Tag Archives: mannie-fresh

Lil Wayne’s Success ‘Gratifying’ For Mystikal

‘Wayne was a student in my dojo before,’ Mystikal tells Mixtape Daily. By Rob Markman, with reporting by James “FLX” Smith Lil Wayne Photo: Frank Micelotta/ Getty Images Celebrity Favorites: Mystikal Since Mystikal’s been gone , a lot has changed on hip-hop’s playing field. In 2004, when Mystikal was locked up on sexual battery and extortion charges, Jay-Z was fresh off his “retirement,” Kanye West was just beginning his rookie year in rap and Lil Wayne was getting set to drop the first album in his now-famed Tha Carter series. Now, Kanye and Jay are the Throne and both enjoy veteran rap status, and Lil Wayne is sitting on top of the world. Mystikal recalls his fellow New Orleans rapper’s come-up and can’t help but feel a bit responsible for the growth. “Wayne was a student in my dojo before. I was a sensei before. I had big inspiration on him,” Mystikal said of the younger Weezy. “It’s gratifying to see him reach the heights that he reached with his hustle. So I’m proud of him.” Mystikal, who turned 41 last week, has a catalog of rap classics. Songs like “Shake Ya Ass” and “Danger” helped shine hip-hop’s light on his native New Orleans and the artists who hail from the Louisiana city. Still, the Tarantula isn’t content with his past hits. He has recently been in the studio with producer Mannie Fresh, cooking up a new batch of material. So how will this new Mystikal fit into hip-hop’s current landscape? “Just another option, just give them another option,” Mystikal told Mixtape Daily of what he hopes to offer to rap fans. “All the marquee artists are who they are; I don’t have to say no names. [The fans] just ready for more options, they ready for some other big cards to play. Trust me!” For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines . Related Artists Lil Wayne Mystikal

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Lil Wayne’s Success ‘Gratifying’ For Mystikal

Mannie Fresh Loves And Hates Cash Money’s New Sound

‘Anything that goes left, and is new and is creative, I love it,’ Fresh tells MTV News at Bonnaroo. By Rob Markman, with reporting by Ade Mangum Mannie Fresh Photo: MTV News Back when Lil Wayne was a baby-faced teen, it was producer Mannie Fresh who was the driving force behind Cash Money’s sound. It may be hard to imagine these days, but Fresh’s booming 808s and bouncy bass lines laid the foundation for Cash Money’s early catalog. After meeting CM CEO Bryan “Birdman” Williams in the mid-1990s, Mannie jumped onboard as the label’s in-house producer. In 2005, Mannie split from the label, and Cash Money has marched on, dominating the rap charts with artists like Wayne, Drake and Nicki Minaj. So what does Mannie Fresh think of the new Cash Money sound? MTV News caught up with Fresh at the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee to find out. “Some things I love, some things I hate,” the platinum producer said matter-of-factly before switching the conversation to the South’s overall hip-hop landscape. “I think there’s a lot of stuff in the South right now that sounds the same.” In his heyday, Fresh was known for his distinct country sound and ad-libbing on songs he produced just to hype it up. Hit records like Juvenile’s “Ha,” B.G.’s “Bling, Bling” and Lil Wayne’s “Go DJ” exemplified Fresh’s sonic style and helped set the standard for other producers below the Mason-Dixon in the early 2000s. Now, Mannie says it’s time for a change. “Even if it’s the way my music sounds, I think it’s overdone, it’s time for something new to happen,” he said. “Now anything that goes left, and is new and is creative, I love it. But if you mimicking somebody and you’re overdoing it, I don’t know. I don’t get it. That’s what I’m saying.” What do you think of Cash Money’s evolution? Let us know in the comments! Related Artists Mannie Fresh

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Mannie Fresh Loves And Hates Cash Money’s New Sound

Lil Wayne’s ‘Behind The Music’ Shows MC’s False Start, Ultimate Rise

Hour-long episode set to air September 10 on VH1. By Jayson Rodriguez Lil Wayne Photo: Kristian Dowling/Getty Images Lil Wayne was already on rap’s radar back when he was a member of Cash Money Records’ Hot Boyz crew

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Lil Wayne’s ‘Behind The Music’ Shows MC’s False Start, Ultimate Rise