This is the latest coup for Juvenile (Terius Gray), New Orleans-based Cash Money Records and the bass-heavy Southern hip-hop called bounce music. The label’s founders, Ronald and Brian Williams, once sold albums out of their car. Juvenile made his living by capturing alligators at $50 a pop. (“You just need a stick and some rope.”) Now his debut, “400 Degrees,” has hit the pop top 10, and Cash Money, also home to the Hot Boys, is the hottest rap label in the country. “I’m a little surprised,” says Juvenile, “but hip-hop is wide open like that.”
Juvenile says Cash Money’s records sell because they sound fresh–“not that same old sample s–t”–and don’t allude to “things the average brother can’t relate to.” Is he twitting Sean (Puffy) Combs, whose frame of reference extends to Rolexes and the Hamptons, and whose samples range from Sting to Herb Alpert? Well, with his own sales slipping, Puffy has the Cash Money crew doing remixes on his new CD. And Juvenile’s megahit may force other rap producers to think about a backup plan.
