received, but the time is right to take it to a whole new level. We’re not breaking the company down, we’re building on to it.”

Presently, Manifest is working on his latest music video and putting the finishing touches on HISlife, HISmic set to be release in early 2010. Good Times, the first single from the album has already been making the top ten lists on several stations and magazines while providing him with opportunities to perform live including at this weekend’s Artists 4 Peace concert.

“It’s been a really good time for me because of the people I surround myself with,” admits Manifest. “My wife has been there every step of the way supporting me – I mean, when Dunamus Soundz was still an idea in my head, she was the one who got me my first computer. Of course, my right hand man Corridon ‘The Don’ Hanna has been behind the scenes from the start and while I travel he’s going to be holding it down. I also wouldn’t be able to do what I do without the fans who actually continue pushing me to bring more clean, cuss-free, feel good hits so I thank God for them. And even though he’s only been here for four months, my son Jojo also gives me new motivation and he’s already living the hip hop life by joining us when we do some interviews and shows and who knows, he might even have a cameo in one of the new videos. All in all, keep looking out and checking me up on Facebook, MySpace and www.dunamussoundz.com because we are taking it to a whole new level!”

Introducing Mr. Beeds: From Moviemaker To Musicmaker - Award-winning Bahamian director/actor puts down the script and picks up the mic

Nassau, The Bahamas…Already a force to be reckoned with in his native Bahamas, Ricardo Forbes has taken over the local entertainment industry as an actor, director and writer. Proof of his professionalism lies on his trophy case in the form of awards from the Bahamas Film Festival. However, he too has an alter ego and while it might not be as flashy as Beyonce`s Sasha Fierce, his Mr. Beeds has more substance mixed with a playful yet positive vibe, something the young men who are looking up to him as a role model are in desperate need of.
His debut album Peak State released by Dunamus Soundz in late 2008 is anything but amateur. Mr. Beeds’ album has him hitting compilation highnotes with Bahamian bestsellers TaDa, Shaback, up and comer soul-stirrer Rudell Capron, mister music himself Sammi Starr and the prince of positive hip-hop Manifest, the man who birthed the Dunamus Soundz label. Even famed photographer Scharad Lightbourne contributes with his ability to make a picture say more than 1,000 words. Overall, Peak State is a comedic satire of sorts that delivers a cuss-free, feel-good, get up and dance flow that should favor well at next year’s Marlin Awards, the Caribbean version of the Grammy’s. As for Mr. Beeds, his charismatic personality, boyish good looks and ability to charm his audience makes him one of the newest ambassadors in the hip-hope market.
“I’ve been getting some awesome vibes from listeners,” admits Mr. Beeds. “It’s kinda cool too when I meet some of the people who listen because they range from guys on the street corner, to church-goers and then the regular hip-hopper. They are especially loving my duet with Sammi Starr Never Knew. It’s amazing because we are still in production for the video and yet people are singing along as I perform in the Bahamas, Cayman Islands and even the southern USA. My mother taught me to pray and let me tell you, this is an answered prayer.”
Staying true to his heritage, Mr. Beeds might be one of the first hip-hop crossovers from his country to hit the international market with a legible Bahamian accent.
“I believe in being true to myself in all things,” says the artist who has been working on the album for the past few years. “I don’t want to gain the world and lose my soul. I don’t want to tell young men one thing and live another thing. At my age, you have to stand for something because so many people are looking up to you and when you fall, you take all those people down with you. So you have to remember who you are in order to know where you are going.”
Peak State is available at music stores, bookstores and on http://www.dunamussoundz.com/
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