When all is said and done, Mannie Fresh will go down as one of the most impactful and influential hip-hop producers in the game. The New Orleans born producer single-handedly provided the sonic foundation for the entire Cash Money movement, which launched the careers of artists like Birdman, Juvenile, and a rapper many still deem to be the greatest of all time -- Lil Wayne. Known for his synth-heavy brand of "bling rap" bounce, don't get it twisted. Fresh can go dark if the occasion called for it, as it did on Lil Weezy's spooky banger "Walk In" back in 2004.
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Positioned as the official introduction to his game-changing album Tha Carter, "Walk In" found Fresh conjuring an eerie backdrop, brimming with haunting choral vocals and a minor-key chord progression. Stabs of slick guitar ground the beat in reality, but otherwise we're looking at a different plane altogether. One in which Weezy can enact all manner of superhuman abilities, floating overhead and delivering one of the best lyrical salvos of his studio-album career.
"I take your grandma pacemaker and just hand her the piece, not two fingers I simultaneously pop two bangers," he spits, blending sharp wordplay with a dexterous flow. "You do not want Angus, USDA prime beef, you're dead meat." It's no wonder that he came to call himself the "best rapper alive," a claim no doubt emboldened by the calming presence of Mannie Fresh, eternally in his corner. Happy birthday, Mr. Fresh!
QUOTABLE LYRICS
I hear you haters slandering me, I just hand 'em to P
Any drama, I pace it like Indiana
I take your grandma pacemaker and just hand her the piece
Not two fingers I simultaneously pop two bangers
You do not want Angus, USDA prime beef, you're dead meat
I'm so ahead of these trendy rappers speed up
I'm already hot when another one starting to heat up
Got Mannie hot with me cuz I always beat his beat up