It’s possible Juicy J constructed his entire outfit for his show last night presented by Noisey at Irving Plaza around his Yeezy Red Octobers. His beanie, shirt and pants aren’t quite the same dark-grapefruit hue of Kanye’s signature Nikes, but dude definitely opened up his luggage this evening with sweet shades of red in mind. This is appropriate because he is giving the Juiceman equivalent of a Kanye rant.We are four years into Juicy J’s third wave of rap stardom. Three 6 Mafia grew out of the Memphis underground to national prominence in the 90’s. 2005’s Most Known Unknowns snowballed them into crossover fame that led to an Oscar and an (underrated but pretty bad) MTV reality show. Then Juice found a muse in Lux Luger and headed out on his own, leading to his current era of Taylor Gang-associated dominance. He could comfortably plateaued in 1999 or 2007 as a southern rap legend with a giant pile of money. Instead, he managed to reinvent himself in a way that maintains continuity between his new shit and his classics. That “Dark Horse” and “Poppin My Collar” aren’t mutually exclusive is such an accomplishment that he doesn’t seem to believe it himself. Hence the mini-rant.While Kanye’s famous rants involve firing shots at A-list celebrities and politicians, the upshot of Juicy J’s monologue is that he suspects folks don’t realize he’s the same dude from “Poppin My Collar”. And while it’s easy to understand why an aging rapper with a chart-topping feature on a Katy Perry song would be defensive about his credibility, I don’t think he had anything to worry about. 2005’s “Stay Fly” was one of the biggest songs of the night and “Slob On My Knob”, a song old enough to drive, instantly kicked off mosh pits.Juicy J is an energetic and engaging presence on stage. He raps from the top of speaker stacks off-stage and brings drunk girls on stage to take pictures. Last night while bantering with the front row, one girl’s tits inspired him to have the whole crowd shout out “boobies”. In between the littany of hits (“Bandz A Make Her Dance”, “Zip and a Double Cup”, “Geekd Up Off Them Bars”), he repeatedly acknowledged all his weed smokers in the building. It’s clear how, even as he approaches 40, he is a natural star for the turnt up generation.There’s an irony in shouting out stoners in 2014. Marijuana legalization and decriminalization is a rapidly growing movement. Wax and edibles are as viable an option for getting high as rolling a blunt. Sparking the lah lah at a rap show used to be an illicit activity, a parallel to hip-hop’s implied outlaw culture. In a year, the only shocking thing about a cipher might be the second-hand smoke. And maybe that’s part of Juicy J’s complaint, that he feels like he’s losing his edge. Three 6 Mafia rapped about trunks full of body parts and elbowing dudes in the face. Their biggest single was about a drug most of the country didn’t know existed in 1999. In 2014, Juicy J may be the self-proclaimed number one get-high rapper, but it’s to an EDM-raised fan base for whom marijuana is basically legal and molly is more of a bad life decision than a health risk.His own theoretical reservations aside, it’s still pretty amazing that Juicy J (and Project Pat) can sell out a show in New York City and much of the crowd will be under the age of 25. That would have been unthinkable in 2008 and totally insane in 1999. A lot of them will know the hook to “North North”. Juicy J will sign and give away three pairs of Jordans, including his Red Octobers.Follow Skinny on Twitter - @skinny412
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