“I’m just trying to tell my story as much as I can and explain my mindset:” An Interview With Manga Saint Hilare

What was the idea behind the motorsport theme?

Make It Out Alive is about getting through what you’re going through, so we came up with the helmet… when you put on a helmet you’re protected to a certain degree, but you still have to move. You’re not in a bubble. It’s something for you to move safely through what you’re doing, that’s what it represents… So the moped…mopeds when I was younger, that’s my ting. I always had mopeds and we just built off the concept from the helmet.

It makes sense. The helmet, you’re moving but you’re protected.

Yeah, cause it’s not a ting where I’m trying to say make it out alive and hide. It’s like, bruv, you’ve gotta keep going but just stay alert and stay safe, basically.

What three tracks are your favourite from the album and why?

None, you know.

None? Why’s that?

I think it’s cause I made it how I made it, so there’s not one that… No, Okay, I really liked Turning In My Grave… Turning In My Grave is one of my favourites because it’s a different tempo and a style I wouldn’t do, but the idea was executed perfectly; the way I thought about it and it all just came together.

Yeah, so that one was quite smooth. 

Yeah, very smooth, very smooth. Fools Gold, I like all of them man, because they all serve a purpose. I know that sounds like a dickhead ting, but I’d say my standouts are Turning in My Grave, because I love the fact it came together exactly how I wanted it in my head.

When you were saying you like them all you cut off, can you expand a bit more on that? What were you gonna say? 

They’re all for a purpose, so really there’s not a favourite because they’re all purposeful. 

I suppose you’re seeing it as a whole.

Yeah, I like this project a lot. 

And it makes sense that you would see it as a whole because you like the projects and you’re into the longer music. That makes total sense, that’s interesting you would say that. It’s honest. 

Sometimes you do have one song that’s the best on there, that’s calm. I’ve had that before myself. On Outsiders Live Forever my favourite song is True To Me, that was the best song by far on there. Whereas Outbursts there’s songs that I don’t really like. I don’t like Shell. Even Far Away, I like that song but I think I could’ve recorded it better. 

What do you think you could’ve done better on Shell?

The delivery of my lyrics, timing as well. So obviously I got Grim Sickers to do the hook, I had him do the hook before he made Kane. I just took long with it, obviously, it’s his lyric he can do what he wants with it. By the time the song had come out, that’d already beat off, so it looked like oh he’s just tried that. And the beat, it’s not like I hate that beat but I wouldn’t listen to it now. 

When I was listening back to the stuff yesterday, your delivery on this one is the clearest I think you’ve been on each album. So how did you get to that point? Is it trial and error again?

Confidence in what I’m saying. Now I know what I’m saying, I don’t need to hide it.

You’re more comfortable in your position as an emcee.

Yeah, it’s like when someone tries to look intelligent by using big words. And you thought, bruv you haven’t said anything. An actual intelligent person would know how to explain something quickly and concise and clear.

On Obzokey Wranglings, which is a long time ago so the sound is gonna change, but I feel like on that one you were doing grime. It was grime lyrics, grime flows, do you know what I’m saying? So was it daunting to then go from that approach to bearing so much of yourself on a record like you’re doing now. 

Nah I just grew up, I just learnt more. But even on that project there, so there’s a song called Can’t Feel My Heart. The idea was there about saying stuff and bearing what was going on at the time. I think at the time I’d just broke up with my ex and I was going through deeper pain [laughs] Even how I done it, I just put the song at the end. But the idea was there, I understood I wanna talk about this. It wasn’t executed well, but with Obzokey Wranglings, I was still in the stage that I just wanna be sick… I feel like I’ve said everything, I’ve said the bit with the best lyric with the most maddest metaphor, the concept songs. Like, yo, what if my phone was a gun.

[laughs] Yeah, 5G towers.

Yeah, I’ve done all that. I’ve done the conspiracy, 5G, Illuminati, everything. So I’m just trying to tell my story as much as I can and explain my mindset. You have to keep improving yourself or keep evolving, if I don’t improve my mindset or change it then my music can’t change. That’s why I take long making projects, I need to have a new understanding or something new.

Yeah, you have to let it marinate.

Yeah, I’m not really sure what I’m gonna say next to be fair.

I suppose the way you approach it, you might never know, but that might be the good thing cause you’ll learn something new.

Yeah, it’ll come to me. Something might spark it and I’ll go again.

Photo taken by: Adam Horton

Read the review of “Make It Out Alive“

Follow Manga on Twitter and Bandcamp