Juelz Santana Releases "23 & 1" With A Special Message From Meek Mill

BYAron A.Updated on September 26, 202216.2K Views

Juelz Santana's currently behind bars for a gun charge but he's already unleashing new music before he returns home.

Juelz Santana might be locked up but he didn't prepare for his stretch in the feds without recording new music. The rapper dropped off his latest single, "23 & 1," his first single since beginning his stint. Juelz Santana details the bleak reality of being behind bars with an expansive scope. Juelz gets vulnerable in the first part of the song even detailing conversations with his son. "My oldest son hit me like 'Hold your head'/ Said I'm praying for you Dad, wish I could hold ya hand/ Brought tears to the eyes of a grown man/ Then he said, 'Don't cry, this is God's plan," Juelz raps.

This song clearly takes inspiration from Meek Mill in a few ways. Aside from the fact he declares "Meek will be home soon," an indication of when this song was recorded, the song's structure takes from the "Dreams & Nightmares Intro." Of course, to end it off, Meek chimes in with a message of his own on behalf of Juelz. "Free my n***a Juelz, real dripper. I was in a jail call. He was in jail. 23 & 1. I told him, 'hold ya head, n***a.' He be back soon."

Peep the song below and keep your eyes peeled for the #FreeSantana mixtape.

Quotable Lyrics
Gotta be mindful of everyone in sight now
N***as ain't rats, they mice now
They snitchin', ain't even get a charge yet
You won't even know they had police contact
And I ain't need nothin' but what n***as owe me
But true colors, that's what you n***as show me

About The Author

Aron A.

Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.

...