Meet MTG 9boy of Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to MTG 9boy.

Hi MTG, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly how I got started because creative artistic expression has been my default. But as a kid I was in the church choir which you can say was how I got started in music. I played the piano and sang in the choir as a way to both express my love for music and also get the opportunity to practice making my own music. High School was where my love for fashion started. Growing up in Lagos, Nigeria, I didn’t really think of Fashion and Music as a career path, not because there weren’t people doing it, but it was the general worldview of Nigerians to lock in on one of the Big 4 careers, Medicine, Law, Engineering or Finance. For a while I’d say I was on that path, until I moved to the U.S for college. This move played a very pivotal role in expanding my worldview when it came to being a creative. In college, with the love of fashion I had developed, I started out with the initial wave of social media fashion influencers, creative directing photoshoots for both myself and my other friends who were into that form of creative expression as well. I was styling outfits I had purchased and tagging the brands for visibility which actually worked, and soon I started receiving emails and dms from some of my favorite fashion brands who wanted to collaborate, offer gifting opportunities or have me creative direct a fashion campaign for them. This opened a lot of doors for me and I was able to connect with a wide range of creatives and also expand my creative palette which till this day I never get tired of. I was still in love with music at the time but it wasn’t the focus of my career beyond my occasional private studio sessions that served as my therapy. I never considered putting out records commercially till I linked up with a producer who was working on the debut album for Anwar Hadid. We made a record called “Don’t leave me alone” one late night at the Chateau Marmont which was later featured on the album. That entire process was so life-changing because it gave me the much needed confidence to show that side of myself to the world that I had kept hidden for so long. I’ve been putting out music since then. Since Music and Fashion are my biggest love, it’s no surprise that years later (2025), my partner and I started a magazine called CTRL+ALT+SYNC, a magazine archiving the evolution of black pop culture in fashion, music, art, film and tech, across the diaspora. Beyond being a magazine, it is a way to build community around creatives, documenting their stories and highlighting their work in its inception rather than when they have already succeeded. We just published our first print Issue and it’s been such an an amazing experience putting it out there into the world and watching people receive it with the love and intention we felt when we were creating it.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Nothing good comes easy so I definitely cannot say it has been a smooth road but I try to enjoy the process because it doesn’t last forever. When I first started out, being an international student was definitely a hinderance, I didn’t have the freedom or legality to work some of the jobs or chase certain opportunities due to my immigration status. There is also the people factor, most creatives will tell you how cutthroat the creative industry can be and it was no different for me. Knowing how to navigate difference in personalities or morals has been a thing I have had to learn and thankfully has gotten me a long way. I would also say the financial aspect to being a self-funded creative has been a struggle for me as well. For a good number of my music projects including the magazine CTRL+ALT+SYNC, these were all self funded and although the struggle of investing in projects with no clear path to recuperation has been present I can confidently say it does not match up to the satisfaction of seeing your idea come to life.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
So I am a multi-faceted creative I like to say. I am the recording artist known as MTG 9boy. I am also the co-founder of CTRL+ALT+SYNC magazine, a platform dedicated to highlighting black creativity across the diaspora in its inception, as well as the creative director of the fashion brand called Five Minutes in Mercury. What I would say I am most proud of is my taste and it doubles as what sets me apart from others. I have gotten to experience a wide range of cultures which I incorporate in my art which allows me to connect with a wider range of people.

We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I haven’t always been a risk taker. I grew up in a conservative Nigerian household and taking unnecessary risks was not the order of the day. I was taught to follow the structure that was set for me and for a good portion of my life I was convinced that stepping out of that structure meant certain failure for me but thankfully once I became independent, I came to the realization that I am the only one responsible for my life and what I actually amount to and with that In mind I decided to start betting on myself. And I would give the same advice to anyone who knows they have something within them that is being suppressed just out of fear of stepping out of the set structure you’ve always known, Bet on yourself. Starting a self-funded magazine is definitely one of the risks I have taken, every time I put out a project, I am taking multiple risks be it emotionally, physically or financially but you cannot feel alive without taking risks. Greatness is born out of taking risks

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ctrlaltsyncmag.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/manny_thegoat
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mtg9boy
• Other: https://TikTok.com/@mtg9boy

Image Credits
Paul Akama (Photographer)