Key Takeaways
- Toronto producer Maneesh Bidaye has spent a decade quietly producing for Drake, Travis Scott, J. Cole, and more.
- His co-production work on Drake’s Views (including “Keep The Family Close,” “Summer’s Over Interlude,” and the title track) and songwriting on Rihanna collab “Too Good” helped shape the modern Toronto sound, blending vocal-sample textures, R&B, dancehall, and diaspora influences.
- Maneesh produced "Shabang" from Drake's Iceman. The song become a TikTok-era summer anthem, marking his first transcendent hit.
“Maneesh on the beat, shabang.”
These are the words that open one of the standout songs from the rap album of the year so far: Drake’s Iceman. That song is “Shabang” and it has taken over, dominating the early weeks of summer, partially due to the TikTok. (People use cuts to edit objects into their hands, making it look like they appeared magically; Drake contributed.)
Beyond the virality, there's the production itself which is infectious: the song opens with sped-up vocals and a bright R&B atmosphere before the punchy, energetic beat drops—capped by the shout-out to the producer.
After decades in the game, Maneesh Bidaye is having his moment in the limelight. He’s been working with Drake since 2015, eventually becoming an important contributor to the OVO camp, with multiple writing and production credits on Views and Certified Lover Boy.
Maneesh has had success, including producing for artists like dvsn and J. Cole and earning a Grammy nomination for his work on Giveon's "Heartbreak Anniversary." But this is different. "Shabang," which is co-produced by Noah “40” Shebib, is the first time he's been responsible for a transcendent hit—one that reached No. 4 on the Hot 100.
"I had goosebumps all over my body when I saw it up there," he told Complex over the phone. "It's definitely a huge accomplishment."
Maneesh’s early years
Originally from the Rexdale neighborhood in Toronto, the Indian-Canadian producer started out as a DJ, using the moniker M-Rock and putting out mixtapes centered around legendary figures like Jay-Z and A Tribe Called Quest.
In the early 2010s Maneesh’s rep started to grow; he was spinning gigs for celebrities like NBA hall of famer Shaquille O'Neal and, in 2013, he won Red Bull’s Thre3style Competition in Toronto. His music eventually reached Mark Ronson, the veteran DJ turned producer who made his name working with Amy Winehouse.
Ronson invited DJ M-Rock to mix live on his East Village Radio show “Authentic Shit.” On air, the veteran DJ showered Maneesh with praise, especially over how he remixed Daft Punk’s 2013 hit, “Get Lucky.”
“The way he adds the strings and the horns is fucking amazing,” Ronson said on the air, before adding, “If you’re a DJ you should probably be playing that version.”
This recognition started Maneesh’s as a producer. ”That day alone got me into this whole thing,” Maneesh said. “And since then it’s been just constantly upwards.”
Around that time he connected with fellow Canadian producer Frank Dukes, who passed along some of his work to Illmind. This led to Maneesh earning his first major writing credits in 2015, on Ludacris’ album Ludaversal, working on“Lyrical Healing” and “Charge It to the Rap Game.”
Despite this milestone in his career, he struggled to maintain his momentum as a producer. While DJing, Maneesh had crossed paths with Drake, but wasn't yet the powerhouse producer he'd become. However, Drake was so impressed with what Maneesh was spinning that he'd return to the spot just to hear him again. "The irony is I didn't have any beats for him. I had been constantly quitting production because there was no real Canadian rap scene," he said. "Drake kind of changed all that."
Maneesh would eventually sign a production deal with 40, and within a month he had his first credit for Drake: the Meek Mill diss "Charged Up."
That same year brought another major production credit: the instant classic Travis Scott and Justin Bieber song "Maria I'm Drunk," alongside producers Allen Ritter and Frank Dukes. It was his first track to go platinum. "I was blown away when I saw Bieber jump on it and sing so well, and just such a crazy R&B performance," he said. "I was in heaven hearing all that, and to see it do well, and to age well, and to be this album track that people talk about, it makes me very happy and proud."
The songs Maneesh’s produced for Drake
In 2016, Drake dropped his classic fourth studio album, Views. Maneesh co-produced three songs on the album, the opener “Keep The Family Close,” “Summer’s Over Interlude,” and the title track. Additionally, he has a songwriting credit on “Too Good,” featuring Rihanna. “I worked with the guitarist and we made something amazing,” he says of the song. “I included a bunch of little vocables—hums and oohs and ahhs—and I passed that to the producer nineteen85 who had these drums with Supa Dups, and we ended up with this amazing beat by the time I heard what Drake did to it. I was blown away the first time I heard it.”
The song, which samples Popcaan’s "Love Yuh Bad" and features a dancehall rhythm driving the track, also demonstrated the influence of the Caribbean diaspora in Toronto.
“ Drake is a Toronto guy who likes reggae, hip-hop, neo soul, house music,” he said. “I think that gets reflected in the type of music we all make in our scene, where it’s so diverse, it’s hard to believe it can all come from such a small team…There’s definitely a Toronto sound, thanks to 40 and Boi-1da and T-minus, Frank Dukes, and many people.”
Though Maneesh's success with Drake brought him public recognition, he had been refining his sound long before. Taking inspiration from the greats like Kanye West, he used vocal samples to create textures and beats, a signature of his sound. “I make music that you would hear in, like, the ’70s or ’80s,” he said. “On “Too Good,” there's little vocals in the background, that's from me recording a vocalist to get textures and ideas.”
How “Shabang” ended up on Iceman
Maneesh stayed in the OVO camp while working on songs for Certified Lover Boy. But then he lost touch with Drake before a chance encounter with the The Boy at a jazz club in Toronto in 2025 changed things. From there, Maneesh sent over beats, including the one for "Shabang." And then didn’t hear anything back.
But talk about Drake's new album started spreading, and the anticipation began to build. "He didn't tell me anything about it at all, really," Maneesh said. "But I heard from like eight people that this was an incredible song. And I was so intrigued: how's it gonna sound? The word 'shabang' is so interesting."
Drake's rollout was one of the more memorable in recent years—live streams, art installations, and explosions were teased across social media. Maneesh caught the conversation happening. What he didn't realize was that those explosions were actually for the "Shabang" video. He wouldn’t find out until the final Iceman stream dropped, where Drake compiled all the footage together.
"When the album dropped and I saw the 'Shabang' video with the explosion, I thought I was dreaming," he said. "It just blew my mind."
Iceman would be one of three albums Drake would drop on May 15, alongside Maid of Honour and Habibti. But really Iceman has shown to have the most staying power. Every song off the album hit the Billboard Hot 100, which means two of Maneesh's productions—"Shabang" and "Make Them Cry"—charted from the project.
The project marks a serious cherry on top moment for Maneesh. Earlier this year, he co-produced J. Cole's The Fall-Off, adding another credential to an already stacked résumé.
With his career continuing upwards, Maneesh speaks on working with a multitude of artists and expansion. "It's really just a lot of hard work and sending beats consistently. I have so many ideas," he said. "There's so much means to make these ideas happen, that's the beauty of music."
But his relationship with Drake remains special. "Any Drake album is a heavy, heavy focus for me, because there's no better artist in my opinion,” Maneesh said. “No artist understands my music the same way. Which is why I have the most music with Drake…it's just the best home for my sound."
