Juve the Great

Juve the Great is Juvenile’s sixth studio album, released on December 23, 2003, by Cash Money Records and Universal Records, with his UTP Records imprint also involved. It was his last album on Cash Money.

The story

By 2003 Juvenile had left Cash Money amid disputes over money, but the label still issued this album. The first singles were “In My Life,” featuring Mannie Fresh, and “Bounce Back,” featuring Baby, released in November 2003. The third single, “Slow Motion,” featuring New Orleans rapper Soulja Slim, was released in March 2004. Soulja Slim had died nearly a month before the album came out, and when “Slow Motion” reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, he became one of the few artists to top the chart posthumously.

Sound and production

Unlike 400 Degreez, the album was not produced by Mannie Fresh alone. Production credits also include Ad Future, Griz, Slice T, Sha Money XL, KLC and Dani Kartel, giving the 17-track record a broader mix of sounds than his earlier Cash Money albums.

Legacy

The album peaked at number 28 on the Billboard 200 and number four on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The RIAA certified it platinum on July 20, 2004, making it Juvenile’s third platinum album after 400 Degreez and Tha G-Code. Reviews were mixed, ranging from a C− from Entertainment Weekly to favorable notices from AllMusic, Rolling Stone and RapReviews. “Slow Motion” remains his only Hot 100 number one.

Released December 23, 2003. More from hip hop in 2003.