Juicy (The Notorious B.I.G. song)

1994 single by The Notorious B.I.G.

"Juicy" is the first single by American rapper the Notorious B.I.G. The song is from his first album Ready to Die (1994). Poke (of Trackmasters) and Sean "Puffy" Combs were the producers of the song. "Juicy" contains a sample of Mtume's 1983 song "Juicy Fruit". It is directly sampled from the song's "Fruity Instrumental" mix.

"Juicy"
Single by the Notorious B.I.G.
from the album Ready to Die
B-side"Unbelievable"
ReleasedAugust 9, 1994
Recorded1994
GenreHip hop
Length4:13
Label
Songwriter(s)Christopher Wallace
Producer(s)
The Notorious B.I.G. singles chronology
"Juicy"
(1994)
"Big Poppa"
(1994)

The song is widely considered to be one of the greatest hip-hop songs of all time.[1][2][3] The song charted at number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Content change

The song is a "rags to riches chronicle".[4] The Notorious B.I.G. talks about his childhood years living in poverty, his initial dreams of becoming a rapper, early musical influences, his time dealing drugs, criminal involvement, and his eventual success in the music industry and current lavish lifestyle.

The song's lyrics refer to the February 26, 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center.[5][6]

Accolades change

  • Blender Magazine ranked the song #168 on its Top 500 Songs of the '80s–'00s list in 2005.[7]
  • Bruce Pollock put it on his The 7,500 Most Important Songs of 1944–2000 list in 2005.[7]
  • ego trip ranked it #1 on its Hip Hop's 40 Greatest Singles by Year 1980–98 list in 1999.[8]
  • Pitchfork Media ranked the song at #14 on their Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s.[9]
  • Pop ranked it #1 on their Singles of the Year list in 1994.[7]
  • Q ranked "Juicy" the ninth greatest hip hop song of all time.[10]
  • Rolling Stone ranked the song #424 in its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, moving to #32 in the 2021 revision.[11]
  • Spex included it on The Best Singles of the Century list in 1999.[12]
  • The Boston Phoenix included it on their 90 Best Songs of the 90s list in 1999.[13]
  • The Source included it on their The 100 Best Rap Singles of All Time list in 1998.[14]
  • VH1 ranked it #7 on its "100 Greatest Hip Hop Songs Ever" and #1 on its "40 Greatest Hip Hop Songs of the 90s".[15]
  • BBC ranked it #1 on its "Greatest hip-hop songs of all time".[16]

Track listing change

12-inch change

A-side change

  1. "Juicy" (Dirty Mix) (5:05)
  2. "Unbelievable" (3:45) (produced by DJ Premier)
  3. "Juicy" (Remix) (4:42) (produced by Pete Rock)

B-side change

  1. "Juicy" (Instrumental) (5:05)
  2. "Unbelievable" (instrumental) (3:45)
  3. "Juicy" (remix instrumental) (4:43)

Official versions change

  • "Juicy" (album version)
  • "Juicy" (instrumental) – 5:05
  • "Juicy" (dirty mix) – 5:05
  • "Juicy" (remix) – 3:42
  • "Juicy" (remix instrumental) – 4:43

Charts change

Weekly charts change

Chart (1994–95) Peak
position
UK Singles (OCC)[17] 72
UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC)[18] 16
US Billboard Hot 100[19] 27
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[20] 14
US Hot Rap Singles (Billboard)[21] 1

Certifications change

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[22] Gold 30,000 
United Kingdom (BPI)[23] 2× Platinum 1,200,000 
United States (RIAA)[24] 6× Platinum 6,000,000 

 sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

References change

  1. "The 50 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of All Time". Archived from the original on 2013-08-26. Retrieved 2022-10-07.
  2. 100 Best Rap Albums:
  3. "Top 100 Rap Songs". Archived from the original on 2011-08-27. Retrieved 2022-10-07.
  4. "Ready to Die at Allmusic.com". Retrieved 2006-12-23.
  5. Gaillot, Ann-Derrick. ""Biggie 9/11" is Twitter's best search". The Outline. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  6. Herbert, David Gauvey. "The Notorious B.I.G. & 9/11: Radio Censorship, Illuminati Conspiracy Theories and Everything In Between". Billboard. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 "Juicy at Acclaimedmusic.net". Retrieved December 23, 2006.
  8. "Ego Trip's Book of Rap Lists at rocklistmusic.co.uk". Retrieved December 23, 2006.
  9. "Pitchfork Top 200 Tracks of the 90s". Archived from the original on 2012-07-19. Retrieved 2022-10-07.
  10. "150 Greatest Rock Lists Ever at rocklistmusic.co.uk". Retrieved December 23, 2006.
  11. "Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved April 7, 2011.
  12. "Die besten Singles aller Zeiten at home.rhein-zeitung.de". Archived from the original on July 6, 2012. Retrieved December 23, 2006.
  13. Pappademas, Alex. "Juicy from The Boston Phoenix". Archived from the original on October 9, 2007. Retrieved December 23, 2006.
  14. "100 Best Singles at rocklistmusic.co.uk". Retrieved December 23, 2006.
  15. "The 100 Greatest Hip Hop Songs of All Time (via VH1)". Retrieved October 25, 2018.[permanent dead link]
  16. Brown, T. M. "The greatest hip-hop songs of all time". bbc.com. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
  17. "Notorious B.I.G: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2011-07-21.
  18. "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
  19. "The Notorious B.I.G. Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 2011-07-21.
  20. "The Notorious B.I.G. Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2011-07-21.
  21. Billboard Singles - AllMusic
  22. "Danish single certifications – Notorious B.I.G. – Juicy". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  23. "British single certifications – Notorious Big – Juicy". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  24. "American single certifications – Notorious B.I.G. – Juicy". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 20, 2022.