Mannie Fresh

After creating the signature sound that catapulted New Orleans into the national spotlight and lending credible verses to countless Cash Money classics, Mannie Fresh is ready to take his sound to the next level. His debut album comes on the heels of his paramount success, of the Big Tymers gold selling Big Money Heavy Weight and the platinum success of Hood Rich.

Fresh who alongside Bryan "Baby" Williams comprise the duo Big Tymers, vocals first appeared on BG's underground classic, It's All On You Vol. 2. The team received such strong accolades for their flagrant lyrical style that they formed a duo, the Big Tymers, and went on to create their independent classic, How You Love That Vol.1 (1998), their subsequent Universal Records debut, How You Love That Vol. 2 (1998), the platinum sellers, I Got That Work (2000) and Hood Rich (2002), and their recent album, Big Money Heavyweight (2003).

Mannie Fresh has been one of the instrumental forces that have helped define the distinctive sound of artists on the Cash Money roster since 1991. His impeccable production created hits such as "Ha," "Cash Money Is An Army," "Bling Bling," "Back That Azz Up," "#1 Stunna," "Get Your Roll On," "Oh Yeah," and the Grammy nominated "Still Fly." On his debut solo album, Mannie Fresh unleashes his unparalleled musical versatility, displaying the growth of his beatmanship and witty lyrical style. He pushes the envelope of his patented style and creates a seamless hybrid of hip-hop, funk, and southern bounce. Fresh recently produced tracks for Lil Wayne's fourth solo album, The Carter, and Teena Marie's debut release La Dona for Cash Money Classics.

He's half of the brains behind the Cash Money label, his productions have moved over 23 million units, and it all started because of a DJ father. Surrounded by music while growing up, producer/rapper/hip-hop mogul Mannie Fresh decided early on that if he had to get a job, it had to be doing what he loved to do, and that was play music. The New Orleans native got his start in 1984 as a member of New York Incorporated, arguably New Orleans' first hip-hop crew. The parties Mannie started to DJ around this time were to become legendary and brought him to the attention of rapper Gregory D. The two partnered and worked on album that was to become 1992's The Real Deal released on RCA. Rap fans in the Big Easy fell in love with the album but it failed to gain much attention outside of the South. Although they remained friends, Mannie and Gregory D split professionally, due in part to Mannie's displeasure with the way major labels handled street music. The stage was now set for the producer's meeting with Brian "Baby" Williams. When Williams offered Mannie a chance to join his fledgling Cash Money label it couldn't have been better timing. Soon artists like Baby, Juvenile, B.G., and Lil Wayne were taking Cash Money to the top, thanks in no small part to Mannie's quirky and bright production. By the late '90s, Cash Money was the preeminent Southern rap label and Mannie and Williams were now working on their own group. The two formed Big Tymers in 1998 and released a series of successful singles and albums. The producer behind everything from Juvenile's 400 Degreez to Teena Marie's La Doña finally busted out on his own in 2004 with the wild solo album The Mind of Mannie Fresh. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide