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Terius Gray, 26 March 1975, USA. This highly talented New Orleans, Louisiana, USA-based rapper earned his name from a youth spent on the streets. He originally made his mark on the southern underground scene in the early 90s as part of the trio 3Grand, before signing a short-term solo deal with Warlock Records, who released 1995's Being Myself. His big break came when he signed to the pioneering New Orleans underground label, Cash Money Records. Cash Money, like the city's other leading label, Master P's No Limit Records, was responsible for establishing southern rap as a viable alternative to the east coast/west coast domination of the late 90s hip-hop scene. Juvenile's sophomore set, 1996's Soljah Rags, was one of the albums responsible for Cash Money's success, selling over 200,000 copies without any mainstream exposure and helping to alert major labels to southern hip-hop. The in-house production team's seamless G-funk beats provided the perfect backdrop for Juvenile to demonstrate his peerless technical ability and mastery of various styles. The following year he teamed up with label mates B.G., Lil Wayne and Young Turk as the Hot Boy$ on the highly popular Get It How U Live!! In 1998, he released his third set, 400 Degreez, an album which eventually reaped the benefits of Cash Money's lucrative distribution deal with Universal Records, climbing steadily to a peak position of US number 9 the following September. The album, which featured Mannie Fresh's usual high production standards and guest appearances from the Hot Boy$ and the Big Tymer$, was also helped by the radio success of the tracks "Ghetto Children" and "Ha". Juvenile's early albums were reissued in 1999, while 400 Degreez was joined in the US Top 10 by the sophomore Hot Boy$ collection, Guerrilla Warfare. Juvenile's new album, Tha G-Code, followed in December. |
