Otis Mensah is a British alternative hip-hop and spoken word artist. Mensah was the inaugural Poet Laureate of Sheffield.^[1]

Mensah has described their work as a means of challenging dominant models of masculinity, which they claim suppress the discussion of emotions, with negative consequences for mental health.^[2]

As a hip-hop artist, Mensah has performed at the BBC Music Introducing Stage at Glastonbury Festival.^[3] Their lyrics combine playful imagery and unconventional symbolism, often accompanied by boom bap instrumentals.^[4][5]

In November 2018, Magid Magid, the Lord Mayor of Sheffield, appointed Mensah as Poet Laureate of Sheffield.^[1][6] Mensah stated that they wish to use the position to "break down barriers" and change "elitism attached to poetry."^[2]

In March 2025, Mensah released their debut studio album titled before the noise my cousin^[7] with frequent producer and collaborator, the intern. The album had guest features from rappers Blu, Speech (of Arrested Development) and Lando Chill.

• "Aurora" (2017)
• "Shadows X Void" (2017)
• "Creep & Crawl" (2017)
• "Free the Slaves" (2017)
• "Oh Jane" (2018)
• "Sanctified" (2018)
• "Solitude" (2018)
• "Float" (2018) (with Isaac Hopes)
• "Breath of Life" (2020) (with Hemlock Ernst)
• "Internet Cafe" (2020)
• "No Record Store Day" (2020)
• "The Thinks" (2020)
• "Troglodyte Jazz" (2021)
• "Like A Dog" (2021)
• "Garden of Eden" (2021)
• "Tumbleweeds" (2021)
• "SWELL" (2021)
• "Black Box" (2022)
• "Aurora Borealis" (2022)
• "Colour of Sunshine" (2024)
• "Tenderness and Cruelty" (2024) (with Seigfried Komidashi)
• "before the noise my cousin" (2025) (with the intern)
• "Silverfish" (2025) (with the intern)

In 2020, Mensah published their debut poetry collection Safe Metamorphosis through Prototype Publishing.^[8]

A revised second edition was released in 2023.

• Otis Mensah on Facebook
• Official website