Mannie Fresh has been busy producing the G.O.O.D. Music compilation, which he hints may have opened up doors for him at the label. However, Manny has obviously been burned in the past by labels, so right now he's just focusing on making the best music possible since he's career is skyrocketing again.

Mannie recently sat down with HipHopDX to discuss possible ventures with G.O.O.D. Music in the future and Kanye's Cash Money past.

Here are some highlights from the interview:

DX: Another producer you inspired that I didn't even know you had inspired until recently is the guy who can be heard calling you "the best producer" during Episode 6 of the behind the scenes of the Watch The Throne Tour. What did you think when Kanye West bestowed you with that crown?

Mannie Fresh: Like I said, for the right people to acknowledge you, you know you done something. It ain't about your numbers; it ain't about none of that. Somebody like Kanye West, [who's] on top of his game right now, to acknowledge you, to give you that love like, "Yeah, I think dude is that dude," I can't tell you what that means.

DX: [Laughs] A little history question here: Is it true that Kanye tried to get on with Cash Money before he got down with Roc-A-Fella?

Mannie Fresh: Yeah, he did. And that's how far we go back. It's a blessing when you are good people. When Kanye first came around, I let him use my equipment. I didn't know him from a can of paint. I just thought he was a talented dude. And I was like, "Here dude, you can use my MPC, my keyboards, whatever you need to do." And that came back around by him reaching out right now.

He told me one of his stories [from when he was at Cash Money Records], he was like, "I called back home and I was like, 'Dude, I'm using Mannie Fresh's equipment, y'all a never believe this.'" So it's like I said, you never know who is gonna be that guy.

DX: Do you remember what happened there, why that didn't work out ...?

Mannie Fresh: It was more of like Kanye knew back then what he wanted, the situation that he was looking for and all of that. The dude, Mikkey [Halsted], stayed. Mikkey [ended up] signed to Cash Money, but both of them came together. Kanye came as Mikkey's producer and they was trying to sign together.

I remember Kanye playing some songs, some of the songs which are now classic songs that was on Jay-Z's [The Blueprint] album. And I was like, "This dude has something. What he's doing right now, that's gonna be something." And, I don't think Cash Money's [founders] – [Birdman] and Ronald didn't hear that. I'm like, "Dude, this something new, this something different."

DX: Going back to that [tour] clip, you're seen in there giving a nice little motivational speech to the G.O.O.D. Music fam. So does this mean you're officially G.O.O.D. Music in-house yourself now?

Mannie Fresh: Well, we working that out. I'm kind of funny about signing with people. Dude, I've been through so much. And I'm not saying I think Kanye is a bad person, but I can't tell you what that is right now. It's really on me, and what space I'm in. I'm not saying that I wouldn't do it, but it's gotta be something that makes sense for me.

Source: hiphopdx.com