It’s 2018 and this means that the song that starts with the infamous line “Cash Money takin over the 99 and the 2000” is officially old enough to be a sophomore in college this year. Juvenile’s “Back That Azz Up” was released on the 1998 album “400 Degreez” but it wasn’t officially released as a single until February 24th 1999. Juvenile’s “Ha’ definitely opened up the door for Cash Money Records but “Back That Azz Up” kicked the door down. This is extra significant because of the careers that Cash Money records was able to build of of the strength of the success for Juvenile’s “400 Degreez” album. 400 Degreez sold 5 million records worldwide and that number is largely attributed to the success of “Back That Azz Up”.
For the younger crowd that just hears this song in the ol skool mix (that DJs tend to go to for a guaranteed reaction) understand in 1999 and 2000 this song was EVERYWHERE. This song was and is a legit mega hit to all radio and television formats. No social media, no retweets, no co-signs, just a song that everyone of all backgrounds gravitated to. I remember seeing the music video for “Back That Azz Up” an equally massive amount on MTV, BET, and The Box and every single time the song was played it got the same reaction. It is amazing to see that even today in 2018 this song gets the same exact reaction from many that it did the day it came out. It is my theory that “Back That Azz Up” is one of those songs that we will be hearing until the end of time. In that way it is like The Temptation’s “My Girl” or Queen’s “We Will Rock You”. Juvenile and Mannie Fresh made a classic record by just staying true to their New Orleans bounce roots and putting it on a global scale. Checkout the impact this grand record still has today.