Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Mani Draper . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Mani, thanks for joining us today. Do you have any advice regarding quality control and maintaining quality as your brand grows?

The foundation of our company’s North Star is quality control. Quality control in a space where our representation is marginalized, resources are scarce and in an industry that at times promotes or at the very least celebrates cutting corners. Restoring the prestige of art and providing service and insulation to those creating in ways that hadn’t considered. Something as simple as making a studio session a safe environment for a single parent. Childcare is expensive and assuming everyone has a trusted relative or family to trust their child with is out. This impacts the focus which ultimately impacts the value and the conversion thereof. The goal is creating the best product and giving the artist the tools to convert their IP.

Mani, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m from Richmond, CA. Growing up a student athlete throughout the Bay provided me a much different lens of what the area had to offer in comparison to some of my peers. Affiliations often time limited their ability to explore or some time it was as simple as access. The arts were consistent in my childhood. My mom always allowed me to have a makeshift recording space or dedicated music space. My dad saved up and bought me my first DJ set. I made mix cds for classmates. Performed in talent shows. Took theatre through high school and wrote a few plays. Entertainment is always what I wanted to do. Being practical I knew sports could potentially lighten my parents load financially so I focused and committed to getting an athletic scholarship. The universe is hilarious because I ended up at an art school essentially or at least one known for its theater program. There I would meet artist of all different disciplines and it drove me back to music in ways I never imagined. I would go on to DJ college radio. In clubs and eventually found myself back in a studio recording. Once I completed my final collegiate basketball game, I never looked back. Feels like I’ve been in a studio ever since.

It would be on the journey of being a starving artist I’d meet so amazing creatives. Far more talented and classically trained than me. However it was clear I was much more insulated and poured into. Granted that’s hard to quantify it empowered me to keep doing the thing and a lot of times that’s the only difference. Mix in some stellar mentors and having access to some of the prolific artist the Bay has ever seen and I think that’s how I arrive where I am now. Part of a super art collective rooted in serving the artist with an emphasis in a caring about Black representation in space of media and beyond. Our company Grand Nationxl was founded in 2020 and since has release 10 projects and done a national tour providing support for Rexx Life Raj.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Unlearning is such invaluable part of the process. Bad habits are extremely easy to be reinforced with false steps of success. I’m the name of quality control is unlearning leading with ego in collaborative settings. The best idea or tactical approach to achieving the goal -wins! Or allowing the data to dictate what your next move or product should be. I realized quickly how much of my contributions were rooted in ego and explained why my ability to scale was so limited. Since starting Grand Nationxl the growth individually and collectively has special to experience.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

The Hope foundation by 510 media in Oakland is a credited hub directly for our companies success. Our co-founder and our CD worked and studied under 510s founders and introduced me and the others to the literature, podcast, articles and videos that impacted my entrepreneurial thinking. The code of the extraordinary mind kicked everything off especially in the spirit of unlearning. Reframing how I interface with my own ego and keep the goal first and foremost but engaging the mental and spiritual agility.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.grandnationxl.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/ManiDraper
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/ManiDraper
• Twitter: www.Twitter.com/ManiDraper
• Youtube: www.YouTube.com/ManiDraper

Image Credits
Kevin Allen Brandon Robinson Scott Hoag Jonel Seon