Isah Matankari

Entrepreneur, Musician

ISAH The Prince is a Nigerian rapper, performing artiste, record producer, fashion designer and media entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur is co-founder of Creative Culture (CCAbuja) where he serves as Creative Director in charge of developing the vision of the company, building and managing the community. ISAH is also the founder of Savior Media Agency, a creative media service agency that enables brands to discover their essence by clarifying their message, creating engaging content and experiences with the goal of building a loyal community. As an artist, his sound is characterized by a blend of Hip-Hop, R&B, Soul and Afro-Pop with bold lyricism and clever wordplay. ISAH uses unique elements (instrumentation, traditional vocal samples) , raw emotion and personal experiences to pass his thoughtful messages across to listeners. In 2019, ISAH released his debut album Purple Heart which was produced solely by Suté Iwar and featured several artists like Dami Oniru, AYLØ, Ogranya, Suté Iwar and others. In 2020, ISAH had a busy year as he released an EP titled Purple Journal, a short film; FlowerChild and 3 commercial mixtapes; SARDAUNA Vol. 1 Maktub, Life Happens & The Bigger Picture; with Life Happens being listed amongst the Top Rap Albums of 2020 by Pulse Nigeria. In November 2021, ISAH released his second studio album NEW BLACK ELITE which is deemed as the required evolution and elevation of the African/Black consciousness expressed through art. The album is a multi-dimensional creative experience consisting of multiple forms of art merged into one (chiefly music, film, art, poetry and fashion). “I am driven by a desire to create works of art that elevate the African perspective, that enables us Africans to rise above the beliefs that hold us back as a people in order to build a unified Africa. My mission is to spread truth through creative storytelling by using different creative outlets to inspire the next generation to aim at being their highest possible selves” - ISAH The Prince

Creative storytelling. I am driven by a desire to create works of art that elevate the African perspective, that enable us to rise above the beliefs that hold us back as a people in order to build a unified Africa. My mission is to spread truth through creative storytelling (using different creative outlets such as music, films, books etc) to inspire the next generation to aim to be their highest possible selves.

‘Conscious Entrepreneurship’ and how it is key to growing Africa's economy and elevating the African collective consciousness. My second studio album NEW BLACK ELITE explores various socio-political and economic themes relevant to the African experience with the aim of helping us overcome the limiting beliefs that have held us back as a people. In my research and thinking around many of these themes I have come to understand the importance of entrepreneurial endeavour grounded in the ideals of liberation, progress and freedom for the sake of empowering Africa and Africans. This brand of entrepreneurship which I term Conscious Entrepreneurship is motivated by the desire to positively impact society and move the needle of culture forward while doing so. Turning a profit is a secondary concern. Much like the NEW BLACK ELITE project, conscious entrepreneurs operate their businesses as agents of mental empowerment and as vessels to uplift how we as Africans see and treat ourselves and one another. Conscious Entrepreneurship can be used as a tool for solving African problems to mass consciousness, it can help us build more sustainable businesses, communities and nations.

creative director, event organiser, performing artist

I've been following Ted content since 2013 and got a chance to attend TedxMaitama in 2018 and have been hooked ever since. Sanusi Lamido's 2013 TedxMaitama talk is one of my favourite ever, I get inspired whenever I watch it. As a visionary and an ideator Ted is a great platform for me to expand my knowledge by learning from some fo the worlds interesting thinkers. I have a dream to organise a Ted event soon to inspire my community the same way I've been inspired by Ted talks.

Cooking 😋