Juve the Great

If Juvenile never did another thing in his life besides authoring “Back That Azz Up,” he would’ve earned himself a permanent place in the pantheon of pop culture. The problem, of course, is figuring out what to do for an encore. So far, across two albums, he’s found no solutions. Juvenile doesn’t find one on Juve the Great either, but he sounds less haunted by the specter of his massive hit. Rather than rely on longtime producer Mannie Fresh for all the beats, Juve turns to newcomers like Slice T., who brings a Timbaland-ish tabla sound to “Head in Advance,” and Griz, whose creeping funk accompaniment for “Numb Numb” imagines a Southern Wu-Tang. When Mannie does show up, he’s got a fire under his azz: A sinewy flamenco guitar hook is a nice melodic foil to Juve’s harsh flow on “Cock It.” It goes without saying that nothing here is as memorable as Juve’s moment in the sun, but his time in the shade gets more interesting by the day.