Day 157: "Back That Azz Up" feat. Mannie Fresh and Lil Wayne – Juvenile, 400 Degreez , 1999Today is one of the most important days in American history, at least according to Wikipedia and this one post from Buzzfeed that probably used Wikipedia as its source. Honestly, the date doesn't matter as much as the fate—the fate being that of all humanity, which came together on this day in 1999 to solve all that ails us.On February 24, 1999, Juvenile released the song "Back That Azz Up," changing the course of the world—and, in the process, music—forever. How great is "Back That Azz Up"? Well, for starters, when I told my friend and coworker Trey, who runs the VICE social media accounts (hi Trey, please tweet this from @VICE!), that I was writing about this song today and asked if he wanted to chip in, he literally ran outside and delivered the following speech to me, which I had no choice but to transcribe verbatim: "How moths react to light, that's how humans react to 'Back That Azz Up.' This is the one bind that all of us have… I've never heard somebody say they don't like this song. Anybody that doesn't like this song doesn't like themselves." Which, really, what more needs to be said?
The crazy thing was the song was probably a year and a half old. Juvenile was already doing that song in clubs, but it didn't have that beat to it, so it didn't have the impact. It was more like a DJ backspinning and him saying his rhymes, but no music on top of it. I was just like, 'Dude, that song is so incredibly cool, you just gotta figure it out how you make it touch everybody.'
I figured, how do we get everything? If we put 808 drums under this with the bounce, we got the hood. We got to get white America too, how do we do that? I was like, 'If we put some classical music on there, not only are you going to get young kids [but white America too].' I remember Sharon Stone commenting about 'Back Dat Azz Up' like, 'That's my favorite song,' and I'm like, 'You got Sharon Stone backing that ass up? You arrived.'
I definitely smiled when I was making that record. I was like, 'This right here, this the one.' It's one of them songs that will go on for forever. If I went up against a whole gang of tough ass DJs, I would open my set up with 'Back Dat Azz Up,' like, 'It's over. Who want with me?' Every producer dreams of a 'Back Dat Azz Up.' Not to discredit 'Ha,' but 'Ha' does not have that feel to it. I'm pretty sure I can't play 'Ha' at a Bar Mitzvah and kids know it. They'll be like, 'I don't know that, but I know 'Back Dat Azz Up!'
