Choosing the creative path is not an easy choice. Now more than ever, in the aftermath of a global pandemic, an economic recession, and your parents in your ear telling you to pick a more stable career, making art is a gruelling path to follow. However, a night at The Jago surrounded by musicians and artists reminded me that authentic art finds ways to be created regardless of the obstacles. On the evening of Root 73’s 10th Anniversary celebration, I was able to talk to musicians who have been in the industry for over 10 years, and was taught that the key to being a successful artist is not simply streams or followers- but is truly loving what you do, and the people you do it with.

I had the incredible opportunity to chat with ENNY and Manik MC ahead of their performance about what it takes to be an artist and musician in 2026.  Both artists have been with Root 73 for years and have truly established themselves as unique voices in the London rap scene. As London natives, their work frequently engages with their relationship to their community and their culture, marked by both their participation in ‘The Silhouettes Project’ with ‘For South’ and ‘July’.

For Manik MC, growing up in Finsbury Park and Hackney alongside the founder of Root 73, Maya, has influenced his focus on socio-political issues and community in his music. With tracks such as ‘Shadows’, ‘So Determined’, and ‘365’ showcasing his versatile writing style, and the interspersion of soulful samples with sharp rhythms, Manik MC embodies the rap scene born in London.

For ENNY, however, her roots are clearly found in South London, with her music’s visuals expressing her identity as a Nigerian girl raised in the UK. Her breakout track ‘Peng Black Girls’ and her first EP ‘Under 25’ epitomise her coming-of-age; melding danceable beats, with a flow so smooth that it seems almost effortless. Her second EP ‘We Go Again’ highlights her growth as an acclaimed rapper and artist with tracks such as ‘Charge it’, and ‘No More Naija Men’ making rounds on everyone’s playlists (Especially mine).

Manik MC



When you look at yourself 10 years ago, where were you and how did you get your start?

I've been part of Root 73 from the beginning. So, Maya's an old friend of mine. I've known him since I was, like, 5 years old, my mum and his mum are friends, and he lived 2 roads away from me, and similarly, I knew Asher from, like, 14, from rapping.
We started Root ten years ago, but we'd all been putting out music for a couple of years before.  Yeah, so for me, this symbolises 15 years. Where am I now? I'll probably say it's 16 years since I started getting on stage. 16, 17 years. It's mad if you think about that. When I got on stage when I was 14, I used to do anything. Open mics, spoken word, and when I look back, I realise, my poem was just bars, you know?  It makes you realise that when you start out, like, everyone's just kind of rubbish. You just start out. There's a level of delusion, you kind of have to have. You almost convince yourself you're better than you are, and that's how you get better. You know, you have to constantly just think, you can do this.  And I just, I was just deluded.  There's a definite kind of mindset. There's an athletic mindset. Which is, it's a long game; if you're in this, you have to realise that there’ll be ups, there'll be downs,  but it's going to be long.

For the past 10 years, you've seen artists grow and change. What would you say are some of the important things you've learned as an artist and as a musician in this field?

I think the thing with making music now in this industry is that, often, it's with this underpinned thing of  “trying to make it” all that kind of jazz. That kind of mindset can be bare, destabilising, and dispiriting, 'cause when things ain't going the way you've imagined in your head, you start to think down on what you're doing and things like that. But the beauty of places like Root 73 and having these events and this community is that it kind of washes that away. It's therapeutic, in a way and  takes away that noise, and it grounds you. It reminds you that it's just nonsense, anxieties in your head. is kind of created by what you think you do, you know what I mean? It's like, really try to be present and enjoy it, and not get bogged down in the business side of things. Obviously, don't get me wrong, if that's what you want to do, and you do that, that's fine. There's nothing wrong with it, but it can become a very toxic thing if you're not careful. So if you're somewhere you feel it's becoming that, then maybe try to re-address and rebalance why you do it. Like, why, why did you start doing it? Like, I think that even I've had problems in the last couple of years, where I was confused about whether I was enjoying it in the same way that I used to when I started. And then, realising I need to re-address why I do it,  I'm kind of in that process now.

What would you want to tell artists who are just starting out in an industry that’s very much TikTok and DSP- dominated?

So the way that social media and DSPs have changed music is that everything's fragmented, you know what I mean? People  have  100 million streams, and you might never have heard of them- because it's all a niche now, it's all to do with your crowd and that. And the most successful people are the ones who build a community, and that's kind of how it keeps going.  It takes a lot of people to do this thing. The idea that you can do it all yourself is often very misguided, and you're going to have a lot more creative success and enjoyment when you collaborate. That could be on whatever level that is, you know what I mean? It doesn't have to be, like, literally featuring other artists . Do it because you fully enjoy it, and are being present at the moment, not constantly just doing it as a means to an end, like getting fame or making money. I don't know a single person in the game who is successful at a commercial level or a cultural level who is operating in that way. It just doesn't make sense to me because you're not getting fulfilled.

ENNY

How did you get your start and find yourself at Root 73?

So my manager now was initially a producer who DM’d me. At the time,  I had a freestyle that had been going around, and I was able to perform it at my friend RAE’s radio show at Represent Radio. Eventually, I decided to make it into a full track . The producer of that show had passed it on to Paya, who did the playlist for Represent Radio. So he DM'd me. He was like, " Yo, I’m a producer, I do all this stuff come through.” So I came to his house, we had a session, I heard some of his stuff,  it was exactly  what I was looking for, and so we started working together. He was like I work in a studio called Root 73, because he met Asher, who basically gave him a key, and was like bro, bring in anyone when you want through, and just make sick music. So it suddenly worked out. They were throwing a lot of live shows, and they would put me on the lineup, and then it became a  community. So everyone's having a community of artists. People who are all supporting each other.

How did having that community around influence you, especially with such an ethos of art over profit?

Yeah, these kinds of spaces are so important.  You know, when, in the future, people talk about this historical place that was so important, and in the future, it sounds like this big thing, but at the time, it was something that was really hard to run, like it was impossible?  That's what Root 73 kind of represents.  It's like this constant, like, push of trying to keep the community alive, also keep the quality alive.
I think early on, it  very much did [influence]. It’s been seven years now, I have a career, I’ve grown, but I think having that place, it was exactly what I was looking for when I started. I remember looking at Dreamville, what J. Cole was doing. It’s a similar thing; I just always wanted to be around sick artists and sick producers.

In the years since you debuted, how has the industry morphed, and how have you changed with it?

I feel like the pandemic impacted a lot, and I think, maybe in the last three years, we've really felt the implications of trying to make art. There’s a shift in people's mentality, creativity, art, and the shift in how people consume music. Now I think everyone's trying to really figure out what music and the industry is.  I think, though, it kind of isolates the people who will just be doing music for the sake of being in music and getting an easy bag. People who really love music will have to work for it from the heart and also invest in small spaces that will make everyone grow.

For an artist who wants to enter the space right now,  and they say, ‘I want to be able to be blessed enough to make money out of the art that I make. But I just don't want to compromise what I am, what I feel.’ What would you say to them in terms of how you toe that line?

You have to follow your art, but you have to be really real with yourself. I think a lot of artists face that line when they're, like, “do you know what? I need to make money,  I need to touch the mainstream.” But I think at the end of the day....Money is great. Money is amazing. Money affords time; that’s one of the most important things. However, I also feel like we're really not here forever. And there are bigger things happening than like, “ How can I make a song that's gonna make music?”  I think there's other stuff happening that we need to worry about. And it is hard out here. It is tough, but it's the time that we're in, and so you do what's best for you. You believe in yourself. Have faith, you continue as you are, but do the best you can; that's all you can do.
I think most people just do the best they can, follow their dreams and follow their heart.  And you reap what you sow for yourself at the end of the day. Like, there's no game plan. There's no blueprint. Work as hard as you can, and then see where it gets you.

Any last pieces of advice for aspiring artists?
Just keep creating the spaces. Like, revolution never happened in the mainstream. It happened in the quiet spaces. It happened in very dingy, quiet areas. It may not be profitable now, but it might be at some point.