Wow, I wish more artists were like Mannie Fresh

[mauzip]

Mannie Fresh: Step Up Front
By Jigsaw



AllHipHop.com: Can you speak on your new album?

Mannie: The title if it is The Mind of Manny Fresh. That means the situation and things that have been happening in my life. If I had to describe it, I would say it is fun an escape from reality, an escape from the norm.

AllHipHop.com: In your videos, you have a lot of humor, what made you take that approach?

Mannie: That is just me. People want fun instead of the usual serious. Somebody needed to come along with that.

AllHipHop.com: Do you think this approach will affect your street credibility?

Mannie: I am not a street dude. It is one thing to have a dress code the way you want, to make a long story short I am neither a killer, nor a gangsta or street dude - I am a business man. I am not trying to be something I am not, and I am not trying to bring harm to anyone.

AllHipHop.com: You rarely reflect on your personal life. Why?

Mannie: My story is pretty much like everybody else’s. I never even knew I was from the hood, or poor, and when you got that, you don’t pay attention to your environment. Later on in your life, you might go back to the old neighborhood and say, ‘This is what I grew up around.’ I grew up with both of my parents, so I don’t have a bad story to tell like daddy wasn’t there; so I am not going to pretend to be something I am not. I have been blessed to have two parents that are still living and all my siblings. So it something that I can’t write about or don’t even want to experience; in life you go through things and like I said I have been blessed.

AllHipHop.com: The topic of the father not being around, a tough life is becoming cliché.

Mannie: Yeah, I think so. I always look at it like there is always two sided to a story. A lot of people like to hear tragedy. But for the most part, there is some genuine people that have grew up rough and got their break to do it. But then there are some people who tell that story because that is what it is.

AllHipHop.com: I know, irrelevant gully question, but have you ever been shot at or stabbed?

Mannie: No, but I have been around that all my life, but I never paid attention to it. My worst moment in life is when my young friends were dying. But when that is always around you, you get immune to it; you shut your feelings down. Now that I am older I think about it all the time; what I grew up around. But once you get immune to something you think it is the norm.

AllHipHop.com: So how does it feel to go from that to having so much money?

Mannie: Well, the bottom line is, you have to be real with yourself because it really does not matter what you have. The thing is being Black, that just don’t solve anything. On one hand, it is good because if anything happens you can always pay for it. But on the other hand, I have problems like everybody else. I might be cool financially, but mentally, I still have my own things going on.

AllHipHop.com: What things?

Mannie: Drama with my baby momma, people start looking at you like money. People you never thought like the people you grew up with, you thought was solid you become money to them. So you never know who to trust and what is real.

AllHipHop.com: Are you able to maintain a relationship with your friends and family? Could you go to the family reunion and chill?

Mannie: Yeah, I can go to the family reunion and chill. But there will always be somebody that I don’t want to talk to. There is always going to be someone asking me to lend me some money, even though it is not the proper time.

AllHipHop.com: Musically, what is your background?

Mannie: I don’t read music, I play by ear.

AllHipHop How did you develop your style? What inspires you?

Mannie: I would have to say it is inspired by the club I was a DJ, before I started doing this. When I am writing a single, I think something that makes people move. Something you don’t have to hear four times to get it, like right off the back - you get it.

AllHipHop.com: How do you feel about Cash Money?

Mannie: Cash Money is at its best when it is in the dark. When people count us out, we dig ourselves out of that hole. That is us. We have always been that way is why the music industry can’t do nothing but respect us.

AllHipHop.com: Juvenile signed a one-album deal and moved on, was their any beef?

Mannie: No, there wasn’t any beef. I actually did songs on the album he is putting out on Atlantic. It is business and most importantly growth; Juvenile has been with Cash Money for a while and he just wanted to do his own thing. You can’t get mad with a man that wants to do that. That is how I feel right now; I am not the same person I use to be with a white shirt and Dickies on.

AllHipHop.com: Do you have any business label aspirations?

Mannie: Right now, I am in a bidding war as far as who wants to sign me for a production deal. From there, my plan is in the next five years to be a president of a major company. I think I have a good ear for music and a lot of stuff gets passed on. So that is my plan.

AllHipHop.com: Who is on the album production, features, etc?

Mannie: The only people that I have on a track are, David banner, Bun B from UGK, Baby did a verse. I really wanted the album to be me not a compilation of artist.

AllHipHop.com: Before, you guys said that Big Tymers are not considered Hip-Hop artists, do you still feel that way?

Mannie: To me, Hip-Hop is a variety of things. I am Hip-Hop. Just do the homework, my first record on wax was [in] ’87. You got cats talking about what is Hip-Hop, I be like, ‘I was doing Hip-Hop when you were in pampers’.

AllHipHop.com: What are your thoughts about the Rap game getting old, like everyone doing it big is in the their late 20’s or 30’s?

Mannie: People are starving for good music, and that is the only ones who can give it to you is the veterans. I hate to say it about young artists but there hasn’t been someone who has grabbed us in the last five years...like that is the next phenomenon or that dude is bad, so we kind of stuck with that is the only one we can get good music from so we might as well keep ‘em. I’ll give you a great example like… if we were to go to an old school concert, it would be packed because people are starving for good music. People miss good music, and right now is the best time for any old R&B artist, like Cash Money and Tina Maria and it jumped off and nobody ever knew. It is the same faces that is around Take Jay-Z for instance is 30 something, the rappers and same companies have been around and when we try to sign new artist it is not successful. You take Roc-A-Fella. They got a whole new roster, but it is not making that buzz that Jay made. Same thing with Cash Money, we tried new artist but they don’t have that buzz that Lil’ Wayne would make.

AllHipHop.com: Lil’ Wayne has recently been making remarks about other artist, what do you believe is the motive behind that?

Mannie: I think he is a young fire-cracker. I am too old for that. You can’t really tell Wayne is 21, me and him have nothing in common except for being in the studio doing music. Me personally, I don’t get into beefs and all of that kind of stuff, and I wish he wouldn't, but he is his own man.


http://www.allhiphop.com/features/?ID=947

and will the great Mannie Fresh leave Cash Money?

[Trauma-san]

He's cool, always liked his music. 

[i love men who take pictures with their booty's out]

his album will be  ..kuz he is a character...im lookin 4ward to this...

[Nima - Dubcnn.com]

tight interview, i liked what he said alot. i might pick this up off of the strengh of this interview alone.

[NobodyButMe]

yeah that's probably one of the better interviews i've read in a long time
seems like a down to earth dude

[M Dogg™]

I've always like Mannie for some strange reason. I love his beats on Cash Money. If he leaves, thats a sad day for the label, but all good for whoever picks him up. He can make hits, that's one proven thing.

[BigBDrugStores]

i dont think he will leave. i think that he is going to do stuff like jazze pha. he was signed to cash money but at the same time he was doing his own think. i think that fresh wont leave. hes been there scence 92.
and why do people laugh when i put him at the top of my 10 best producer list. dudes got alot of skill. and thats why fresh is the best

[Fuck Your Existence]

that beat he gave mack 10 Connected For Life is one of my favorites of all time. Cant say i really like him as a MC but that just personal Prefrence. Fresh IS Cash Money IMO so if hes gone so are they.

[eS El Duque]

Mannie Fresh has some awesome production

I still play back that azz up every day lol 

[DAYUM]

mannie fresh and wayne are all cash money has left...

[BigBDrugStores]

that beat he gave mack 10 Connected For Life is one of my favorites of all time. Cant say i really like him as a MC but that just personal Prefrence. Fresh IS Cash Money IMO so if hes gone so are they.

the rest of the cd was just as hot than connested for life. check out dog about it f/ bg

[Don Breezio]

im not a cash money fan....havent been in years...even when TQ was on cash money him and lil wayne (occasionally) were the only artists i like....i will give mannie fresh some credit though....he is a good producer and i am anctious to hear his album now that i know its not gonna be filled with cash money artists....

[Suffice]

Mannie is fuckin wack as an MC, but he's a tight producer. Props to him for makin it to a Solo LP

[Lincoln]

I like Mannie Fresh because he doesn't take himself too seriously. That's the kind of stuff I like, don't take yourself serious. Joke around, just say some semi-dumb yet funny shit on records.

[Trauma-san]

Yeah, I like that too.