Mannie Fresh considers himself one of the last superproducers, and it’s easy to understand why. Few have come anywhere near his discography in terms of volume, much less the consistent quality he maintained throughout a long career. Mannie was one of the chief architects of the sound of New Orleans rap, helping to establish the signature sound of bounce music. After signing with Cash Money Records, he evolved along with the label’s roster, adding more and more depth to his bounce beats until it became apparent that he was gradually inventing an entirely new sound. On tracks produced by Mannie Fresh, half a dozen rappers were propelled to superstardom—though all of them would eventually part ways with Cash Money due to the impossibility of dealing with label owner and rap supervillain Birdman. By 2004, when Mannie had finally put together his first solo album, Cash Money was staffed by a skeleton crew—which is a shame, because his beats had become incredibly intricate. The Mind of Mannie Fresh contains some of the best music of the producer’s career, but it’s not so bad that there weren’t many people left to rap over them; he’s still pretty nice on the mic himself.