M.anifest

Born and raised in Accra, Ghana, M.anifest came to the Twin Cities to study at Macalester College in St. Paul. He began rapping while in high school, but rose to prominence with the release of his debut album M.anifestations in 2005. He has since been named “Best songwriter” by the City Pages and released a follow-up full length, The Birds and the Beats, as a free download in support of Young Entrepeneurs in Africa. He is currently completing production on his next album, Coming to America.

Along with Krukid, an MC originally from Uganda and now based in Illinois, M.anifest formed A.R.M. (African Rebel Movement), and released the Two Africans and A Jew EP with producer Budo. 2010 has brought him global exposure, including performances in Paris and Spain with the likes of Femi Kuti, Tony Allen, Amadou and Mariam, and Damon Albarn as part of the “Africa Express” showcase. His trip to Ghana for We Rock Long Distance will be his first since January of 2009 and will encompass a ten-city tour across Ghana, in addition to a collaboration with his grandfather, renowned ethnomusicologist and composer J.H. Kwabena Nketia.

Maria Isa

A self-proclaimed “Sota Rican,” Maria Isa was born in St. Paul, but can trace her roots to the NuYorican Lower East Side all the way to the cities and campos of Puerto Rico. She is an MC, singer, spoken word artist, and actress who divides her time between the Twin Cities and New York. Wherever she may be, though, she’s always rockin’ a “TC Fitted” Twins cap. Maria has released two albums, M.I. Split Personalities and Street Politics, and is currently prepping to a launch Sip It, a mix tape. From a young age, Maria was steeped in the folkloric arts of Puerto Rico, bomba and plena, which she has performed since the age of four as part of her mother’s and aunt’s arts center in St. Paul, El Arco Iris (“The Rainbow”). She has since become Co-Artistic Director of the center, effortlessly blending hip-hop, reggeaton, and bomba as she inspires the next generation of artists and activists.

Tou SaiKo Lee

Tou SaiKo Lee is a spoken word artist, MC, and community organizer. Born in a Hmong refugee camp in Nongkhai, Thailand, he moved to Syracuse, New York when he was one month old, then moved to Providence, and finally came to St. Paul, Minnesota in his early teens.  He founded the first socially-conscious Hmong hip-hop group, Delicious Venom, with his brother Vong, and now works as a solo artist as well as being a member of the funk-rock band PosNoSys (Post-Nomadic Syndrome). Tou regularly performs with his grandmother, Youa Chang, as “Fresh Traditions,” mixing his own hip-hop and spoken word with his Grandma’s style of oral poetry, kwv txhiaj.

Tou has worked in schools around Minnesota and around the country, and with non-profit organizations such as the Center for Hmong Arts and Talent (CHAT), Hmong American Partnership, and In Progress on projects as various as the Fong Lee police brutality case, mental health and Hmong Americans, and The H Project, an album created to increase awareness about the Hmong genocide occurring in Laos. Tou is currently completing his debut solo album. In 2008, Tou visited Thailand for the first time since his birth in Nongkai, and is excited to reconnect and build upon his experiences in his return trip as part of We Rock Long Distance.

Justin Schell (Director)

Justin Schell is a documentary filmmaker, freelance writer, and PhD student based in Minneapolis, MN. His video work has been part of an exhibit at the University of Minnesota’s Nash Gallery, broadcast on MTN, and featured online on The Progressive and The Huffington Post. He has written articles for a variety of publications, including the Twin Cities Daily Planet, The Liberator, Rain Taxi, MNArtists.org, Asian-American Press, Mshale, and NewMusicBox.org. We Rock Long Distance is his first feature-length documentary. You can see more of his work on his website, [612 to 651].

Lauren DeSteno (Associate Producer)