Toronto-based artist Rawmny Wildcat, (pronounced Raw Money Wildcat) releases his commanding new single “Manew” on June 26, 2026, the lead track from his highly anticipated album ‘Habeshinated’, arriving the same day. Born in Addis Ababa and now rooted in Toronto, the producer, songwriter and vocalist has crafted a song that fuses hip hop, soul and East African sound into a powerful declaration of who he is and where he comes from.
The title says it all. “Manew” means “who is it” in Amharic, and Rawmny turns that simple question into a thesis on identity, lineage and earning your place. “People askin manew, it’s Rawmny manew,” he raps at the open, before drawing a direct line to the artists who came before him. “Actin like it cost you an arm and a leg to pay respect, where it’s due for the forefathers who be opening up the avenue.” It is a track built on pride and momentum, with Rawmny describing himself as bringing “that addis fire to a frozen zone.”
That image of carrying warmth from Ethiopia into a Canadian winter sits at the heart of Rawmny’s artistry. His story begins beside his father’s hi-fi speakers in Addis Ababa, where as a small child he was swept away by Motown, soul and the records his father brought home from his travels as the head of aviation maintenance with Ethiopian Airlines. Music became a private fascination, then a calling, one he pursued through talent shows and late-night radio broadcasts after his family moved to Montreal in the winter of 1997, arriving just ahead of the historic ice storm that shut down the region.
Rawmny built his foundation hands on, hanging around CKUT McGill Radio until DJs Mike Mission and Ken Dawg let him freestyle on air, then earning his way into a producer’s basement studio where he completed his first independent project. Today he runs his own Toronto label and media company, Wildvision Media, where he oversees production and marketing, the same self-made spirit that powers “Manew” and its message of hustle, authenticity and respect for the culture.
‘Habeshinated’ arrives as the product of a personal homecoming. After eighteen years away, Rawmny returned to Addis Ababa and performed two sold out shows, jammed with the band of Ethiopian jazz pioneer Mulatu Astatke at the African Jazz Village, and shared the stage with fellow Ethiopian hip hop pioneer MC Siyamregn at Club Platinum. He also linked with celebrated local producer Hunante Mulu, soaking up a city transformed by new growth. That trip became the emotional engine of the album, a body of work about belonging to two places at once and bridging them through sound.
The diaspora experience runs through every corner of the record. “In Canada, people see me as Ethiopian. In Ethiopia, many people saw me as Canadian,” Rawmny reflects, a duality he transforms into creative fuel rather than tension. ‘Habeshinated’ celebrates that doubled identity across its tracklist, from the swaggering hometown pride of “Habesha in the 6ix” to the restless searching of “Traveller,” each song carrying a piece of the journey from Addis to Montreal to Toronto and back.
Drawing comparisons to artists ranging from the Fugees and Wyclef Jean to Kendrick Lamar, Wizkid and Ethiopian star Rophnan, Rawmny Wildcat has spent years building an independent catalogue marked by emotional honesty and an energetic stage presence. With “Manew,” he sharpens that vision to a fine point, delivering a confident introduction to an album he describes as a full circle return to the wonder he first felt as a boy beside those speakers in Addis Ababa.
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