{"id":515129,"date":"2026-06-23T23:16:16","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T23:16:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/515129\/"},"modified":"2026-06-23T23:16:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T23:16:16","slug":"maneesh-interview-producer-talks-drake-making-shabang-iceman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/515129\/","title":{"rendered":"Maneesh Interview: Producer Talks Drake, Making ‘Shabang’ & ‘ICEMAN’"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tYou\u2019ve heard the name, now you\u2019ve seen the face. Maneesh has been a go-to producer for Drake since the 6 God fired his first shot at Meek Mill on 2015\u2019s \u201cCharged Up.\u201d Over the years, the Toronto-based, Indian-Canadian contributed to records such as the Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper \u201cWhat\u2019s Next,\u201d the Rihanna-assisted \u201cToo Good,\u201d the fan-favorite Certified Lover Boy opener \u201cChampagne Poetry,\u201d and countless other Drizzy songs. However, there may be no moment more important than what fans witnessed on the evening of May 14, 2026.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tExplore\t\t<\/p>\n

See latest videos, charts and news<\/p>\n

\n\tSix songs into the ICEMAN Episode 4 livestream, they watched a globe explode behind a fence. Viewers heard a line that would go on to soundtrack Instagram posts, TikTok nursery rhymes for children, championship celebrations for the New York Knicks after they won the NBA Finals, and so much more: \u201cManeesh on the beat, Shabang.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tWhile Yung Miami\u2019s \u201cSpend Dat\u201d has been tearing up the clubs and \u201cJanice STFU\u201d was the initial No. 1 hit from Drake\u2019s trio of albums, there is no denying that \u201cShabang\u201d has a strong claim to being the 2026 song of the summer. And for Maneesh, this is the perfect time to finally pop out and tell his story.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201c\u2018Shabang\u2019 has, against my will, unlocked the key to this cave I\u2019m in, and I have no choice,\u201d he tells Billboard in a rare interview. \u201c\u2018The Boy\u2019 put me so much in the front that I felt compelled and curious, finally.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tRead below to learn about when Maneesh knew he was on ICEMAN, how his relationship with Drake has evolved over the years, the six most important beats of his career and more.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tYou and Drake have done such great things together in the past, but what is special about \u201cShabang\u201d?<\/p>\n

\n\tThe first thing that came to mind is culture and race. My family has been through a lot of racism since we were kids. Teachers couldn\u2019t pronounce my name. Even just chopping [it up] with girls back in the day at the bar and having to say, \u201cMy name is Maneesh,\u201d and they\u2019re like, \u201cWhat?\u201d All that\u2019s over; it\u2019s been over, but it\u2019s really over. I feel like my mom in heaven would be smiling at this moment. \u201cYeah, your name\u2019s dope, and you should be proud that you didn\u2019t go on with an alias.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tI used to DJ by the name M-Rock. My boy said, \u201cYou can\u2019t use Maneesh, it has to be a hip-hop name.\u201d I\u2019m so glad that I changed back to my actual name. On top of that, I think \u201cShabang\u201d is the best beat of my whole life. It\u2019s an intersection of many amazing things. The beautiful time we\u2019re in in Toronto, where the diversity is peaking, and Drake is acknowledging that diversity. It also reveals my relationship with the OVO gang and The Boy.<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s history. A producer\u2019s name was shouted out in a chorus of a slap. There\u2019s \u201cNo I.D. on the track, let the story begin,\u201d which is crazy, but this is different. The first person I hit up was No I.D., because that\u2019s my friend and mentor, and because he has that on two joints. This is a little different, because this is a super-viral song that tings and kids love. It\u2019s for everybody. It\u2019s crazy.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhen did you know for sure you were going to be on ICEMAN?<\/p>\n

\n\tYou never know until the album comes out. I\u2019ll tell you a couple of hints that indicated this song was special: Eight people in the gang told me it\u2019s an amazing song. I haven\u2019t experienced that before. I called \u201c40\u201d a month before the release date, and he goes, \u201cManeesh on the beat, Shabang,\u201d and I go, \u201cWhat are you talking about?\u201d Then he [says it again], and I still don\u2019t understand.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tWhen I heard it, I was shocked. I thought it was just a shout-out. Then at midnight the album drops, and I realized it\u2019s a chorus. I\u2019m going from probably the lowest social media following of any producer ever to having my name in the chorus of a song. And it\u2019s not just a chorus of a song, it\u2019s a chorus of a slap.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s my best beat, it\u2019s Drake murdering it, ICEMAN being the best album, ICEMAN being a classic. It\u2019s just good news falling from the ceiling. That night, it was hard to leave the couch. On top of that, the city was going crazy. All my friends were within driving distance of the CN Tower, because that\u2019s where everyone was posted up. I live a 15-minute walk from it, and I just was stuck on the couch trying to understand everything.<\/p>\n

\n\tDid you know it was a special beat before hearing what Drake did on it?<\/p>\n

\n\tI was probably 75% sure. Then, when I saw him put the [heart emoji] on it, I was 100% sure. He\u2019s the greatest A&R in history, in my opinion. So the ones he picks, I feel the strongest about, and then there are a couple of personal ones that I feel strongly about as well. I\u2019m in quite a bubble. I work alone, and I can definitely get tunnel vision being here.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tA lot of Drake\u2019s producers, much like yourself, don\u2019t typically do media. I feel like it is indicative of his collaborative circle prioritizing the work and love of music above all. What do you think is the root cause of that unhindered work ethic you all have?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tI think, in any organization, the boss is an example of how the employees behave. Seeing how much output comes from him inspires me personally to keep going. My boy Greg Dawson from Keys N Crates taught me that once you make something, you move on. You don\u2019t keep on sitting in it and living in it. So, even though I\u2019m posting about \u201cShabang\u201d every other day, I\u2019m in four sessions a day because we really believe the sky\u2019s the limit.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tI see \u201c40,\u201d for example. I see his catalog not just growing in size, but what he\u2019s doing as a finisher, executive, and full-on band member. I can\u2019t just sit around and party. I\u2019ve got to do this stuff really well around the smartest, dopest, most soulful, grooviest people that I can think of. This is what it\u2019s like being around any artist in their prime. You can either party or keep up. I\u2019d rather keep up.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhy is now the time you want to open up more?<\/p>\n

\n\tI met someone last night. I said, \u201cHi, I\u2019m Maneesh,\u201d and they\u2019re like, \u201cManeesh on the beat, Shabang.\u201d I go, \u201cYeah, that\u2019s me.\u201d It\u2019s like that now. It\u2019s time to have some fun.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tI\u2019ve always wanted to speak to Billboard, to be honest. Y\u2019all hit me up during Views, and I wasn\u2019t ready to talk yet. I was just too excited. Now I\u2019m a bit older and wiser, and it took me a long time to understand that Billboard is what we should really care about. It\u2019s not necessarily about award shows. It\u2019s data. It\u2019s the truth. The s\u2013t that matters is people really listening.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe life goal now is to make it on the cover of Billboard one day, because that to me is \u201cthe one.\u201d They care about stats in a world filled with fake information and AI bots. The only people who can talk about music to me, the only paper we should be chasing, is Billboard. If I never go to an award show ever again, I\u2019ll be fine.<\/p>\n

\n\tHow do you think the relationship has evolved from when you were working with Drake during the Views era up to now?<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s better. The whole organization is great, hard-working people. I am aware that as time goes by, this is actually growing. This doesn\u2019t make you miss the old days; this makes you want to be here right now. All those mature things in Buddhism: being present, being grounded, appreciating the current moment on many levels.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tThe most important thing I know is \u201cSend.\u201d What this means to me is 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., \u201cSend. Bam, bam, bam.\u201d That\u2019s my life, and I lock in. I make music with everybody, but this is where my heart is. Everyone knows that.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat\u2019s the approach now that you have added a record like \u201cShabang\u201d to your impressive catalog of songs?<\/p>\n

\n\tThree words: Control Room Three. I am part of a group here in Toronto, and we make music for fun. We don\u2019t know where it\u2019s going. My boy Dusty put me in a car with Majid Jordan to Montreal for a Drake show. We got very familiar with each other: eating together, hanging out and playing music for each other. We came back to Toronto, and within hours, we made a song called \u201cSummers Over Interlude.\u201d We sent that to The Boy, and he put it on Views.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tWhen Dusty is around, great things are happening. That\u2019s what is still going on. Meeting artists: young people, old people, people who have swag, sauce, and just trying to make music. Often these songs don\u2019t work out, but maybe we\u2019ll scrap the lead and just make an instrumental that works. That\u2019s what \u201cToo Good\u201d was. We passed it to Nineteen85 and Supa Dups, and they just smashed it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s more about working with anybody cool. It\u2019s not chasing celebrities or A-List artists. I\u2019m in the mix with a bunch. I got tons I\u2019ve talked to, but we\u2019ll have our time.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat are the six most important records that you have produced?<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cShabang\u201d one. It explains what kind of guy I am, what my music sounds like, and it\u2019s a sick moment for the city.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tTwo, \u201cSummers Over Interlude.\u201d It explains what Control Room Three is about.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tThree, \u201cEternal Sunshine\u201d by Lou Val. Another Control Room Three situation. It\u2019s one of my best songs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tFour, \u201cHeartbreak Anniversary\u201d [by Giveon]. That\u2019s massive because I was actually in LA with colleagues who weren\u2019t taking my work seriously. I was like, \u201cLet me call up [Sevn Thomas], I still haven\u2019t met him.\u201d That must have been a divine message for me to call Sevn, because we made my biggest song out of that moment.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cToo Good\u201d [by Drake and Rihanna]. It\u2019s like hearing a song one time, and it\u2019s instantly in my memory because it\u2019s so damn catchy. That\u2019s a major one for me.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cMaria I\u2019m Drunk\u201d by Travis Scott featuring Justin Bieber and Young Thug. A lot of my stuff comes out of pain, so I just made that. My part is the Travis part. I was just lost, and I made an R&B idea. Very Phil Collins-inspired. To me, it was so ahead of its time, what Trav was doing.<\/p>\n


\n \"Billboard
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