You’ve heard the name, now you’ve 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’s “Charged Up.” Over the years, the Toronto-based, Indian-Canadian contributed to records such as the Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper “What’s Next,” the Rihanna-assisted “Too Good,” the fan-favorite Certified Lover Boy opener “Champagne Poetry,” and countless other Drizzy songs. However, there may be no moment more important than what fans witnessed on the evening of May 14, 2026.
Six 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: “Maneesh on the beat, Shabang.”
While Yung Miami’s “Spend Dat” has been tearing up the clubs and “Janice STFU” was the initial No. 1 hit from Drake’s trio of albums, there is no denying that “Shabang” 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.
“‘Shabang’ has, against my will, unlocked the key to this cave I’m in, and I have no choice,” he tells Billboard in a rare interview. “‘The Boy’ put me so much in the front that I felt compelled and curious, finally.”
Read 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.
You and Drake have done such great things together in the past, but what is special about “Shabang”?
The 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’t pronounce my name. Even just chopping [it up] with girls back in the day at the bar and having to say, “My name is Maneesh,” and they’re like, “What?” All that’s over; it’s been over, but it’s really over. I feel like my mom in heaven would be smiling at this moment. “Yeah, your name’s dope, and you should be proud that you didn’t go on with an alias.”
I used to DJ by the name M-Rock. My boy said, “You can’t use Maneesh, it has to be a hip-hop name.” I’m so glad that I changed back to my actual name. On top of that, I think “Shabang” is the best beat of my whole life. It’s an intersection of many amazing things. The beautiful time we’re 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.
It’s history. A producer’s name was shouted out in a chorus of a slap. There’s “No I.D. on the track, let the story begin,” which is crazy, but this is different. The first person I hit up was No I.D., because that’s 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’s for everybody. It’s crazy.
When did you know for sure you were going to be on ICEMAN?
You never know until the album comes out. I’ll tell you a couple of hints that indicated this song was special: Eight people in the gang told me it’s an amazing song. I haven’t experienced that before. I called “40” a month before the release date, and he goes, “Maneesh on the beat, Shabang,” and I go, “What are you talking about?” Then he [says it again], and I still don’t understand.
When I heard it, I was shocked. I thought it was just a shout-out. Then at midnight the album drops, and I realized it’s a chorus. I’m going from probably the lowest social media following of any producer ever to having my name in the chorus of a song. And it’s not just a chorus of a song, it’s a chorus of a slap.
It’s my best beat, it’s Drake murdering it, ICEMAN being the best album, ICEMAN being a classic. It’s 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’s 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.
Did you know it was a special beat before hearing what Drake did on it?
I was probably 75% sure. Then, when I saw him put the [heart emoji] on it, I was 100% sure. He’s 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’m in quite a bubble. I work alone, and I can definitely get tunnel vision being here.
A lot of Drake’s producers, much like yourself, don’t 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?
I 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’t keep on sitting in it and living in it. So, even though I’m posting about “Shabang” every other day, I’m in four sessions a day because we really believe the sky’s the limit.
I see “40,” for example. I see his catalog not just growing in size, but what he’s doing as a finisher, executive, and full-on band member. I can’t just sit around and party. I’ve got to do this stuff really well around the smartest, dopest, most soulful, grooviest people that I can think of. This is what it’s like being around any artist in their prime. You can either party or keep up. I’d rather keep up.
Why is now the time you want to open up more?
I met someone last night. I said, “Hi, I’m Maneesh,” and they’re like, “Maneesh on the beat, Shabang.” I go, “Yeah, that’s me.” It’s like that now. It’s time to have some fun.
I’ve always wanted to speak to Billboard, to be honest. Y’all hit me up during Views, and I wasn’t ready to talk yet. I was just too excited. Now I’m a bit older and wiser, and it took me a long time to understand that Billboard is what we should really care about. It’s not necessarily about award shows. It’s data. It’s the truth. The s–t that matters is people really listening.
The life goal now is to make it on the cover of Billboard one day, because that to me is “the one.” 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’ll be fine.
How do you think the relationship has evolved from when you were working with Drake during the Views era up to now?
It’s better. The whole organization is great, hard-working people. I am aware that as time goes by, this is actually growing. This doesn’t 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.
The most important thing I know is “Send.” What this means to me is 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., “Send. Bam, bam, bam.” That’s my life, and I lock in. I make music with everybody, but this is where my heart is. Everyone knows that.
What’s the approach now that you have added a record like “Shabang” to your impressive catalog of songs?
Three words: Control Room Three. I am part of a group here in Toronto, and we make music for fun. We don’t know where it’s 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 “Summers Over Interlude.” We sent that to The Boy, and he put it on Views.
When Dusty is around, great things are happening. That’s 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’t work out, but maybe we’ll scrap the lead and just make an instrumental that works. That’s what “Too Good” was. We passed it to Nineteen85 and Supa Dups, and they just smashed it.
It’s more about working with anybody cool. It’s not chasing celebrities or A-List artists. I’m in the mix with a bunch. I got tons I’ve talked to, but we’ll have our time.
What are the six most important records that you have produced?
“Shabang” one. It explains what kind of guy I am, what my music sounds like, and it’s a sick moment for the city.
Two, “Summers Over Interlude.” It explains what Control Room Three is about.
Three, “Eternal Sunshine” by Lou Val. Another Control Room Three situation. It’s one of my best songs.
Four, “Heartbreak Anniversary” [by Giveon]. That’s massive because I was actually in LA with colleagues who weren’t taking my work seriously. I was like, “Let me call up [Sevn Thomas], I still haven’t met him.” That must have been a divine message for me to call Sevn, because we made my biggest song out of that moment.
“Too Good” [by Drake and Rihanna]. It’s like hearing a song one time, and it’s instantly in my memory because it’s so damn catchy. That’s a major one for me.
“Maria I’m Drunk” 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.
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