Juvenile has confidently positioned himself among hip-hop’s greatest, comparing his iconic album 400 Degreez against the best efforts of rap legends JAY-Z and Nas.
In a recent interview with HoodClips, the Cash Money Records icon emphasized that being an all-time great in hip-hop requires more than just lyrical prowess—an MC must also deliver hit records.
“Some of those cats up north, they got their own definition of what they call Hip Hop, and Southern Hip Hop just don’t fit the bill at certain points,” Juvenile explained, highlighting the regional biases within the genre.
He pointed out that many revered rappers can “rap they ass off” but lack the ability to produce hits, which he believes is crucial to claiming the title of “the best.”
Juvenile then issued a bold challenge to hip-hop fans: pick their favorite JAY-Z or Nas album and compare its sales to his 1998 classic, 400 Degreez.
“Go check the numbers. N***as always talk about, ‘Nas da-da-da. JAY-Z da-da-da.’ Okay, who sold the most records? I think that’s what counts, right?” Juvenile continued, suggesting that commercial success is a key metric in determining greatness.
He urged listeners to “pull up Billboard numbers for all-time record sales per album” and see where their favorite rappers rank compared to him.
Juvenile concluded by reaffirming his belief in the importance of sales figures in the conversation about hip-hop’s greatest, hinting that many fans may have a skewed perception of what truly defines an all-time great.
