Driving Park rapper trying to find the joy
Trek Manifest poised for breakout year in 2022
In his music video for “Suit Size,” rapper Trek Manifest and producer Soop hit key spots in the Driving Park neighborhood where they both grew up.
There’s the Southeast Fish & Produce market at East Livingston and South Ohio avenues, where Trek would buy candy and Grippo’s chips.
There’s Talib’s, the 40-year-old retail shop at East Livingston and South Champion avenues, where the staff would greet him.
And then there’s South Champion Avenue itself, where Trek lived. In a daring feat, the rapper climbed a ladder and sat on the street sign for the video shoot.
“It was low-key scary at first,” said Trek, 38, who was born Devin Thomas. He calmed down once he started rapping, but then began to feel physically uncomfortable sitting atop the sign. “I was like, ‘I’m hurting. Get me off here.’ But I’ve always wanted to do something where I talked about where I’m from.”
From rapping in the cafeteria at Livingston Elementary School to getting public praise from superstar rapper/singer T-pain last summer, Trek Manifest has had an inspirational musical journey. With a rapid-fire flow; powerful lyrics that touch on faith, loss and joy; and a wealth of new material, 2022
“(My faith) has gotten me to where I am today, obviously. I learned that it’s actually OK to question it, because then that forces you to truly figure out who you are as a person. I also want to make sure people know that just as much as I believe, I’m also human. I just don’t want people think that there’s anything perfect about faith.”
Trek Manifest
promises to be a breakout year for the artist.
Although Trek has a new album, “Everything’s Personal,” on the way in the new year, he has released a series of Eps—“for Now Pt. 1,” “For Now Pt. 2” and “For Now Pt. 3”— to hold people over in 2021.
Among the collection, “Tosca’s Boy” stands out as a heartfelt tribute to his mother, who died in 2019.
“No more breathing machine, she’s good now,” he raps. “No more sickle cell, she’s good now. She raised a warrior, fight your fight now.”
Amid the grief, Trek has pledged to keep going, working to become the artist and person he wants to be.
Written on a beach in Tampa, Florida, “The Life” paints another motivational picture, beginning with the spokenword introduction.
“This life, man. Being Black in America, we’re raised to live in survival mode. Sometimes, within our survival mode, we forget the good Lord gave us this life for a reason.”
He may reference the sorrow, but he’s also trying to find the joy.
“And it’s not necessarily saying that I’m there, but that’s where I’m striving to get at,” he said. “Some things don’t have a happy ending, but there’s a solution to many things.”
Some of Trek’s encouragement came in July when his friend, Ernest Paige, aka DJ Bern, sent one of his older songs, “BL3$$3D,” to T-pain, who was reviewing material on a Twitch stream.
Once the beat dropped on the gospelinspired track about faith, T-pain became visibly—and audibly—excited, declaring that he’d buy an album from
Trek—no questions asked.
“His reaction was like nothing I had ever seen because, previously, he was talking about how all the songs people were sending him were trash,” Trek said. “It just took off. One man’s reaction just made me much bigger than I was the day before. Him giving that co-sign was like a huge milestone because that let me know that I belong.”
In the past, Trek’s “elite-level rapping” went over people’s heads, said Paige, 37, of Polaris. But “BL3$$3D” felt more accessible.
“It has a great hook, a great beat and the flow is easily digestible to where you know what he said the first time he said it, but you can also rewind and get some hidden gems,” Paige continued. “You’re always one step away from somebody noticing you and elevating your artwork past where you think it’s going go to. So, that’s just more motivation to keep creating.”
The song is just one of many that convey Trek’s religious background. The son of pastors, he grew up rapping in church, and even performed a Christian rendition of Kris Kross’s 1992 hit “Jump” at a school talent show.
“The Holy Ghost will make you jump, jump!/jesus Christ will make you jump, jump!”
Early on, Trek said he felt pressure to be a “Christian rapper,” and later had an image crisis as both an artist and public speaker. He realized he was trying to please others rather than be true to himself.
“(My faith) has gotten me to where I am today, obviously,” Trek said. “I learned that it’s actually OK to question it, because then that forces you to truly figure out who you are as a person. I also want to make sure people know that just as much as I believe, I’m also human. I just don’t want people think that there’s anything perfect about faith.”
Trek said he truly came into his own in 2017 and by the following year, he achieved another milestone: performing on the main stage at Comfest.
“There really weren’t a lot of Black acts, especially on the main stage,” he said. “It proved that I could really do this. And that was one of the first times when I did a show that I had no anxiety. I had no fear.”
Today, the East Side resident also is a husband, father and special needs teacher at Liberty Elementary School on the Southeast Side.
His wife, Shawntell, 36, has known him since they were teenagers, and said she witnessed him grow more confident as an artist and person.
“He’s not doing what everyone else does with their music, especially in that type of industry,” she said. “That’s always what I’ve appreciated about his music is that it’s authentic and it’s not just what’s catchy. Every year it just feels like he gets better. What I want for him is to have that big break.”
After a year of being “humble and hungry,” Trek said he is ready for whatever comes in 2022.
“It’s really just embracing the change, embracing the struggle and having my victory dance ready.”
This story is part of the Dispatch’s Mobile Newsroom initiative, which is currently focused on Driving Park and surrounding neighborhoods. Visit our reporters at the Driving Park branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library. ethompson@dispatch.com @miss_ethompson