Mannie Fresh has re-shared a story about a time he made a fool of himself — and it has to do with the Baha Men.
In an appearance with Juvenile on Nyla Symone’s We Need to Talk, the Cash Money stars were asked about a time they each made “a complete fool of myself.”
In his answer, Mannie recalls coming up with the hook for the 2000 smash hit “Who Let the Dogs Out” by the Baha Men in an offhanded way, and then promptly forgetting about it — without receiving any writing credit or compensation for his work on one of the most popular songs of the decade.
“We was at Circle House [Studios, in Miami]. I was programming something in the studio, and the dudes who made that song, they was just like, ‘Bro, would you help us with a song?’” Mannie recalled.
“I was like, ‘I’m busy doing something right now.’ They was like, ‘Give us a hook or whatever.’ I was like, ‘Just go, “Who let the dogs out/ Who who who who“,’ and I closed the door. I was just like, get the fuck out of here. And that came out and I was just like, ‘Wait a minute.’”
Check it out at the 35:12 mark below.
Mannie has told this story before, and some aspects of it hold up to scrutiny — the Baha Men did in fact record part of the song in Circle House. However, the “Who Let the Dogs Out” hook well predates the Baha Men.
Their 2000 version of the song was a cover of Anslem Douglas’ 1998 original, which was recorded overseas and contains the hook Fresh claims to have written. Douglas himself said he got the hook from a jingle for a radio show hosted by his brother-in-law.
To make things even more complicated, there is a well-documented version of the hook from an entirely different group, called Miami Boom Productions, that dates from 1992.
Versions of the hook can be found as far back as the late 1980s, in a Texas high school football chant. You can read a 99% Invisible story about the history of “Who Let the Dogs Out” in all of its complicated glory here.
Mannie has been recalling all sorts of different road-not-taken parts of his past in recent interviews, including a revelation about Bun B.
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In a sit-down with Apt. 5H, Mannie revealed that the Texas rap veteran was initially supposed to be a part of the Big Tymers alongside himself and Birdman.
However, industry politics surrounding Cash Money’s then-rivalry with fellow Southern rap powerhouse No Limit Records prevented Bun from officially linking up with Mannie and Baby.
“Bun actually was supposed to be in the Big Tymers. A lot of people don’t know that,” the producer said. “But I think for reasons that — it kinda conflicted because you gotta think about how weird the dynamics of the South were.
“Pimp [C] was doing stuff with No Limit; Bun was doing stuff with us. So I think it would’ve made a rift in their group if any of them would have joined [a No Limit or Cash Money group].”
