MANNI SUPREME

CENSOR ©
Starting in 321, What's going on? I'm here with Manni Supreme for CENSOR © Magazine.

And man, you know, we've been plotting this for a while and I dun known Manni a long time.

MANNI SUPREME
Yeah, perfect timing.

CENSOR ©
I see you just hosted the Homecoming Concert at Clark right. Clark and Morehouse homecoming a lot of celebrities you know, also you just hosted a thing for Spotify and Our Frequency, How was that how is..... Well first of all we gonna start from the beginning you know I met you high school

MANNI SUPREME
High school Chapel Hill tatted on me

CENSOR ©
Always been the most energetic

MANNI SUPREME
Yeah

CENSOR ©
And was this always something you wanted to do? You know your a entertainer, performing technically goes into what you do.

MANNI SUPREME
Yeah.

CENSOR ©
Is this always what you felt you was destined for?

MANNI SUPREME
Yeah bro. Like growing up I remember my first time getting a chance to host something was like my 4th grade continuation ceremony because you know they always say you're not graduating but you're continuing on to the next grade. Yeah, so I remember hosting that. Well our teacher asked us it was like right after the CRCT's, You remember the CRCT'S?

CENSOR ©
(Laughs)

MANNI SUPREME
She was like "Hey, so we're gonna have an event for you guys parents to come and acknowledge all you guys recent accomplishments but we need an emcee for the event." So I'm like bro bet like what let's go now I get to show what I've been doing in class making everybody laugh in front of everybody Im like let's do it. My teacher like "okay, Emmanuel" like obviously nobody was calling me Manni except for my mom. And she was like "you do this like you got to behave" and it wasn't that I was like a bad kid. I just always was like doing something. So I remember I think I can't remember exactly what I did. I ended up almost messing up she's like "okay, do you really not want to do this?" I remember like right when it came down to it she was like "I'll let you know as the time gets closer" because I don't remember what I did. But I ended up getting a chance to host. It was a good vibe, it was a great event. I remember my mom was just laughing everybody's parents was just laughing and on the way out there was like this elderly couple right and this is when I got like the whole ordeal about energy and being the most energetic entertainer from because it was like and mind you I was like 10 at the time. They were like "man young man you did such a good job! Me and my wife were thinking about getting a divorce but your energy on that stage was so fire, And that always stuck with me because it's like man, if your energy is where it needs to be. Like you could change the whole room.

CENSOR ©
Yeah you can change the whole vibe

MANNI SUPREME
And people can forget about what they got going on. So that's when I was like, that might be my purpose and that's what it is.

CENSOR ©
So boom, you started fourth grade. You know, high school I didn't talk to you much

MANNI SUPREME
Yeah but we was cool tho (Laughing)

CENSOR ©
I seen the energy and you ended up going to college at GSU

MANNI SUPREME
Best decision ever.

CENSOR ©
Very big presence over there. Did you go to college for something pertaining to this?

MANNI SUPREME
Yeah. I went to school for mass communications and a focus in I think what it said was investigative journalism. I used college to build my brand. Like yeah, I got a degree. But I used college to build my brand to also help show other people that may be trying to do what I do like you can do it too you know what i'm saying?

When I get big enough I want to drop a documentary called "You can do it to" just to show people like everything that people try to make unattainable is really attainable. They just tell you that so you give up you know?

CENSOR ©
Yeah, how did your parents feel about you trying to go to school to pursue this? Were they very supportive? I know most parents they want the lawyer or doctor route.

MANNI SUPREME
Man once I hit seventh grade I remember because back in my old school, the main street Academy I got that street tatted on me to literally it say Main Street Academy and Chapel Hill because those are like the two schools I really felt like helped me learn who I was as a person. Um, there was a charter school and back than everybody was smart. I mean, we were competing against each other who could read the fastest for the AR test or whatever and I use to want to be a pediatrician but I'm in the when I hit seventh grade I was like bro fuck that. I want to do what I want to do you know I'm saying and that was just journalism, radio honestly because I grew up listening to like Greg street and you know Ricky Smiley and now I've worked with a lot of them now so now it's like okay, that's why I just like telling people like bro just at least try to start doing what you want to do because it's really not as far away as you think you know, so that was always like a goal of mine to like do radio cause growning up in the A you know, radios huge. The Dirty boys what. But my long term goal is to be like Jimmy Fallon like have my own late night show where I'm able to like connect creatives, athletes, entertainment, wrapped all in one and just put people on to new things. So that's like my long term goal. But that's always been my thing to just.... and it wasn't even to be in front of the camera. Just be able to be me and people fuck with it.

CENSOR ©
Yeah.So at what point in college did you start really working and seeing an increase in you like working with radio stations, working with the big artists, At what point was that? Was it freshman year, sophomore year?

MANNI SUPREME
Bruh I ain't gon lie like, freshman year, like I jumped out the gate foreal because shout out to Avery.

CENSOR ©
Avery? Okay

MANNI SUPREME
Shout out to AVERY please put this in all caps. I remember bruh I was leaving. So you know, you remember at Chapel Hill, it was the bus lanes and people who drive this was like the second or third day before we was bout to leave. I was over there where people was driving. You know, I wasn't even driving in high school Yeah, like he was getting in the car with Ethan, Shout out to Ethan, He was like "bruh Manni before we leave, bruh I meant to tell you like, I heard Streets 94.5 have a internship, I just heard it on the radio you need to apply."

CENSOR ©
This high school right?

MANNI SUPREME
This high school bruh I was like.... Aight

CENSOR ©
Yeah

MANNI SUPREME
But then on the bus ride home i'm like... Maybe i should do that. Because I'm like, bro, I was about to go to school, almost got a full ride to go to school at George Washington University. It was like damn near on some Ivy Leauge shit. But it just wasn't my vibe foreal and it's like, there, Howard, Morehouse, University of Florida, UGA. I was gonna go to a lot of different schools, but Georgia State just like, really fit the mold for me. So I was like, well shoot, since I'm going to Georgia State. I could just intern at one of the radio station's and just, you know, try to help them since I do want to become a radio personality. And then I remember I applied they didn't hit me back for a couple of months. It was It wasn't until... because I originally went to Georgia State to play soccer. I was trying to walk on. But the day after I decided not to go back for tryouts. The radio station called me bro. I promise you they was like.... they called me like, it was from an unknown number. You know, who really answers unknown number calls. They called me like 14 or 15 times when I was leaving an ethics class with my friend. She was like "You should just answer it." Boom. She's like, "hey, this Chante with Streets 94.5". Funny enough Chante now is Kaliii's manager and you know, we just did that video together. So it was funny because I re-told her the story, She was like "I did call you for the job huh", so they was like "When can you come in" I was like shoot whenever. So I remember I did the interview process and I didn't hear back from them for another two three weeks. And they put me on the schedule. And then like the first couple of interviews I helped do for them was like Lil Baby. I helped them coordinate questions for like a Meg Thee Stallion interview, who else came thru? G herbo. I was helping the morning show at the time like helping them come up with stories and different segments that young people would like, like I was helping produce the show when they're show was the number one radio show in the city and stuff like that. So being able to be behind the scenes to see a lot of that as a freshman was like, it was taxing on my social time because I can't like....

CENSOR ©
You couldn't be out

MANNI SUPREME
Couldn't be out, had to be at the radio station at 5am bro like, No, I can't be out doing this. But I'm glad I sacrificed that time because now it's like it's paying off fasho.

CENSOR ©
Did you start getting different responses around the college once people started being like, "Oh, damn, I heard you on the radio". Like Aren't you the person on the radio?

That's Crazy.

MANNI SUPREME
Yeah, like but see I just got on the radio. I didn't get on the radio until well, DJ Holiday was the first person to put me on the radio. He had me reading like some promos and stuff. And then when he did that like, that helped show me like it's attainable. I just did it. I remember I went live I was trying to find that video. I can't find that video. But I just recently got on the radio. I wouldn't say recently, like a year and a half ago for Hot 107.9. But yeah, it's been dope, because now it's like, and you know, I got the Sirius XM show too, because one time, I was just in New York recently for Tony Shhhnow show, because he had a show up in New York, I had to host shout out to Tony, Real guy, and we was up there. And one of the drivers had on Shade 45 and it was playing our shows playing iceberg mix, Playing me and Drama and it was the whole interview, this was when we interviewed Metro but it was like, that's fire. Like I hear myself in a different state too. You understand? So it was just I don't know, it just be really inspiring. That's why I be trying to tell folks, especially on the college end that's trying to do anything like, just try throw shot's up foreal.You understand? So it was just I don't know, it just be really inspiring. That's why I be trying to tell folks, especially on the college end that's trying to do anything like, just try throw shot's up foreal.

CENSOR ©
So your on Sirius, your under Drama and Cannon. How did that relationship come to be? How did you meet Drama and Cannon?

MANNI SUPREME
So Drama was looking for a host for his daughter's 16th birthday party? Yeah. And so he asked he asked around his label, like the people who worked with him on the label ,shout out to Willie Joe shout out to TC, shout out to Royce, they like, "yeah, man it's this new cat". I'm like, why would y'all call me a cat? But they like it's this new cat named Manni Supreme that you should tap into and he was like, Alright, put us in a group chat. So randomly. I'm like, I'm still in the dorm. Like I'm leaving. I remember I'm going to Dining Hall. Like, I see Willie Joe. He text me like "Yo Manni THIS Drama, his daughter birthday". Drama like "Yo, can you pull up?" I'm like, Yeah, I'm a be there! So that's how we first met and that really felt big to me because I'm like this is a family event this not no label event

CENSOR ©
Its like personal.

MANNI SUPREME
It's personal! So it was just a good vibe. Jacquees came, Flo Milli came and Drama's Daughter had everybody make her like a little happy birthday video like Uzi, Jack Harlow, Chris Brown, it was just a good vibe and so after that we just stayed locked in and then after that they just start paying more attention to I was doing on the college scene. And then funny enough the whole Sirius XM show came about because, shout out to DJ Iceberg, he was like... Well I had the idea one day i was sitting at Hot (107.9) because Drama and Cannon still had their show that plays on Saturdays at Hot 107.9. And I was like... it was old mixes because you know, obviously after the pandemic they had stopped kind of doing the whole radio thing but I say all that to say... Iceberg was like okay, "well you should just pull up and we should just test how you sound on air you know doing what we do" because I basically was just explaining to Iceberg like..... I liked being at Hot (107.9) but Sirius XM I could play more new music from people like Anycia, Tony Shhhnow, CEO Trayle like

CENSOR ©
Camo

MANNI SUPREME
Camo! You feel me? Like all of my peers that now are like really doing what they need to do so I'm like, Hot 107.9 it's too many hoops to jump through like how can we do it on there and Iceberg was like "bro let's do it, like I'm looking for new stuff to play".

CENSOR ©
It's like your playlist basically.

MANNI SUPREME
Exactly! You feel me. But we still incorporating normal radio because we've got like 2 million something listeners every week. So i'm like bruh this is perfect. So at first we were just testing it out like me doing drop's like "Hey this is Manni Supreme, Streets is watching" and that's when we came up with the new series that we got "Who to watch for" where we put on the new artists and then once we did that, one day Iceberg had text me one Friday at 8:30 and was like, "you know you live right now." Like what do you mean like he's like "you don't have the app downloaded?" man I payed for that Sirius XM app so fast. I open it up and then it was me talking over the Gangsta Grill drops on the mixes. But funny enough we only relived this story once, once drama and them found out they wasn't blowed but they was like, "why nobody told us" I'm like I didn't know it was happening. So we had a sit down meeting they was like "well Manni what you want to do with it foreal?" And I told them how I was trying to put on a new artists and they was like "We'll get behind it" like, that got me and cannon close.

CENSOR ©
Okay, so you and Cannon, you know, Cannon got TMRO app. I seen you on there today. It's like you got a lot of business ventures going! I see the YouTube channel. How is that? What made you want to start vlogging your experiences?

MANNI SUPREME

Yeah. So I mean, YouTube was how I originally got started with everything. Like that's why I was helping Streets (94.5) out because during the same time I was interning at the radio, my youtube channel was going crazy. I was hitting like 200k, 100k, 40k, 50k And I was learning how to like put videos out, I was editing and doing all that stuff at one time and then i don't know, I took some time off because YouTube was getting in this space where it was just like to horny just to be straight up.

CENSOR ©
Like they having girls lined up.

MANNI SUPREME
Like I'm not bouta try to do a video with a girl every day. That's not me. So it's like now I feel like I'm in a position where... and it's like I didn't want to just bring the camera out in all of my peers faces to because they do have a following too. So I wanted to make sure my relationships with them was where it needed to be. So now it's like okay, well cool. Now I want to show people like my life and what's going on. That's why everybody should check out "This Is Not Manni Supreme." And also, you know, with the Tmro app, you know, we doing new music because you know, it's one things I'm passionate about, putting people on to new music. So with Tmro we're gonna be streaming, we're doing like a 24 hour stream. Yeah, like a Friendsgiving is gonna be me and like special guests and Avery B, shout out my dog Avery B. So just putting together these different things to like, give people some stuff to watch during the holidays.

CENSOR ©
So would you say this year 2023 was your biggest year?

MANNI SUPREME
Man!

CENSOR ©
So far? You know, it only get bigger from here.

MANNI SUPREME
Yeah, It get bigger and better every year. It's funny, because when you had brought up my parents and stuff. The first time my mom actually really seen it was real was when like, I had did this show with MTV. Okay. Yeah. And that was when she was like what, because the money that they paid me I literally needed for school. So everything really just worked out. But when like the check well, when everything that came in the mail was like Viacom like MTV. She was like...

CENSOR ©
Like this is like real.

MANNI SUPREME
I'm telling you bruh! And that was like my sophomore year, that was like during the pandemic foreal.

CENSOR ©
So she's always been supportive.

MANNI SUPREME
Yeah, man. Yeah, yeah. Like, I mean, obviously, she wanted me to be a doctor and stuff. And I was like, man, Ma just trust me. Now. Everything has been working out. So it's like.... you know.

CENSOR ©
So what's your plans for next year? You know, we got 2024 right around the corner.

MANNI SUPREME
Man. Drop in, helping artists with their rollouts and like curating a project.

CENSOR ©
That's what you to do? Like you want to curate?

MANNI SUPREME
Yeah

CENSOR ©
If you could choose any artist to curate a project for who would it be?

MANNI SUPREME
That I know? That I don't know? Just anybody?

CENSOR ©
Give me one that you know and give me one that you don't know.

MANNI SUPREME
Right now I want to curate, well we in the process of it right now. This exclusive. Me and Tony Shhhnow we bout to drop something

CENSOR ©
Okay! All right.

MANNI SUPREME
And at first I was like teetering tottering back and forth because I'm like, you know, people expect me to be doing this because I work with Drama nem. But I want to bring a different approach to music like, I feel like music right now. It's just in a weird space. So I want to make music like fun all day type music, you know? Like when Soulja Boy was coming out, like we could listen to that at 8am. We ain't talking about guns and all that other stuff. So that's one thing that I'm currently working on that, you know, we bouta get together but. Artist that I don't know that I want to do some work for.......

CENSOR ©
Any genre.

MANNI SUPREME
Any genre....Tame Impala.

CENSOR ©
Tame Impala that was a surprise! That was a surprise. So you listen to a lot of stuff outside of rap.

MANNI SUPREME
Yes, bro!

CENSOR ©
Like what? Who's some of your fav's?

MANNI SUPREME
James Blake. I listen to a lot of James Blake. I listen to a lot of Snoh Aalegra. I mean, honestly i'm always bumping Don T( Toliver), Travis, Pierre hol on I have a whole playlist because I hate when I do this. That's why I started making a playlist so I know like.... Coldplay, Ariana Grande,Daryl Hall and John Oates

CENSOR ©
Oh, Hall and Oates? Some "I can't go for that."

MANNI SUPREME
Selena Gomez, Kelly Clarkston, And I'm only saying I have more than one song, Oh, yeah. Imagine Dragons like that's the vibe.

MANNI SUPREME
Of course! That's why I was saying, like entertainment as a whole, because there's so much more and I definitely feel like I was umm, Turbo had came by the radio station last week. And he was interviewing with our Posted on the corner family shout out to incognito and DJ Mrs Hazmat. So I feel like what they're doing with terrestrial radio is super dope, because they're modernizing it so people our age want to listen to it. But he said something that was really profound. He was just like, you know, hip hop is like a valley, right? And we're just in this valley right now like we deep in it, but like, I just want to help be a part of the group to help push it back up the hill, so that when we get up there, it's like, we could just plateau and go up instead of having it come back down you know.

MANNI SUPREME
Authentic?

Authenticity. Everybody just seeing what's going on now on tik tok and they trying to do the same thing and it's like, what do you do?

MANNI SUPREME
Feels good, because people already know what to expect, you know, and that's one thing I felt like I didn't do before I had my like, phrase and name and everything. I was just kind of letting everybody else decide how I was going to be feeling but it's like no, the most energetic entertainer here. That's what the vibe is mellow or not. It's gonna be energetic. You know?

MANNI SUPREME
Yes. I want to play a cameo in "grown-ish" next year, that's one of my goals. Like cameo and "grown-ish", I think that'd be fire.

MANNI SUPREME
You feel me! Y'all gotta get me in there.

CENSOR ©
So would you say anybody got a little butthurt? I know, you said when you first started off, it took a big social toll because you was working working working. Did you lose a couple of friends or relationships along the way?

MANNI SUPREME
A lot. And it was just because a lot of people didn't see..... I thought we were seeing the same vision. But like, I don't know, people egos play a big role in everything. And that's something that I still have to monitor myself. And so it's just like, that's why I like to keep people around me that are really still grounded. So it's just like, Yeah, we just did something lit with Jada and Lil Baby but it's just like at the end of the day you know, we all still humans, so like keeping that type of mindset, you know, people lose that even with small things that happen you know, because I be looking at.... I mean, some somewhat big feats like "okay, we can still do more" but other people will take that and just let that situation control their narrative of who they are, like people like that don't like to be around.

CENSOR ©
Yeah, I know. The hosting scene is a very, very popping scene especially in Atlanta. Do you feel that competition with other hosts? Is it like an awkward thing?

MANNI SUPREME
You know, it's funny. I've ran into Paige and Anisa they like my two older sisters, especially Paige she was like one thing Anisa said to me, she was like, "You do a great job of not stepping on people's toes when hosting" and my thing is is like I just serve my people. You know, like, I actually look at what the people who support me like and not just cater to that because it's like if they continue to like me, they'll love me. So then they'll tell me about somebody else, you know? And I don't like, I don't know, I'll tell you some of the host ,even when it's like live events I may do besides digital. It's not authentically them. They're just doing it.... so that it's something they can have under they belt. It's not something that's like they genuinely do. That's why when we were talking i was like bro i'll still hosts, I will still jump up and down on stage. I don't care how old I am.

MANNI SUPREME
That's just something I would do for free. So I think to answer your question, I don't feel the competition in it. I feel like the spiteful energy from other people when they realized that like you're living and doing for your own, and you're not concerned about what their motion is, you know?

MANNI SUPREME
I definitely vent and get it out. I'm not gonna sit up here just because it's a interview and be like..... because sometimes I do feed into it, and I shouldn't. But it's like, I don't know, I feel like feeding into it takes more energy away that I could be giving trying to inspire some other people. So it's like, why even waste the energy on doing that? While I could be trying to put some other people in position?

MANNI SUPREME
More recently now, more recently now for sure. And that's why I made my YouTube because I'm gonna show you exactly what I'm doing. I'm gonna show you exactly what I'm doing so you can figure out how it can help you foreal

CENSOR ©
So what's one sentence if somebody came up to you right now and said, "Mannie, I'm your biggest fan. I really want to get into what you're doing. I want to be a host, I want to be the next energetic person. I want to take the mantle when it's all said and done." What would you tell him?

MANNI SUPREME
You can do it too....I would definitely give them more but if it was one sentence it would be you could do it too. Because my thing is I thought everything was so far fetched. And then I met Lil baby.

CENSOR ©
Yeah.

MANNI SUPREME
And then I was in the studio with Thug for 10 hours. you know, then I met Travis Scott then I dapped up Ye, i was in a Ye show. I was like okay, this can happen. So it's like, some people may be in Alabama or Kansas and they don't have those type of resources so that's who I'm doing it for, for those people so they can be like "well he did it we can make something shake" you know.

MANNI SUPREME
Yeah, like and that's one thing about college is like.... everybody now who's getting lit bro these is like for real day ones like especially into the new realm when we was getting into college like bruh. I met Camo the first day of classes. He never came back to class again.

MANNI SUPREME
And he was like..... because I had on his old dingy supreme shirt he was like "where you got it from" i don't even remember... I had got it in high school trading around but then we just started talking now I remember we put up he beat me in 2K, and then after that we just stayed close and then funny enough around that same time was when he met Boat because he was he was in the split/whole time video with Boat and Carti and all that and then man I mean from Camo to.... I mean, I've known Tony for about a year and a half or whatever now. But even Anycia like... just genuine like that's my sister foreal like I'll kill somebody for her you know what I'm saying? I just love seeing them do really well in this space. But yeah 31 as a whole that's like.... that was like my introduction 3130 that's like Chris, Camo Vaughn, Miko.... I know i'm forgetting a lot of people but 3130.... You know who 31 is

MANNI SUPREME
It's locked in and that was the group like we threw the DoomLanta show at Masquerade. And I remember like that was like Draft Day performed there. This was a long time ago draft performed, Cam performed, K Supreme. That was like the first concert I ever hosted. Long live Swizz man. It was just like, shit Lux. Okay, now I remember Ethan.

MANNI SUPREME
So it was just inspiring to do that because that was my first show hosting, That was camo first show, like it was a lot of people first show so the fact that we did that I still got that hoodie.

MANNI SUPREME
Oh, for sure. And I just feel like now, like we've all split off and done our own things. So like when we come back now