Mannie Fresh Reveals Truth Behind Failed Hot Boys Reunion, "It Was Just A Ploy"

Former Cash Money Records recording artist Mannie Fresh has provided an update on the long delayed Hot Boys reunion by saying there were never genuine plans for everyone to come together.

According to Fresh, a Hot Boys reunion was nothing more than attention-generating talk.

Well, I always did say that's not happening. It was just a ploy; it was just something to make them look good at the time. It was like, okay, we saying this, but I'm like, "How are y'all saying this, and y'all not getting in touch with nobody about it?" It's like asking somebody something in an interview and you don't know how to dodge that question 'cause the next question might be the same thing you asking me. Like, "Well, dude, okay, if it ain't gonna be that, then how you gonna straighten out things with these people?" So the easiest way to get out of that is like, "Yeah, we working on it, we doing it." (Hip Hop DX)

Last May, ex-Cash Money rapper B.G. talked about wanting to reunite with Lil Wayne, Baby, Juvenlie and Turk.

"All of us say, 'We ready.' The whole world wants it, the whole world wants to see it. It's a business move. Me and Baby talk all the time. Me and Lil Weezy, that'll always be my little brother. Me and Juve, I don't know, we don't really talk like that." (Mikey T The Movie Star)

In February, Rap-A-Lot Records CEO J. Prince hinted at plans to release the project under his label.

"We don't have a title for [Juvenile's album] yet," Prince said in an interview. "He has a real exciting single that I'm real crazy about. If I have it my way, the whole Cash Money crew is gonna be on there. They were family in the beginning, and I look at it and view 'em as family now. And my relationship with Baby and Slim is superb. You know, we're all business men. So there's no reason we can't come together and make that happen." (The Source)

In 2009, Juvenile told SOHH Mannie Fresh was needed in order for a true Hot Boys reunion.

"I like this question, I like this question," Juvie admitted. "I've been talking to Baby, man. I've talked to Baby, he's real behind doing the Hot Boys album thing. He done came at me three times but the whole thing was and I wanna be truthful to everybody, it was me and him talking. Me and Wayne was cool. Me and B.G.was cool, all of us was cool but I really had to talk to Baby. We had to put everything out on the table and settle our differences and that was something we'd never done. And I can honestly say it's been done now so y'all can definitely be looking forward to that album. It's coming. It's confirmed [laughs] I got a check already. I always say that when people ask like, 'Man, they already paid me on the Hot Boys album,' so you know, with me, I'm already in. It's just a matter of everybody else being in. I don't think it would be right if we left Mannie Fresh out. Don't you think? He was the producer, he did all the music for Hot Boys, so we gotta have him involved, if he don't do the whole album [then] he gotta do something on there." (SOHH)