Mensa Ansah, better known as M3NSA is a British Ghanaian producer, composer, rapper, singer and filmmaker. Known for his recognizable sound and instinctual storytelling, while still being deeply rooted in his motherland, he has grown into an international sensation through the years because of his ability to navigate different languages, cultures, and art expressions.

Early life

M3NSA was born in 1981 at Accra,

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in Ghana–Ivory Coast border, the west, Burkina ...

. He is the third son of Tumi Ebo Ansah, formerly a member of the Afro pop group,

Osibisa Osibisa are a Ghanaian-British Afro-Rock band founded in London in the late 1960s by four expatriate West African and three London based Caribbean musicians. Osibisa were the most successful and longest lived of the African-heritage bands in ...

Musical career

M3NSA begun as a member of The Lifeline Family. A group he founded and worked with as a rapper. After the group was disbanded, he ventured music production and begun producing music for

Reggie Rockstone Reggie Rockstone (Reginald Yaw Asante Ossei, "the Godfather of Hiplife") is a Ghanaian rapper. He was born in the United Kingdom but lived his early years in Kumasi and Accra. He has been living in Ghana continuously since he pioneered the Hip ...

. He later begun producing music for various Ghanaian musicians, some of which include

Samini Emmanuel Andrews Sammini (born 22 December 1981 in Accra, Ghana), known by his stage name Samini (formerly as Batman Samini), is a Ghanaian Reggae and Dance hall recording artiste from Wa, Ghana. His genre of music is a melodious mixture of ...

KK Fosu Kaakyire Kwame Fosu (born 14 February 1981) is a Ghanaian hiplife musician known by stage name KK Fosu.He is known for songs like "Suudwe", "Anadwo Yede" among others. Life and career KK Fosu started music at his tender age with a junior sch ...

Obour Bice Osei Kuffour (born 17 November 1981) is a Ghanaian hiplife musician, known popularly by the name Obour, which means "stone" in the Akan language. He is the immediate past president of the Musicians Union of Ghana, an umbrella group that uni ...

and Tic Tac. As a music artiste, M3NSA has toured with musicians such as the

Wu-Tang Clan Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its original members include RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. Close a ...

, and

The Roots The Roots are an American hip hop band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The Roots serve as the house band on NBC's '' The Tonight Show Starring Jimm ...

. M3NSA's works have gained recognition from

KORA Awards The KORA All Africa Music Awards are music awards given annually for musical achievement in sub-Saharan Africa. The awards were founded in 1994 by Benin born businessman, Ernest Adjovi, after a discussion in Namibia with the country's President ...

MOBO Awards The MOBO Awards (Music of Black Origin, also known as the MOBOs) are an annual British music award presentation honouring achievements in " music of black origin", including hip hop, grime, UK Drill, R&B, soul, reggae, jazz, gospel, and ...

, and

Ghana Music Awards The Ghana Music Awards, currently known as the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMAs) for sponsorship reasons, is an annual music awards event in Ghana established in 1999 by a local event organizer and planner company known as CharterHouse to origi ...

Discography

Solo albums

*2001 - ''Repablic'' *2004 - ''Daily Basses'' *2007 - ''Weather Report'' *2011 - ''No.1 Mango Street''

FOKN Bois Albums

*2010 - '' Coz Ov Moni'' OS - Movie Soundtrack *2011 - ''Coz Ov Moni - The Kweku Ananse Remix EP'' - EP *2011 - ''Coz Ov Moni - The DJ Juls Dw3t3i Remixes'' - EP *2011 - ''FOKN Dunaquest in Budapest'' - EP *2012 - ''FOKN Dunaquest in Budapest Remixes'' - EP *2012 - ''FOKN Wit Ewe'' - Album *2013 - '' Coz Ov Moni 2 (FOKN Revenge)'' OS - Movie Soundtrack *2016 - ''FOKN Ode to Ghana'' *2019 - ''Afrobeats LOL''

Personal life

M3NSA is a nephew to Kwaw Ansah, a film director, and

Kofi Ansah Kofi Ansah (6 July 1951 – 3 May 2014) was a Ghanaian fashion designer. He was considered a pioneer in promoting modern African styles and design on the international stage. He was married to Nicola Ansah and the father of actor Joey Ansah, Ryan ...

, a fashion designer. He is also a cousin to the actor,

Joey Ansah Joey Ansah (born 24 November 1982) is a British actor, director and martial artist best known for his roles in ''The Bourne Ultimatum'' (2007), '' Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist'' (2014) and '' The Old Guard'' (2020). Early life and education ...

References

{{Authority control Ghanaian musicians Ghanaian rappers Living people Ghanaian songwriters Ghanaian producers 1981 births