Juicy (The Notorious B.I.G. song)
Encyclopedia
"Juicy" is a song by hip hop artist The Notorious B.I.G.
and his solo debut single from his 1994 debut album Ready to Die
. It was produced by Poke of Trackmasters
& Sean "Puffy" Combs
. Its melody is sampled from Mtume
's "Juicy Fruit
", and has an alternative chorus sung by R&B
girl group
Total
. The song is considered by many fans and critics as one of the greatest hip hop recordings of all time.
The song is a "rags-to-riches chronicle" detailing his early years in poverty
, his initial dreams of becoming a rap artist and early influences, his time in drugs and crime, and his eventual success in the music business and ownership of both a Super Nintendo and a Sega Genesis.
He talks about the "one room shack" that he grew up in, which is contradicted by his mother in the documentary Biggie & Tupac
. The song was featured in the biographical film
Notorious
.
alleged that Puffy stole the idea for the original song's beat after hearing it from him during a visit. Rock explained this in an interview with Wax Poetics
:
Rock's remix for "Juicy" uses the same sample as the original.
B-Side
The Notorious B.I.G.
Christopher George Latore Wallace , best known as The Notorious B.I.G., was an American rapper. He was also known as Biggie Smalls , Big Poppa, and The Black Frank White .Wallace was raised in the Brooklyn borough...
and his solo debut single from his 1994 debut album Ready to Die
Ready to Die
Ready to Die is the debut album of American rapper The Notorious B.I.G., released September 13, 1994 on Bad Boy Records. The first release on the label, it features production by record producer and Bad Boy founder Sean "Puffy" Combs, Easy Mo Bee, Chucky Thompson, DJ Premier, and Lord Finesse,...
. It was produced by Poke of Trackmasters
Trackmasters
The Trackmasters are the successful production duo of Poke and Tone , sometimes credited as Poke & Tone, best known for their commercial hit records in the late 90s and early 2000s. Throughout their career they have worked with various hip-hop and R&B artists including R...
& Sean "Puffy" Combs
Sean Combs
Sean John Combs , also known by his stage names Diddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. He has won three Grammy Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards, and his clothing line earned a Council of Fashion Designers of America award. He was originally...
. Its melody is sampled from Mtume
Mtume
Mtume was a funk and soul group that had several R&B hits in the 1980s. Its founder, percussionist James Mtume, previously played with Miles Davis in the 1970s. Other members of the group included Reggie Lucas and Tawatha Agee.-History:...
's "Juicy Fruit
Juicy Fruit (song)
"Juicy Fruit" is a funk song written by James Mtume and released as the lead-off single from Mtume's sixth album, also titled Juicy Fruit. The mid-tempo song is arguably Mtume's most well-known, proving enormously successful on R&B radio stations and nightclubs when first released...
", and has an alternative chorus sung by R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
girl group
Girl group
A girl group is a popular music act featuring several young female singers who generally harmonise together.Girl groups emerged in the late 1950s as groups of young singers teamed up with behind-the-scenes songwriters and music producers to create hit singles, often featuring glossy production...
Total
Total (band)
Total was an American R&B girl group and one of the signature acts of Sean Combs' Bad Boy Records imprint during the 1990s.-Emergence & Total:...
. The song is considered by many fans and critics as one of the greatest hip hop recordings of all time.
The song is a "rags-to-riches chronicle" detailing his early years in poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
, his initial dreams of becoming a rap artist and early influences, his time in drugs and crime, and his eventual success in the music business and ownership of both a Super Nintendo and a Sega Genesis.
He talks about the "one room shack" that he grew up in, which is contradicted by his mother in the documentary Biggie & Tupac
Biggie & Tupac
Biggie & Tupac is a 2002 feature-length documentary film about slain rap icons The Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur, made by Nick Broomfield. It is an investigation of the deaths of the two icons, which some people claim were orchestrated by Suge Knight, head of Death Row Records. Collusion on...
. The song was featured in the biographical film
Biographical film
A biographical film, or biopic , is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or people. They differ from films “based on a true story” or “historical films” in that they attempt to comprehensively tell a person’s life story or at least the most historically important years of their...
Notorious
Notorious (2009 film)
Notorious is a 2009 American biographical film about the life of iconic hip hop star The Notorious B.I.G. who is played by Jamal Woolard. The film co-stars Angela Bassett as his mother Voletta Wallace, Derek Luke as Sean Combs, and Anthony Mackie as Tupac Shakur...
.
Production controversy
Producer Pete RockPete Rock
Peter Phillips , better known by his stage name Pete Rock, is an American record producer, DJ and rapper. He rose to prominence in the early 1990s as one half of the critically acclaimed group Pete Rock & CL Smooth...
alleged that Puffy stole the idea for the original song's beat after hearing it from him during a visit. Rock explained this in an interview with Wax Poetics
Wax Poetics
Wax Poetics is a bimonthly American music magazine dedicated to vintage and contemporary jazz, funk, soul, Latin, hip-hop, reggae, blues, and R&B in the crate-digger tradition; the name of the magazine is itself an allusion to vinyl records....
:
Rock's remix for "Juicy" uses the same sample as the original.
Chart positions
| Chart (1994) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Rap Singles (Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... ) |
3 |
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Digital Songs Hot Digital Songs The Hot Digital Songs chart ranks the best-selling digital singles in the United States, according to Billboard.Beginning in February 2005, digital sales have been incorporated into many of Billboards music single charts. It was decided to do so mainly because of the dramatic rise in popularity of... (Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... ) |
56 |
Reception
- Blender Magazine ranked it #168 on its Top 500 Songs of the 80s-00s list in 2005.
- Bruce Pollock put it on his The 7,500 Most Important Songs of 1944-2000 list in 2005.
- Ego TripEgo TripEgo Trip may refer to:*Ego Trip , a 1990s hip hop magazine*Ego Trip , a 1969 film*Ego Trip , a 1984 album by Kurtis Blow*Ego Trip , a 1997 album by Keoki...
ranked it #4 on its Hip Hop's 40 Greatest Singles by Year 1980-98 list in 1999. - Pop ranked it #3 on their Singles of the Year list in 1994.
- Q magazine ranked "Juicy" the ninth greatest hip hop song of all time.
- SpexSpex (magazine)Spex is a prominent German rock and pop culture magazine located in Berlin, Germany. Besides music news, Spex also covers literature, cinema, fashion and contemporary social trends...
included it on The Best Singles of the Century list in 1999. - The Boston Phoenix included it on their The 90 Best Songs of the 90s list in 1999.
- The SourceThe Source (magazine)The Source is a United States-based, monthly full-color magazine covering hip-hop music, politics, and culture, founded in 1988. It is the world's second longest running rap periodical, behind United Kingdom-based publication Hip Hop Connection. The Source was founded as a newsletter in 1988...
included it on their The 100 Best Rap Singles of All Time list in 1998. - It was certified by RIAA as gold on November 8, 1994, three months after its release.
- VH1VH1VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
ranked it #7 on its "100 Greatest Hip Hop Songs Ever". - In 2010, Rolling StoneRolling StoneRolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
updated their list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All TimeThe 500 Greatest Songs of All Time"The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" was the cover story of a special issue of Rolling Stone, issue number 963, published December 9, 2004, a year after the magazine published its list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time"....
" and added and ranked the song at #424 - Pitchfork MediaPitchfork MediaPitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
ranked the song at #14 on their Top 200 Tracks of the 90s.
Albums containing "Juicy"
- Ready to DieReady to DieReady to Die is the debut album of American rapper The Notorious B.I.G., released September 13, 1994 on Bad Boy Records. The first release on the label, it features production by record producer and Bad Boy founder Sean "Puffy" Combs, Easy Mo Bee, Chucky Thompson, DJ Premier, and Lord Finesse,...
- The Notorious B.I.G.'s 1994 debut album - Big Phat Ones of Hip Hop, Vol. 1 - 1995 hip hop compilation album released by BOXtunes Records
- New Millennium Hip-Hop Party - 2000 hip hop compilation album released by Rhino Records
- New Millennium Party - 2000 multi-genre compilation album released by Rhino Records
- More Music From 8 Mile8 Mile (soundtrack)-Album:-Singles:-Certifications:...
- 2002 soundtrack of songs included in 8 Mile8 Mile (film)8 Mile is a 2002 American hip-hop drama film written by Scott Silver, directed by Curtis Hanson, and starring Eminem, Mekhi Phifer, Brittany Murphy, and Kim Basinger.... - Night RipperNight RipperNight Ripper is the third album by Girl Talk. It was released on Illegal Art in 2006 and re-released as a pay-what-you-want download on Illegal Art's website in June 2009. It is composed almost entirely of samples taken from other artists' songs, with minor original material by Gillis...
- 2006 album by mashup artist Girl TalkGirl Talk (musician)Gregg Michael Gillis , better known by his stage name Girl Talk, is an American musician specializing in mashups and digital sampling. Gillis has released five LPs on the record label Illegal Art and EPs on 333 and 12 Apostles....
. The song is featured in the track "Smash Your Head" alongside Elton JohnElton JohnSir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
's "Tiny DancerTiny Dancer"Tiny Dancer" is a 1971 song by Elton John with lyrics by Bernie Taupin. It appears on John's fourth album, Madman Across the Water, and was released as a single in 1972...
". - The Greatest Hits - 2007 compilation of The Notorious B.I.G.'s greatest hits.
- Notorious Soundtrack - the soundtrack of Biggie's biopic
- The Notorious XX - album remixed by Wait What and features the song VCRVCR (song)"VCR" is the fourth single by British Mercury Music Prize-winning band The xx, from their self-titled debut album. The single was first released in the UK on 24 January 2010...
by The XXThe xxThe xx are an English indie pop band, formed in London in 2005. The band's members met while studying at Elliott School, the same school that produced Hot Chip, Burial and Four Tet. They became a trio when their second guitarist and keyboardist, Baria Qureshi, departed in late 2009. In September...
with Juicy.
12 inch
A-Side- Juicy (Dirty Mix) (5:05)
- Unbelievable (3:45) (Produced by DJ PremierDJ PremierChristopher Edward Martin , better known by his stage name DJ Premier , is an American record producer and DJ, and was the instrumental half of the hip hop duo Gang Starr, together with emcee Guru...
) - Juicy (Remix) (4:42) (Produced by Pete RockPete RockPeter Phillips , better known by his stage name Pete Rock, is an American record producer, DJ and rapper. He rose to prominence in the early 1990s as one half of the critically acclaimed group Pete Rock & CL Smooth...
)
B-Side
- Juicy (Instrumental) (5:05)
- Unbelievable (Instrumental) (3:45)
- Juicy (Remix Instrumental) (4:43)
Official Versions
- "Juicy" (Album Version)
- "Juicy" (Instrumental) - 5:05
- "Juicy" (Dirty Mix) - 5:05
- "Juicy" (Remix) - 3:42
- "Juicy" (Remix Instrumental) - 4:43