Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Juvenile - 400 Degreez


Upon first listen, 400 Degreez will seem completely laughable. It will seem like an overblown, goofy, lame rap album. I thought Juvenile sounded like he had suffered some sort of terrible illness that made it impossible for his mouth to form English words, I thought he sounded like he had been smashed in the mouth with a brick. I thought Juvenile was stupid, but something kept drawing me back.
These early Cash Money albums, this one being the best of the first wave, sounded new, and fresh when they came out and now, 12 years later,they still sound new, even though they may sound cheap in comparison with some more recent releases, they still sound like they could have been released today.
Juvenile has something completely uncanny about him. He sounds wrong, he sounds off, but all the while completely interesting. Six months ago I noticed this about Die Antwoord; by definition they should be terrible and completely laughable, but something was endearing about them, something made me need to listen to "Enter the Ninja" fifty times straight. That is what happened when I heard "Ha" for the first time. I laughed the first time, but kept on re watching the video and being completely enthralled. Juvenile actually has something REALLY original, something no one else offers.
I may be reaching, but this is what drew me to Tom Waits when I was 16 or drew me to early folk recordings. Nothing else sounds like this shit so I'm automatically impressed, and further more I can not get this from any other artists so I better get enjoy it here.
Juvenile has something no one else does, whether you think it is good or bad, he has an incredible vocal style and Mannie Fresh's beats are extremely influential on Top 40 hip-hop today, so enjoy this shit because you ain't hearin' it from any other artist BUT Juvenile.

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