Soca veteran sets the record straight
By Michael Mondezie
Nonsense!
That was the dismissive response from veteran soca artiste Anslem Douglas to a viral video suggesting he was not the original writer of his most iconic song “Doggie”.
American hip-hop producer Mannie Fresh (Byron Thomas) claimed ownership over Douglas’ “Who Let The Dogs Out” hook, in a video clip that was widely circulated on social media this week.
However, it is common knowledge that Douglas wrote and released “Doggie” in 1998, where the repetitive chorus first appeared. The song was later covered by Bahamian junkanoo band Baha Men, earning them a Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording and Billboard Music Awards for World Music Artist of the Year and World Music Album of the year.
In a recent appearance on American media personality Nyla Symone’s We Need to Talk podcast, Mannie Fresh claimed he spontaneously came up with the hook as a throw-away idea. The claim was made during a segment where guests are asked to share moments where they “made a complete fool” of themselves.
“I was programming something in the studio and the dudes who made that song, they were just like ‘bro would you help us with a song’. And I was just like I’m busy doing something now, and they were just like ‘well just give us a hook or whatever’.
“I’m hitting on the thing and I’m like well just go: who let the dogs out, who, who, who. And I close the door and I’m like man get the (eff) out of here. I was just saying that to get them out the studio,” Mannie Fresh said, to Symone’s amusement.
Douglas, now based in New York, USA, initially hesitated to respond but ultimately set the record straight during a WhatsApp exchange with the Kitcharee.
“Truth of the matter is that I don’t want to contribute to giving that person’s nonsense legs. I wrote and recorded that song 27 years ago. It was in no less than five major films covered by groups and bands, sold approximately four million copies, won a Grammy, and now he is staking a claim that he gave the Baha Men the hook?”
Soca fans quickly backed up the San Fernando-born singer on social media , calling out the former Cash Money Records rapper for making false claims.
“That’s cap!” one male fan wrote, using the hip hop slang for lying.
“Aye yuh lying boi and this is sickening,” wrote another.
Douglas expressed his gratitude for the support and encouraged fans to check out his latest release: “We Nice”, which dropped yesterday.
Addressing Mannie Fresh’s claim, he pointed out another inconsistency: “If (my) song was recorded three years before the Baha Men’s version, how come they had to ask him for a hook for an existing song?
“I rest my case!” Douglas concluded.
