After putting past personal (and legal) disagreements aside, Birdman and Juvenile have cemented their reconciliation with a 12-song collaborative LP, Just Another Gangsta. At ages 50 and 44 respectively, the project doesn’t attempt to fit in, but rather — in many ways — rekindle much of the vibe and chemistry that OG Cash Money fans found so alluring back in the 90s.
From the moment you press play on the title track, that samples Too $hort’s “Dope Fiend Beat,” this LP eschews old man energy.
While there a host of co-producers, the project’s sound was spearheaded by in-house Cash Money producer DRoc, who gives the project a classy contemporary feel while skirting any current commercial waves. No forced trap tracks here; from the uptempo flip of the O’Jay’s “Darlin’ Darlin’ Baby” on the energetic “Broke” to the electric guitars on “Back Then,” the quality factor is evident.
While a few of the songs deliver more what you may have already expected — namely “Filthy Money” and “One Two” which feel quite disposable — there are songs that a left field bangers. “Tonight” with its sped up Betty Wright sample, the twinkling keys and guitar riffs on “Newly Exposed” see Baby and Juve with (largely) female-focused bars, with ridiculous replay value.
The LP is chock full of bars about wealth — obviously — but also this looming sense of reminiscent energy; it’s easy to imagine the memory lane conversations they had before getting back in the booth as you bop along to “Back Then.” However, this never becomes overwhelming, which makes it palatable for younger listeners who may not be familiar with their history (and aren’t here for history lessons).
Most satisfying about this project is that neither artists have lost a beat. It’s not a rehash, but not quite an evolution either. Rather, it feels like business as usual, with undeniable chemistry that never faded — even when Birdman’s questionable business practices originally saw them part ways 18 years ago. While it’s far from a 4:44 level of OG introspection, Just Another Gangsta is a must-listen for fans of the iconic imprint.
Juvy went in on this album, better than I expected
Song is garbage!
this album was really, really, unexpectedly good
Single is pretty good. Going to give this a shot.
This album is fire! Who gives a shit about age. Juvenile sounds fresh. Dope album boys.
50 and 40?! Issa nah bruh…
popping off shots at lil wayne eh.
This morning, I awoke to find out that my teenie white penis had grown into a massive Negro schlonger donger hanging between my pasty white legs!!! I had been praying to Allah for months day and night that my teeny white pee pee would grow to the length and girth of that of the typical American Negro. Today, at long last, my prayers were answered! Where once there was a tiny pink wee wee, now there is a giant black mamba, a 10 inch boa constrictor hanging out of my boxers, splayed across the floor! I thought my prayers had indeed been answered, my life was finally worth living, all the bitches would want me, and I praised and thanked the Profit Muhammed until tears streamed from my eyes and snot dripped from my nose, but I am now suddenly shocked to find that, although my penis is now Sambo-Sized, all the money that was in my bank account has suddenly vanished, my fridge is full of nothing but two week old fried chicken and malt liquor, I have dozens of illegitimate kids with names like Leroi and Shaquanna, I have four fat, lazy, angry baby mamas on food stamps, I have nothing in my wallet but a maxed out EBT card, I have three outstanding warrants for vagrancy, robbery, and public chicken consumption, I’m unemployed and I live in a filthy trap house! HELP! HEEEELLLLPPPP!!! PLEASE SOMEBODY HELP MEEEEE!!!
Funny same thing happened to a friend of mine except different, he told his friends he was going to a white neighborhood to find a white man to help him make sense out of all this nergerdom that is commonly known as “the hood”, I wasn’t there that day on account of my bottom biatch getting smart with her mouth, but long story short, he found it! Help that is, in the form of what else, “a white man”! My friend began to do UNSPEAKABLE acts of mouth fornication all over this poor white man, GROSS!! Negeratchi slobber was all over him! The white classy man asked simply, dude why? My friend regained his composure, I’m sorry, said my lazy negro friend, I wanted to see if you could help out with this stuff that’s going on in our hood yo, the white man replied oh is that all? and lead him to a building near the end of this beautiful white community!, entered in with my negro friend still in hand, and had him arrested on the spot
Lol at the old man energy bullshit, we should be talking music not bullshit lol, tell me one genre where you don’t have 60+ year olds making great music, ya’ll need to stop pushing that wack agenda for real
Stop focusing on the rappers ages. Unless you want to date them, age isn’t relevant. Just focus on the music. “Age don’t count in the booth/When your flow stays submerge in the fountain of youth” – Rakim (Classic)