Juvenile

About Juvenile

Juvenile made bounce music a national conversation in the late 90s, which is no small thing when you consider how regional hip-hop was back then. Born Terius Gray in New Orleans in 1975, he came up in the Magnolia Projects, an environment that shaped the raw edge in his delivery and the street-level narratives he'd become known for.

He started releasing music independently in the mid-90s, putting out albums like Being Myself and Solja Rags before signing with Cash Money Records in 1997. That Cash Money deal changed everything. The label was building something specific in New Orleans, a sound centered around Mannie Fresh's production and that distinctive bounce rhythm that made the city's music feel different from what was happening in New York or LA.

400 Degreez in 1998 was the moment he went from regional fixture to everywhere. Back That Azz Up, produced by Mannie Fresh, became one of those songs that transcends its genre and just lives in the culture. It wasn't just a hit, it was a shift in how hip-hop sounded on the radio. The album went four times platinum and established Juvenile as Cash Money's first breakout star, paving the way for Lil Wayne and the rest of the roster.

Tha G-Code in 1999 and Project English in 2001 kept the momentum going, with songs like U Understand and Set It Off maintaining his presence. But like many Cash Money artists, he had issues with the label over money and creative control. He left in 2002, which could have been a career killer, but instead he signed with Atlantic and dropped Juve the Great in 2003.

Slow Motion featuring Soulja Slim became his biggest commercial success, hitting number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The song has this melancholy weight to it, partly because Soulja Slim was murdered before it was released. That album also had In My Life with Mannie Fresh, showing he could still tap into that Cash Money chemistry even after leaving.

He eventually reconciled with Cash Money and Lil Wayne, putting out Cocky & Confident in 2009 and rejoining the label for a minute. The reunion didn't last, more label disputes, the usual story. Since then he's been independent again, releasing projects sporadically and touring on the strength of his catalog.

These days Juvenile is still performing, still representing New Orleans, still living off a run of hits that defined a specific moment in hip-hop. He's not chasing trends or trying to reinvent himself. He's the guy who made bounce music mandatory listening outside Louisiana, and that legacy holds up without needing additional decoration.

Juvenile shows are rowdy, sweaty affairs where people lose their minds during the hits. The crowd does all the work on Back That Azz Up. He's not the tightest performer, but he doesn't need to be — the songs carry everything. Expect call-and-response chaos and people actually dancing, not just standing around.

Known for Back That Azz Up, Slow Motion, In Da Hood, Tha G-Code, Soulja Ride wit Me

See Juvenile Live