Many young fans may be surprised that the artist behind “Bands A Make Her Dance” has been making records for over twenty years. With a career such as Juicy J’s, spanning two decades, an artist is constantly working at reinventing himself. From his early work in Memphis with Three 6 Mafia in the 90s, to his current 2050 Tour with Wiz Khalifa after signing as a member of Taylor Gang, Juicy has managed to always stay one step ahead and consistently give the fans what they want.
In an exclusive interview with HNHH, Juicy talked about staying relevant over the course of his career, and credits his role as a producer as the driving force behind him creating fresh club hits through the years. He also talked about recording his mega hit “Bands”, and how it all came together on a quiet night in D.C. The Tennessee native then discussed upcoming projects and when fans can expect to finally hear his next album Stay Trippy.
Asked to describe the longevity of his career, releasing hit records over the course of twenty years, Juicy says he constantly keeps a lookout for new music and keeps a pulse on what is hot in hip hop. “I’m a producer man, so I understand music. I keep my ear to the street and I’m always listening, and I stay in the studio, I stay working. You stay working and keep your ear to the streets, it’s gonna happen.” The Hustle Till I Die rapper went onto add, “I never stopped making music. I feel like I kinda been on the dip here and there, like gone and then back, but I was always makin’music.”
His eclectic taste in music is a driving force behind his talent as a producer, saying, “I’m the kinda producer I never get stuck. I listen to all kinds of music. I listen to blues, I listen to old school, 70s, 60s, whatever. New school stuff, techno, pop, I listen to it all.”
This year’s strip club anthem was undoubtedly Juicy’s ignorant smash hit “Bands A Make Her Dance”, and the artist recalls recording the track, and ironically enough it was one of his nights away from the strip club when he got inspired. “I was just chilling, I’ve been to a lot of strip clubs in my time, but I was just chillin in an apartment in D.C. I was just chilling and I came up with it...Mike WiLL [Made It] sent me a bunch of beats over,” the Three 6 Mafia member added that he recorded the track instantly, and on a low-grade mic no less, “I was going through email and I heard the beat...and I recorded there right on the spot, with a $100 microphone.”
Fans have been eagerly anticipating his third solo LP which will be his first album since 2009. Looks like Juicy is close to cementing a release date and says the album will drop in early February. The crunk rapper also mentioned upcoming collabos with Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, and an upcoming Taylor Gang album. “ I stay in the studio, I did some stuff with Lil Wayne, I did some stuff with Nicki Minaj, me and my producer Crazy Mike,” Juicy adds, “We got a Taylor Gang album coming out, and I got an album coming out probably first thing February 2013.”
Check out HNHH's full interview with Juicy J below.