Twenty-five years ago, Juvenileโs 400 Degreez debuted on Cash Money Records as a groundbreaking instant classic, pioneering the southern New Orleans bounce sound and ushering in Cash Money as one of Hip Hopโs most iconic record labels.
A Bounce Backstory
In the late 1980s into the early 1990s, a young Terius โJuvenileโ Gray from the Magnolia Projects of New Orleans, Louisiana, began creating buzz as a rapper on the local block party scene. โBefore I met Juvie, Juvie used to actually rap at some of my dadโs DJ things,โ says Mannie Fresh, former in-house producer for Cash Money Records. Then, the release of โBounce with the Juvenileโ with DJ Jimi elevated Juvieโs local stardom. โHis wordplay was so unorthodox,โ said Mannie Fresh, โsomething you had never heard.โ
The success of โBounce with the Juvenileโ created enough fanfare for the young rapper to debut a solo album entitled Being Myself, which he released on an independent label, Warlock Records. Unfortunately, local fame wasnโt enough to pay bills, so Juvenile still worked a regular, 9-5, day job. But fate changed for Juvie while waiting at a bus stop one day after work. The brothers Ronald โSlimโ Williams and Bryan โBirdmanโ Williams, while offering him a ride home, convinced Juvenile to sign with their label Cash Money Records. After that, Juvenile dropped his sophomore releaseโthe first on Cash Money, Soulja Rags, which sold over 200,000 copies independently. Enough to conquer New Orleans, but not the world.
Cash Money Needs an Army
Cash Money Records was founded in 1991 and became a respected label around the New Orleans rap scene with artists like Magnolia Shorty and U.N.L.V. But their local light was overshadowed by the massive rise of crosstown rival rapper/CEO, Percy โMaster Pโ Miller and his No Limit Records. Millerโs label secured a multi-million-dollar distribution deal with Priority Records, providing the financial boost for No-Limitโs commercial success. The same kind of boost the Williams brothers needed. โThatโs why Cash Money came to me; they wanted the No Limit deal,โ says Wendy Day, founder of the Rap Coalition, a nonprofit organization built to help artists with record deals.
The Williams brothers, Birdman and Slim, contacted Wendy Day to help them get a major distribution deal that would allow them to keep ownership, just as sheโd done for Master P and his No Limit Label. Day successfully negotiated a $30-million deal with Universal Records for Cash Money that helped to elevate them to a national level.
You Better Run for It, Run for It, Run
400 Degreez debuted on November 3, 1998. Fans assumed the albumโs title was a metaphor, but for Juvie himself it was a literal definition. โWith me,โ said Juvenile, โI bake my fish at 400. I bake my chicken at 400, thatโs just my number, PERIOD!โ The lead single โHa,โ was backed by a signature bounce sound from producer Mannie Fresh, and its lyrics were a local slang tribute: โBy me being in the Magnolia, I call my style the Off-the-Porch flow,โ says Juvie. โSo, I took the everyday slang, โHaโ, the question, an answer, everybody use every day. Like โthe boy went to the store, Ha?โ โSay bruh, didnโt the Saints win that last game, Ha?โโ
The follow-up single off 400 Degreez, โBack That AZZ Up,โ proved its commercial value and became an instant classic. The baseline and violins create a universal heartbeat that thumps as soon as Juvie says, โCash Money Records taking over for the โ99 and the 2000!!โ The song was such a 180 from the albumโs lead single that it introduced a movement to the mainstream. โBack That Azz Up, coming outโthat was an introduction to bounce music to the world,โ says Mannie Fresh. โA lot of people donโt know; it was met with, โNah, maybe the world is not ready for it.โ Like we get it, this New Orleans. We get it!โ
At only 23, Juvenile rapped with an old soul. On the 400 Degreez album, songs like โGhetto Childrenโ, โFollow Me Nowโ, and โFlossin Seasonโ depict impoverished, inner-city life. Juvieโs rhymes were like that of a young, cool uncle or a big cousin delivering life lessons in harmony. On โGone Ride with Me,โ he says โMy nine gonna die with me./ Pick up a supply with me./ Be up in the ride with me.โ The posse cut โU.T.P.โ is a homegrown track that features labelmates Hot Boy$ and Big Tymers, solidifying them as an elite rap clique. โRich N****zโ is where the mainstream world first hears Lilโ Wayne coin the phrase โBling, Blingโ, and โRun for It,โ showcases Juvieโs gift as a profound storyteller.
A Built Legacy
With albums like Outkastโs Aquemini, Big Punโs Capital Punishment, and Lauryn Hillโs Miseducation, 1998 is arguably Hip Hopโs most significant year. Yet, 400 Degreez sets itself apart because, as an album, it introduces the world to the bounce-beat movement of New Orleans. Juvieโs work is superb and uplifts southern Hip Hopโnot to mention that the albumโs commercial success (4x platinum according to RIAA) planted a legacy for the future of Cash Money Records. The achievement of 400 Degreez leveled the playing field for past and present label artists like B.G., Lilโ Wayne, Tyga, Drake, and Nicki Minaj. Juvenile grew to become a successful artist, but it will always be the masterful work of 400 Degreez that made him a legend.
