On the cusp of a Fourth of July weekend likely to leave many young Americans freshly panicked about student debt and other ills, let Juvenile lift your spirits instead.
The 48-year-old New Orleans rapper — an elder-millennial favorite for tacks like “Slow Motion” and “Back That Azz Up” — came through with the set of the summer for his Tiny Desk concert. Alongside legendary Cash Money producer Mannie Fresh, he enlisted a cracking live band and horn section for a 10-song set to remind fans of the deep jazz, R&B and soul roots of Southern rap.
Although scores of major stars have passed through the Tiny Desk studios (Usher spawned a meme ecosystem out his performance), Juvenile’s appearance on the NPR staple was largely ginned up by fan demand. Perhaps they relished the friction of seeing one of the Y2K era’s bawdiest rappers in such a genteel format. The rapper was initially skeptical back in April — “Wtf is a tiny desk 😂and no 😂😂” he wrote on Twitter — before relenting: “Ok ok 😂😂 All Things Considered, 10k retweets and I will RECONSIDER doing @NPR Tiny Desk while drinking an ice cold #JuvieJuice.”
Juvenile and Mannie Fresh overdelivered — they gave a whole new read on their catalog together, drawing out the steamy old-soul roots of their collaborations. For “Project B—,” the Cash Money Millionaires supergroup track, they brought out Grammy winners Jon Batiste and Trombone Shorty; for “Back That Azz Up,” a string section from the Louisiana Philharmonic joined in, while guest vocalists the Amours brought regal harmonies to “Rodeo.”
Rap fans in the crowd — NPR employees and, we suspect, some Cash Money ringers who knew every word — thrilled to “Bling Bling,” “400 Degreez” and the Hot Boys’ “I Need a Hot Girl,” while featured a young Juvenile in its music video.
Juvenile, with a mouth full of jewelry and a camo bandana, and a jubilant Mannie Fresh made the most of the chance to show off the intricacy and history behind these floor-filling party tracks. (Watch it below, but know the lyrics are often not safe for work.)
America has a lot to be stressed out about right now, but we can absolutely be proud of this set today.