A Social Commentary: Juvenile, "Ha"

Cash Money Records taking over for the 99 and the 2000. Indeed, they did. However, it was in 1998 that something special happened. In a reactionary response to the East Coast vs. West Coast pandemonium, the south planted legs firmly rooted in success. Cash Money Records’ own, Juvenile, solidified New Orleans as an integral part of southern rap landscape. Prior to, a little known treasure trove for absurdly talented rappers equipped with unique rhyme schemes and regional flair, New Orleans birthed unparalleled beats and bars that revealed, unabashedly, the intricacies of Nawlin’s living.
A style that was in stark contrast to that of their Atlanta counterparts, Outkast and Goodie Mob who, at that juncture, accounted for much of the southern rap acclaim. Juvenile’s socially illuminative track, “Ha” is enveloped in uncut truth. The Mannie Fresh produced track, unveiled the good, bad, and the ugly of what it meant to be poor in the N.O. Touching on social nuances from style of dress to drug choice, normalization of statutory rape to lack of proper familial structure. This is not just another hood anthem.

No, I have never been to New Orleans. I’ve yet to taste of proper king cake, muffulettas, or jambalaya, and I’m not sure if a triple beam is as hard as it seems. Never had existential moment of mediation on the bayou, or been to Magnolia projects when it was dark, but Juvenile sonically brought me there. The track, seasoned with cajun colloquialisms, has transportive qualities.

Visually, director, Marc Klasfield presented us with a documentary more than a music video. Taking you through a time stamped series of events in a seemingly typical day in the N.O. Typical during a period where New Orleans averaged annual per-capita homicide rate (59 per 100,000) ranked highest of large cities in the country from 1990–2010 based on Bureau Of Justice Statistics. Tactfully avoiding the glamorization of the hood, Klasfield just keeps it real. This mature approach punctuated the magnitude of the content Juve delivers.
Cue, “Ha”. The mini doc opens with scenes of Juve shirtless and oiled against the destitute of the notorious Magnolia Projects. Row after row of boarded up apartments planted in dusty lots are contrasted with the opening line, “That’s you with that big ass benz ha“. Hood rich exemplified. Not to be confused with coincidence, the contrast was done purposefully. Yes, we, we being Magnolia residents are impoverished, however still glorifying monetary success exonerated by white mainstream media and perpetuated by the poor. Juvenile continues with, “You spent 70 on your benz ha, That ain’t yours that’s for your friends ha”. This is stunting broken down. We’re not just talking big body benzes, but the relatable urge to acquire the freshest gear (Girbaud being uniform of choice) all for the sake of saying you have it. Spending money to say you can. Again, the curse of hood rich.
A montage of neighborhood folks, fighting, congregating, and making seedy drug deals in alley ways are sonically illustrated with talks  of finding “fire green”, using triple beam scales that are typically used to weigh out dope, and having partners that are actual dope fiends. This is a long departure from the now commercialized bars rappers today spit glorifying drug abuse. There’s no catch or gimmick here. In comes the hypnotic chorus,

“You a paper chaser, You got your block on fire, Remaining a G until the moment you expire, You know what it is you make nothing out of something, You handle your biz and don’t be cryin and suffering”

Continuing with themes of self-preservation, Juvenile poetically emphasizes the importance of survival by any means necessary. Survival that is haunted by an inevitable untimely demise. In the interim? Lyrics allude to the common act of young girl being preyed upon by older men and domestic abuse. A tongue and cheek approach to portraying the power struggle between men, women, and poverty,

“That dick got hard ha, When you were looking at them little broads ha…That hoe don’t know when to shut up her mouth ha, You gonna knock that hoe teeth out ha”

This is reality. The video casually presses on despite it’s heavy content, again showing the unfortunate commonality of these not so subtle subtleties of poverty are. The montage of neighborhood fixtures: cops, crackheads, toothless children, make-shift basketball courts, and abandon cars. Shots of the Cash Money team garnishing their chains mimics the duality in theme of the impoverished seeking societies ideals of wealth. This ongoing social issue, the have-nots (the 99% being such) constant turmoil of survival whilst still seeking validation in materialism is eerily relevant today. In turn, Klasfield and Juvenile legitimize the marriage of aesthetics and lyrical content. Therefore, making “Ha” so much more than just another hood anthem.