From the sound of his music, one could imagine that Juvenile, or as his momma named him,Terius Gray, has an upbeat personality.
And, after long-time friends patiently waited almost two hours for the New Orleans-born rapper to appear on Crescent City Radio’s “The Hip-Hop Spot with Alex McConduit,”
Juvenile, after his recent family troubles (his daughter, Jelani, was shot and killed back in February), finally emerged like a phoenix rising from the ashes.
But from the moment he walked through the Communication/Music Complex’s door with an entourage big enough to defend a small country – including two other legendary local rappers in their own right, Partners N Crime – until the time he spoke on the airwaves, “Juvie the Great” was silent.
Wearing a black tall t-shirt sporting in big blue bold lettering the words “No B– A-ness,” a phrase coined by fellow rapper P. Diddy… Puff Daddy… Sean Combs… Diddy… whatever he wants to call himself today, Juvenile sat quietly and typed away on his iPhone, until it was time for him to speak.
Alex McConduit, host of “The Hip-Hop Spot” and recent Loyola graduate, said he was a bit nervous and aggravated that Juvenile had not shown up on time for his interview.
“When he first came in, I got annoyed that they were taking so long,” McConduit said. “So I was ready to call them and say forget the whole thing.”
McConduit stumbled upon the opportunity to schedule an interview with Juvenile after meeting music promoter, Travis Laurendine. He soon learned Juvenile would be in town for a show at The Frat House on Aug. 22, and with the help of Laurendine, was able to gain a coveted interview with the rapper.
As McConduit began the interview, he stated what the dozens of people who came to catch a glimpse of Juvenile were thinking, “I didn’t know you were going to come in with all that charisma,” he said. “You were sitting up there quiet!”
Juvenile slowly grinned, showing his mouth full of blazing gold teeth and replied in that New Orleans-style slang, “I had a couple of e-mails to send out, ya heard me?”
He spoke on a variety of topics, from a recent visit to Korea to the state of the city of New Orleans. As the interviewed proceeded, Juvenile revealed he had a bigger connection to Loyola than just appearing on the campus: his daughter is a freshman at the University.
He admitted that unlike himself, his daughter is “real quiet.”
Since having his daughter enrolled at the University, Juvenile also expressed his interest in becoming involved with the Music Industry Studies program.
Juvenile also spoke about his plans for a new album, which is riding on the heels of the much anticipated Hot Boyz reunion. The group, made up of New Orleans rappers Bryan “Baby” Williams, Byron “Mannie Fresh” Thomas, Tab “Turk” Virgil, Christopher “BG” Dorsey, DeWayne “Lil Wayne” Carter and Juvenile, disbanded in 2001. The Hot Boyz recently released their newest single, “Ya Heard Me,” which is quickly climbing the charts.
Guess every great band in history needs a chance for a comeback sometime.Ya heard me?
Jaune Jackson can be reached at [email protected].
(Dan Helfers)
