Juicy (The Notorious B.I.G. song)

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"Juicy"
Single by The Notorious B.I.G. featuring Total
from the album Ready to Die
Released	August 8, 1994
Format	CD
Recorded	1994
Genre	East Coast hip hop
Length	5:11
Label	Bad Boy/Arista
Producer	Poke and Sean "Puffy" Combs
The Notorious B.I.G. singles chronology
"Flava in Ya Ear (remix)" (1994) "Juicy" (1994) "Big Poppa" (1995)

"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 Bad Boy Records producers Poke and 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 to be among the greatest hip-hop songs of all-time.^[1][2]

The song is a "rags-to-riches chronicle"^[3] 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. He talks about the "one room shack" that he grew up in, which is countered by his mother in the documentary Biggie & Tupac. The song was featured in the biographical film Notorious.

[edit] Production controversy

Producer Pete Rock, who was commissioned to remix the track, 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:^[4]

I did the original version, didn't get credit for it. They came to my house, heard the beat going on the drum machine, it's the same story. You come downstairs at my crib, you hear music. He heard that shit and the next thing you know it comes out. They had me do a remix, but I tell people, and I will fight it to the end, that I did the original version of that. I'm not mad at anybody, I just want the correct credit.

Rock's remix for "Juicy" uses the same sample as the original.

[edit] Chart positions

[edit] Reception

• Blender Magazine ranked it #168 on its Top 500 Songs of the 80s-00s list in 2005.^[5]
• Bruce Pollock put it on his The 7,500 Most Important Songs of 1944-2000 list in 2005.^[5]
• Ego Trip ranked it #4 on its Hip Hop's 40 Greatest Singles by Year 1980-98 list in 1999.^[6]
• Pop magazine ranked it #3 on their Singles of the Year list in 1994.^[5]
• Q magazine ranked "Juicy" the ninth greatest hip hop song of all time.^[7]
• Spex included it on The Best Singles of the Century list in 1999.^[8]
• The Boston Phoenix included it on their The 90 Best Songs of the 90s list in 1999.^[9]
• The Source included it on their The 100 Best Rap Singles of All Time list in 1998.^[10]
• It was certified by RIAA as gold on November 8, 1994, three months after its release.^[11]
• VH1 ranked it #7 on its "100 Greatest Hip Hop Songs Ever".

[edit] Albums containing "Juicy"

• Ready to Die - 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 Mile - 2002 soundtrack of songs included in 8 Mile
• Night Ripper - 2006 album by mashup artist Girl Talk. The song is featured in the track "Smash Your Head" alongside Elton John's "Tiny Dancer".
• The Greatest Hits - 2007 compilation of The Notorious B.I.G.'s greatest hits.
• Notorious Soundtrack - the soundtrack of Biggie's biopic

[edit] Single tracklist

[edit] 12 inch

A-Side

1. Juicy (Dirty Mix) (5:05)
2. Unbelievable (3:45) (Produced by DJ Premier)
3. Juicy (Remix) (4:42) (Produced by Pete Rock)

B-Side

1. Juicy (Instrumental) (5:05)
2. Unbelievable (Instrumental) (3:45)
3. Juicy (Remix Instrumental) (4:43)

[edit] Vinyl promo

A-Side

1. Juicy (Radio Edit) (4:15)
2. Juicy (Remix) (4:42)
3. Unbelievable (Radio Edit) (3:46)

B-Side

1. Juicy (Dirty Mix) (5:05)
2. Dreams (2:43) (Produced by Buttnaked Tim Dawg)
3. Unbelievable (3:45)
4. Juicy (Instrumental) (5:05)

[edit] Lyrical allusions

• Word Up
• Salt-n-Pepa
• Heavy D
• Mr. Magic
• Marley Marl
• World Trade Center 1993 bombings
• Kid Capri
• Funkmaster Flex
• Lovebug Starski
• Robin Leach
• Moët et Chandon
• Alizé
• Indo
• Super Nintendo
• Sega Genesis
• The Source
• Private Stock (malt liquor)
• Rappin' Duke
• Ac

[edit] Trivia

Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (February 2008)

• In P. Diddy's MTV television show Making the Band, the group Da Band was told to memorize the lyrics to both "Juicy" and The Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight" to prove their knowledge of hip hop's past.
• The first verse of the song was used as the second verse in the Jay-Z and Faith Evans song "A Dream" from the 2002 album The Blueprint²: The Gift & the Curse; it was edited to eliminate references to the World Trade Center.
• During her "The Adventures of Mimi" tour, Mariah Carey used the beat of "Juicy" in the remix of her song "Dreamlover".^{[citation needed]}

[edit] References