Don't let the name fool you. Cash Money
Records' latest superstar Juvenile, is a hot
rapper with more than ten years experience
of ripping shows, dropping cold-as-ice lyrics
and laying it down for "Uptown" New Orleans.
"Juvenile is a name I got when I was young
and thugging," explains 23-year-old Terius
Gray.
Juvenile hails from the infamous New
Orleans Uptown region and was reared in the
Magnolia projects. Like some other housing
projects, the Magnolia projects have a
serious reputation for being rowdy and wild.
It's a place where few children survive
unscathed by the horrendous poverty that
grips many of the residents there. But not
Juve. Like the elders of old, he kept his eyes
on the prize - his dream of being a rap star.
"I had my struggles," says a solemn
Juvenile when asked about life in the "wild"
Magnolia. "My pops went AWOL on me when
I was four, so I had my struggles and I had peer pressure, but I didn't let things get
to me. I always stayed focused on what I was trying to do."
Rapping since the age of ten, Juvenile formed a group called the UTP, a name that
he has tattooed on his stomach in honor of his old Uptown crew, many of whom are
either dead or locked up. "UTP was like a coalition for Uptown rappers." Through his
rap activity, Juvenile became instrumental in helping shape New Orleans' hip hop
scene. However, by the mid-90's, Juvenile's career took a turn for the worst.
Resisting the lure of fast money and cars, he took on a series of odd jobs in
between writing and doing shows whenever he could. His luck changed when he met
Ronald "Suga Slim" Williams and his brother Brian "Baby" Williams, owners of Cash
Money Records. On the way to work, he auditioned for them on the spot. Although
the brothers liked what they heard, they didn't have a spot on their roster for new
artists. They gave him a card and told him to check with them later. Juvenile showed
up the next day, and the day after, and the day after, and the day after that. In
fact, he started hanging around the studio so much that the label finally gave him a
shot and released Juvenile's debut album titled Solja Rag. Instantly, Solja Rag
became an underground smash, selling close to 200,000 copies in the Southern
region alone. It also helped to set the stage for Juvenile's new group, The Hot Boys,
whose debut LP Get It How You Live sold nearly 400,000 copies and landed in the
#25 spot on the Billboard charts.
Now, Juvenile returns with his sophomore solo CD 400 Degreez, which will definitely
prove to be Cash Money's hottest release yet. Just listen to the sizzling lead single
"HA," with its rapid-fire rhythm, spacey keyboard and Juvenile's endless aggression
on the mic. Everyone is sure to get caught up in the high energy of "Welcome To
Magnolia" with it's bouncing organ chords and tight rhythms built around a 70's rim
shot, or the spine-chilling tracks "My Nine Is Gonna Die With Me" and "Back Dat Azz
Up." On "Run For It," you can feel the hunger in Juvenile's voice and the heat
coming from producer Mannie Fresh's tracks.
Why 400 Degreez? Let Juvenile explain. "The area I come from, they call it the 'hot
block; when the police come, they draw heat.' And I'm a hot boy so that 400
Degreez was perfect because that is the boiling point." Besides, given the
amount of bubbling bass lines, steamy rhythms and scorching lyrical content
that this CD packs, the album couldn't be called anything else.
Lyrics
JUVENILE
"HA"
THATS YOU WITH THAT BIG BODY BENZ HA
THATS YOU THAT CANT KEEP AN OLD LADY CAUSE YOU KEEP NAILING HER FRIENDS
HA
YOU GOTTA GO TO COURT HA
YOU GOT SERVED A SUBPEONA FOR CHILD SUPPORT HA
THAT WAS THAT NERVE HA
YOU AIN'T EVEN GET A CHANCE TO SAY A WORD HA
I KNOW I AIN'T TRIPPIN DON'T YOUR BROTHER GOT THEIR BIRDS HA
YOU READY TO BUST SOMEBODY HEAD HA
YOU AIN'T SCARED HA
YOU KNOW HOW TO PLAY IT HA
YOU NO YOU AIN'T GONE LET SOMEBODY COME AND PUNK YOU HA
STUNT AND FRONT YOU HA
STRAIGHT UP RUN YOU HA
YOU KNOW WHO GOT THAT FIRE GREEN HA
YOU KNOW HOW TO USE A TRIPLE BEAM HA
AIN'T HARD AS IT SEEMS HA
YOU KEEP YOUR BODY CLEAN HA
YOU GOT A LOT OF GIRBAUD JEANS HA
SOME OF YOUR PARTNERS DOPE FIENDS HA
YOU DON'T WANT TO REALLY MESS WITH THEM CLOWNS HA
YOU COME UP WITH THEM CLOWNS HA
YOU STUCK WITH THEM CLOWNS HA
CHORUS (REPEATS 2 TIMES)
IS YOU A PAPER CHASER
YOU GOT THE BLOCK ON FIRE
REMAINING A GEE UNTIL THE MOMENT YOU EXPIRE
YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS TO MAKE NOTHING OUT OF SOMETHING
YOU HANDLE YOUR BIZ AND DON'T BE CRYIN AND SUFFERING
YOU CAN'T DO NOTHING BUT LOVE FRESH HA
YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT WE GONE DO NEXT HA
YOU BROUGHT OUR TAPE WITH A CHECK HA
YOU WEARING A VEST HA
YOU TRYIN TO PROTECT YOUR CHEST HA
YOU SPENT SEVEN YEARS ON YOUR BENZ HA
THAT AIN'T YOURS THAT'S FOR YOUR FRIENDS HA
YOU WANNA STOP THESE HEADS FROM PLAYING WITH YOU HA
YOU WANNA RUN THE BLOCK HA
YOU WANNA BE THA LAST ONE WITH ROCKS HA
YOU KEEP YOUR GUN COCKED HA
YOU COUNT THE MONEY AT THE END OF THE NIGHT HA
YOU ON A THREE DAY FLIGHT HA
YOU FULL OF THAT DIESEL HA
YOU DUCKIN THEM PEOPLE HA
YOU THE ONE FACE WAS ON WE NEWS LAST NIGHT HA
YOU THE ONE ROBBED THEM LITTLE DUDES OUT THEY SHOES LAST NIGHT HA
YOU DON'T COME IN THE PROJECT WHEN IT'S DARK HA
YOU CLAIM YOU A THUG AND YOU AIN'T GOT NO HEART HA
YOU COME IN THE NOLIA ON NEW YEARS EVE HA
YOU GOT STUCK IN THAT BITCH AND COULDN'T LEAVE HA
IT WAS HARD FOR YOU TO BREATHE HA
CHORUS (REPEATS 2 TIMES)
IS YOU A PAPER CHASER
YOU GOT THE BLOCK ON FIRE
REMAINING A GEE UNTIL WE MOMENT YOU EXPIRE
YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS TO MAKE NOTHING OUT OF SOMETHING
YOU HANDLE YOUR BIZ AND DON'T BE CRYIN AND SUFFERING
YOU GOT A TRESPASSING CHARGE HA
YOU GOT ON A HARD ON WHEN YOU WERE LOOKING AT THEM LITTLE BROADS HA
YOU DON'T KNOW WHEN TO QUIT HA
THAT'S YOU WITH THAT SHOT CALLING CLICK HA
THAT'S YOU WITH THAT BALLING CLICK HA
THAT'S YOU THATS TAKING THEM HITS HA
YOUR GIRL DON'T KNOW WHEN TO SHUT UP HER MOUTH HA
YOU GONE GIVE HER GRIEF HA
YOU DONE SWITCHED FROM NIKE TO REEBOK HA
YOU TWINKLE YOUR GOLD EVERYTIME YOU LEAVE YOUR HOUSE HA
THEM INCOME TAX CHECKS OUT HA
YOU BOUT TO FLIP THAT HA
YOU BOUT TO GO BUY YOU A GRAM HA
YOU BOUT TO GO TREAT YOUR NOSE HA
YOU BOUT TO GO PUT THE DOPE D ON ONE OF THESE HO'S HA
WHEN YOU BROKE YOU DROVE HA
WHEN YOU PAID YOU GOT BOOKOO PLACES TO GO HA
YOU ON TOP HA
YOU DON'T THINK YOU CAN BE STOPPED HA
YOU ROBBIN SOMEBODY SHOP HA
YOU RIDIN IN THE BENZ ON 20 INCH RIMS HA
