Too $hort and Juvenile

Since 1982, Too $hort actively produced and released LPs such as ‘Don’t Stop Rappin’, ‘Players’ and ‘Raw, Uncut and X-Rated’, before gaining widespread recognition and an RIAA Gold certification, along with a chart-spot of no. 50 in the US R&B listings, with ‘Born to Mack’. Too $hort’s initial success continued as the explicit rapper achieved numerous accolades throughout the 1990s. The albums ‘Get in Where You Fit In’, ‘Cocktails’ and ‘Gettin’ It (Album Number Ten)’ all peaked at the top of the US R&B charts and received an RIAA Platinum rating, whilst also charting in the top 10 of the US Albums chart. Between 1996-2000, Too $hort achieved five top 10 positions in the US Rap chart with singles such as ‘More Freaky Tales’ and ‘2 Bitches’.

Too $hort continued to release records through the 2000s and 2010s; most notably, his album ‘Blow the Whistle’ peaked at no. 14 on the US Billboard 200. He encountered great success when featuring on tracks with other music artists too; for instance, he rapped on Kelis’s ‘Bossy’ in 2006 which peaked at no. 16 on the US Singles Chart, and he partook on Chris Brown’s ‘Loyal’ which peaked at number nine in 2014.

Too $hort is often compared to E-40, Ant Banks and Mistah F.A.B, and the Californian-born lyricist performed at prestigious settings such as iTunes Festival and Coachella. Too $hort’s talents have also lead him further afield; he played the role of Lew-Loc in the film Menace II Society and voiced the character Fillyacup on the animated sitcom The Siccness Network between 2000-2001, whilst he has also been a mentor at Youth Uprising, an organization serving at-risk youths.

As such a mainstay in the hip-hop scene, Too $hort worked alongside artists such as Twista, Snoop Dogg and Jagged Edge, and is regarded as a true pioneer of the West Coast movement.

Born on 25 March 1975, Juvenile first started rapping in the early 1990s. After signing with Warlock records in 1995, he released his debut album entitled “Being Myself.” Unfortunately, the album did not gain much national attention and did not chart, but did fairly well on a local level. However, it did bring more attention to labels, and as a result, Juvenile signed to Cash Money Records and released “Solja Rags” in 1997. Although the album saw some national success having made it onto the Billboard Hot R&B/ Hip-Hop Songs Chart, it saw most of its success with local rap audiences. Also in 1997, Juvenile joined the Hot Boys with fellow Cash Money rappers B.G., Turk, and Lil Wayne and together they released their debut album “Get It How U Live!”

Juvenile released his third solo album entitled “400 Degreez” in 1998 and it became his breakout album, having had the opportunity for a bigger market due to Cash Money Records gaining a joint distribution with Universal Records. Keeping up with the success of “400 Degreez,” he released “Tha G-Code” in 1999 and “Project English “ in 2001, both of which ended up becoming double certified platinum.

In 2005 Juvenile signed a new deal with Atlantic Records and released “Reality Check” in 2006. The album, which had debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, went on to become certified gold. By 2012 Juvenile released his tenth album, “Rejuvenation” which featured the single "Power" featuring Rick Ross. Juvenile collaborated with Lil Wayne, DJ Khaled, and Drake.