Juvenile is no stranger to adversity or beef. The New Orleans emcee has been in the game for well over a decade and dropped his Atlantic Records debut, Reality Check Tuesday. In an interview with MTV.com, Juve has some choice words for Cash Money Records and a certain government organization.
Speaking of former label mate Lil Wayne and his Hot Boys tribute, I Miss My Dawgs, Juve feels that the record was not real and just a marketing ploy to sell some records.
“That was fake,” he says of the record. One day he’ll make a record and it’ll sound so sincere. Then the next day he gets on TV and he ain’t got nothing good to say about us. … Did you [say you miss us] to sell a record? I been in situations with the dude where I felt he only shook my hand because he was scared.”
His harshest of criticism is saved for his former boss, Baby, whom he has said he wants to box with on numerous occasions.
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Proving that his world consists of more than just rap beefs, Juvenile has a lot to say about the government’s handling of Hurricane Katrina. His latest single and video, Get Ya Hustle On showcase the destruction that rests in the storm’s aftermath. In addition to name checking President Bush and FEMA, Juvenile considers the record to be one that motivates and not one that harps on the past.
”[Get Ya Hustle On is] really telling you, ‘Stop feeling sorry for yourself. You knew the government wasn’t going to do nothing for you anyway.’ There’s not a person in this country that doesn’t have the mindset, ‘Man, this country don’t care about me.’ Truthfully. You ask the general public, they gonna say that. I’m saying to them, ‘Look, man, go get your hustle on. Do whatever you have to do. I don’t care what you have to do. You don’t have no job, they ain’t trying to give you no job. You got mouths to feed.’ That’s what the song is about. Do whatever you have to do to eat. Back to the old Malcolm X speech, ‘By any means necessary.’ … When I tell you I’m angry, I’m angry.”
Reality Check features guest appearances from Mike Jones, Paul Wall, Brian McKnight and his UTP label mates Whacko and Skip.
