We've  been watching Manu Crooks' come up since 2017 when he dropped his 'Mood Forever' EP. The dark, hypnotic beats and his vivacious raps are unlike anything we've heard coming out of  Sydney. The Ghanian-born Sydney-based rapper has had cosigns from 10 Men Australia cover star ASAP Ferg as well as Apple Music's Zane Lowe, Ebro and Stormzy. Three years on, the time has come for Mood Forever II. We caught up with Manu after the release of the new single 'Bastards' produced by French female producer Sweely - the first taste of MFII:

10 Magazine: Love the new single! Where did you record it? What was inspiring you whilst you wrote it?

Manu Crooks: "Recorded this in Ghana, was going through a beat pack Sweely sent me and then came the Bastards record, this particular beat just gave me a dark vibe hence the reckless lyrics."

10: We know you were born in Ghana and spent some of your childhood there. What music did you grow up listening to?

MC: "Grew up in Ghana and mostly listened to Hiplife and hip-hop, rap & whatever was played really. Just to add on, I remember recording a 50 cent song off the radio on a cassette when I was younger too - to rinse that, that definitely inspired me in some way."

10: When you moved to Australia how did your musical influences change? What did you learn moving here?

MC: "Australia just exposed me to a wide variety of music from different cultures. I understood the impact that cultures had on music that wasn't just from my culture - it was good to soak all that in from a very young age."

10: Are there any artists now who's journey and music is inspiring you?

MC: "I remember J. Cole's come up was what made me take music a bit more seriously. I dug into production because I became fascinated by creating sounds from scratch and turning it into a song, Kanye's music inspired me a lot too, the way he chopped up samples was mad, the rhythm and groove got me - genius."

10: How does your new music evolving to your old music you've been releasing over the years? What changes have you noticed within yourself and your process?

MC: "I'd say I got versatile and more comfortable with sharing some personal truth in my music! Came to terms with the fact that the music I made wasn't for me anymore once I put it out for the world to hear. I'm not attached to it, it's up to the listeners interpretation and how they can carry that onto their lives."

10: What have you learnt so far on your journey in this industry? Has there been a milestone moment for you?

MC: "[I've learnt] Being patient, and planning for the long term. A few milestone moments... I'd say playing Rolling Loud in Australia and then in Miami was hectic! Early on when I got on some prominent radio shows, radio plays was big for me, which made me realise that the music was connecting. It's one thing to know you make great music, it's another to get some acknowledgement."

10: Is what you wear important to you both on and off stage? What do you gravitate toward wearing?

MC: "For sure, I like to look good and feel good. Gotta stay fresh. I feel like I can pull off a lot of things, also really depends on what I feel like wearing on a day to day basis in before comfort levels. I like wearing tracksuits, I like wearing designer shit, anything fly goes, I make threads look fly."

10: Who would you love to collaborate with? Dream collab?

MC: "Anyone dope that's gonna inspire me to be great."

10: Where is the ultimate place you'd love to play a Manu Crooks concert?

MC: "That could be anywhere between Australia and Mars, give me a stage, let me have all my show requirements on deck and it's a go, I feel like I'm the greatest performer in the world."

10: What can we expect from MFII? 

MC: "We'll have to wait & see!"

Listen to 'Bastards' here.

@manuthecrook