Juvenile has made his case for being one of the best rappers of all time by putting 400 Degreez up against JAY-Z and Nas‘ best efforts.
In an interview with HoodClips, the Cash Money Records legend argued that to be considered an all-time great in Hip Hop, an MC must have hit records in addition to talent on the mic.
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“Some of those cats [up north], they got their own definition of what they call Hip Hop, and Southern Hip Hop just don’t fit the bill at certain points,” he said.
“Look, man, some of the best rappers — they got some muthafuckas that can rap they ass off but can’t make a fucking hit. [Being] the best rapper in the world don’t mean nothing if you ain’t got no fucking hits!”
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Juvie then boldly challenged listeners to pick their favorite JAY-Z and Nas album and compare their sales to that of his classic 1998 LP 400 Degreez.
“Go check the numbers. N-ggas always talk about, ‘Nas da-da-da. JAY-Z da-da-da.’ Okay, who sold the most records? I think that’s what counts, right?” he continued.
“Let’s see who sold the most records on each solo album. Pick your best Nas album, pick your best JAY-Z album. I’ma take 400 [Degreez] and you tell me who sold the most on their solo album.”
He added: “I’m telling you, numbers don’t lie […] Go pull up Billboard numbers for all-time record sales per album, and see where all these Hip Hop heads that you love so much, see where they rank at.
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“I posted it one time ’cause I wanted people to see it. Just go pull that up and see where your all-time favorite rapper is, ’cause I think a lot of them got it fucked up.”
Juvenile is partly correct. 400 Degreez has been certified four-times platinum by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America), meaning it has sold at least four million copies in the U.S. alone.
Hov’s Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life, also released in 1998, is currently six-times platinum, while The Black Album is also quadruple platinum.
Outside of his solo catalog, his 2011 collaboration with Kanye West, Watch the Throne, has sold at least five million units domestically, according to the RIAA.
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Nas, on the other hand, has never surpassed more than three million sales for a single album, with It Was Written being his highest-certified release at triple platinum.
Juvenile previously made headlines for JAY-Z-related comments when he dismissed the idea that the Roc Nation mogul is the greatest rapper of all time, arguing that the crown instead belongs to his former Hot Boys groupmate Lil Wayne.
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When asked about Weezy’s own belief that Jigga is the best MC to ever grace the mic, the New Orleans native replied: “We’ve argued over the years. He say JAY-Z the G.O.A.T., I say he the G.O.A.T. My lil’ bro the greatest rapper of all time. He know how I feel about that.”
