Byron Otto Thomas (born March 20, 1969), better known by his stage name Mannie Fresh, is an American music producer and rapper. He's best known for his productions on

Cash Money Records Cash Money Records is an American record label founded in 1991 by brothers Ronald "Slim" Williams and Bryan "Birdman" Williams. Distributed by Republic, formerly known as Universal Republic, the label has been home to a roster of mostly hip h ...

releases, as well being half of the hip hop duo (alongside label co-founder Birdman) the

Big Tymers Big Tymers (stylized as Big Tymer$) was an American musical duo active from 1997 to 2005 and again in 2018-2018 from New Orleans, Louisiana consisting of Cash Money Records co-founder Baby and former Cash Money in-house producer Mannie Fresh.B ...

. He produced all or most of the songs on 17 multi-platinum, platinum or gold albums for Cash Money from 1998 to 2004 before leaving the label. He also was their only in-house producer when the company started in 1991.

Life and career

Thomas was born and raised in the

7th Ward of New Orleans The 7th Ward is a section of New Orleans, Louisiana. It is geographically the third largest of the 17 Wards of New Orleans, after the 9th Ward and 15th Ward. New Orleans Districts and Wards Boundaries and geography The 7th Ward stretches from ...

. Influenced by his father DJ Sabu, Thomas became a DJ for New Orleans hip hop crew New York Incorporated in 1984 at age 15. In the late 1980s, he began a partnership with New Orleans rapper MC Gregory D. They released their first album together ''Throwdown'' in 1987, with Mannie Fresh producing and MC Gregory D rapping. They would release two more records together in the late 1980s and early 1990s. After their last album together, in 1993, Thomas met Bryan "Baby" Williams, who gave him an opportunity to become the in-house producer of his record label

. With Williams' help, Thomas made chart-topping albums for the

Hot Boys The Hot Boys (often styled as Hot Boy$) are an American hip hop group formed in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1997. The group is made up of B.G., Lil Wayne, Juvenile and Turk. The group was originally formed in 1997, and released their debut rec ...

, which was composed of

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman (rapper), ...

, B.G., Juvenile, and Turk, producing all of the group's albums. He also produced all tracks on the members' solo works as well. Later, Thomas formed the

along with Williams, as Mannie Fresh and Birdman respectively, bringing him fame, and released five albums. In 2004, he released his own debut solo album ''

The Mind of Mannie Fresh ''The Mind of Mannie Fresh'' is the debut studio album by Mannie Fresh. It was released December 21, 2004 under Cash Money Records Cash Money Records is an American record label founded in 1991 by brothers Ronald "Slim" Williams and Bryan " ...

'', which consisted of 30 tracks and featured the single "Real Big," which peaked at #72 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. In 2005, he split from Cash Money for financial reasons, and later joined Def Jam South, to which he is currently signed. On October 27, 2009, Mannie Fresh released his second solo album, ''

Return of the Ballin' ''Return of the Ballin is the second solo album by rap producer Mannie Fresh. It was released on October 27, 2009. Two singles were released from the album, "Like a Boss" and "Drought," the latter of which featured Rick Ross (rapper), Rick Ross a ...

''. The album was entirely produced by Fresh himself and featured prominent guests

Rick Ross William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper. Prior to releasing his debut single, "Hustlin'", in 2006, Ross was the subject of a bidding war, receiving offers from Sean Combs, D ...

and

Lil Jon Jonathan H. Smith (born January 17, 1971) better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, producer and former frontman of the rap group Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz. He was instrumental in the emergence of the hip hop subgenre cru ...

Discography

Studio albums

* ''

'' (2004) * ''

'' (2009)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fresh, Mannie 1969 births Living people Cash Money Records artists African-American male rappers African-American record producers People from Destrehan, Louisiana Rappers from New Orleans Def Jam Recordings artists American hip hop record producers Southern hip hop musicians Trap musicians Musicians from New Orleans African-American songwriters Songwriters from Louisiana 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American people American male songwriters Cash Money Millionaires members