This is the best rap song of all time because it IS rap. From the very beginning introductory words we are introduced to the struggle. We are introduced to Biggie's humble start as a nothing in a poor and dangerous neighborhood. This is the story of coming to the top, from emerging from a womb of nothingness to dominating an entire country. And that is the struggle from which all rap music emerged. 
And what better place to start than from a dream? The song starts back when he was probably 10 years old, just wishing for another life, another reality than the one he was born into. He was born a sinner, he was born into a very constrained life where he was practically forced to deal drugs and risk his life on a daily life just to get by. This is his anthem of success, honoring his history and celebrating his deserved status. 

In between the verses the chorus is strikingly beautiful, too beautiful for his own voice even. "Reach for the stars" and become biggie, you can become whatever it is you dream. 

The second verse is another important characteristic of rap music: giving back. Rap is about community. The best rappers came up with friends, they rapped on beats their friends produced and they came up with lyrics in basements down the block from the house they were born in. And now with Juicy he is giving back. He isn't going so far as to call his success luck but he is guaranteeing that anyone from the hood can do the same "and blow up like the world trade" (referencing the first attack he was dead well before 9/11) "Considered a fool cause I dropped out of high school/ Stereotypes of a black male misunderstood" 

Juicy is the greatest rap song of all time because it is a microcosm of the human life. Yes, it specifically tells of Biggie's life coming from nothing to be huge, and that is itself the spirit of rap music which was born out of poverty, but beyond that it tells the story of all of our lives. It is the lyrical incarnation of a dream. What started as nothing evolved into brilliance through determinism and a spirit of resolve. And above all it is a celebration, it celebrates being alive, being able to dream, and it celebrates personal history. It is a tribute to the community that made him, the difficulties by which he grew, and his own individuality which sprung him to the top. And can't we all relate even if we didn't grow up in crack-addled 1980's Brooklyn? What makes this song so powerful is the message that "you can do it too" while a lot of rappers try for the same message, they can't get over their own ego to admit that you can do it too. 

Biggie knew he was lucky: 

You know very well who you are
Don't let em hold you down, reach for the stars
You had a goal, but not that many
'cause you're the only one I'll give you good and plenty



: I'll leave you with a question that I am definitely not sure of: Who is the I in the chorus? Is it fortune? Is it a divine figure? It certainly isn't Biggie. (rip)

Although I don't completely agree that juicy is the best rap song of all time, I concede that fame has always been one of the most interesting themes explored by rappers. Of the best rappers of all time, almost all of them came up from world's like Biggie. They dealt drugs, went through the prison system, and were confronted with varying degrees of adversity. How rappers deal with their success is always interesting to watch. The best rappers evolve and constantly change with their success leaving the idea of fame behind as they go forward with music. The worst rappers never get over the material wealth of fame. It is a sad fact that we never got to see how Biggie would grow as an artist. With Jay-Z who came from a similar background as biggie, we've seen him change from album to album. He still holds onto the world that made him, but only musically, he's left behind the street world physically but still recognizes it as the community that made him. His last album for example was a concept album where he linked his rise to rap mogul with Frank Lucas, the famous drug dealer who was portrayed by Denzel Washington in American Gangster.

In a song that was released this week called Forever with Drake, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, and Eminem, the topic of fame is given a verse by four successful rappers. It is a really interesting contrast between the four of them. Drake has the hook on the song and the first verse. The hook is "It may not mean nothing to y'all, but understand nothing was done for me, so I don't plan on stopping at all. I want this shit forever man." Drake is fresh on the scene. For the last year he has been lauded for free mixtapes he has put out. He was a millionaire before he signed to a deal and he hasn't even put out an album yet. His verse makes sense then, it is filled with the confidence of Biggie's Juicy. He is proud that he made it to where he is and he wants more. "Labels want my name beside a x like Malcolm. Everybody got a deal, I did it without one."

Kanye goes next. Kanye has been successful for awhile and he has always made sure we know. His verse is un-kanye like in that he is almost rejecting the fame. It sounds like he is getting tired of his stardom which is interesting because in the last few months he has fallen off as a public figure. Maybe he is retreating from the limelight. I used to have hood dreams, big fame big chain...Ya'll seen my story my glory I had raped the game young you could call it statutory... Trade the grammy plaques just to have my granny back...chasing the stardom will turn ya to a maniac, all the way in hollywood and I can't even act, they pull their cameras out and goddam they snap, I used to want this thing forever, ya'll can have it back. Very telling lines there that are beautifully juxtaposed with Drake's.

Lil Wayne is next. And he is true to character. He is something else entirely. Okay, hello it's the martian, space jam jordans, I want this shit forever, wake up and the smell the garden, fresher than the harvest...and I will never stop like I'm running from the cops...life is such a fuckin' rollercoaster and then it drops but what should I scream for this is my themepark...my foot's sleeping on the gas no brake pads, no such thing as last. Very witty and non-stop. He loves the fame, he wants every second, has enjoyed every second. It makes sense just like Kanye and Drake. It might seem like Lil Wayne came up over night, but he began rapping on a label when he was 11 years old. Wayne put out like 7 or 8 albums before he earned the popularity that only came about last year. And now he is living it up for years of hard hard work with the harvest. He is reaping the rewards.

Eminem has the last verse and man it's amazing. It's so fast and he is unstoppable. We all know how eminem came up. Out of troubled detroit to mass fame and media assault. He hates the attention and lives a private life as well as he can. He avoids the public's eye and rejected the fame almost immediately. He saw it what it was for and he wanted nothing of it. His verse is all about himself, he is doing rap for himself, not for his fans and not for the crowds. It is his therapy. He wants to make noise though there's a feeling he has something to prove too. There they go, back in stadiums, as Shady spits his flow, nuts they go, macadamia they go so balistic yo, we can make them look like bosos, hes wondering if he should spit this slow...he aint had a buzz like this since the last time he overdosed, theyve been waiting patiently for Pinnochio to poke his nose, back into the game and they know, rap will never be the same as before..the passion and the flame is ignited, you cant put it out once we light it...when I slap the taste out your mouth with the bass so loud that it shakes the place, im hannibal lecter so just in case your thinking of saving face, you aint gonna have no face to save by the time Im through with this place.

It's a pretty great song that speaks to the variety inherent in rap music. The best rappers all come from different backgrounds where they developed their own voices. There is no one reaction to the fame that is true to all rap and while juicy was true to biggie, it isn't to the four on this verse.  (maybe lil wayne)

I think that your interpretations of the rappers intended themes is pretty on point, and is definitely interesting.  Unfortunately however, there are a few more things going on here that could have made this song so special.
First off, a little history; Eminem is extremely selective on who he will get on the mic with.  If you look at his albums, he rarely does features outside of his or Dre's label; he just feels he doesn't need them(personally I agree).  However, this does create some tension with rappers who like to jump on a track with anyone who will let them with no regard for anything but the money  (lil' wayne).

Wayne has reached out to Eminem on several occasions, but has never heard back.  I cannot say for sure if Kanye has wanted to work with Em, but I am fairly confident that he would have reached out at some point (I think that Kanye would be much more hesitant to work with Dre, and Dre would be equally resistant, but thats another discussion).  Drake has actually been on the scene for about 3 years now, and he has pretty much come in while Eminem has been out. However, Drake is 23 or 24....So he's grown up in roughly the same music time period I have, this means that if he listened to hip hop then he listened to the Slim Shady/Marshal Mathers LP. 

So, the real surprise about this song is that Eminem agreed to a song with Drake, Wayne, Kanye and I'm sure they were all very excited to work with Em.  What I'm not so sure about is why Eminem agreed to it.  I think his motives might have been purely motivated by the fact that this song is a promotional song for LeBron James new movie, which is probably a more interesting connection for Eminem than Kanye, Wayne, or Drake. What does that say for his verse then? What does that say about fame?

But, regardless, they did come together; and it should have been great.  I feel like Drake's original verse (there was an earlier version of this song) is probably superior in rhythm and content to this one, so that just boggles my mind(maybe he was nervous?)  Kanye did alright; but his message is played out.   Lil Wayne's verse is average at best verse, but that's what I've been expecting of him recently(he's very preoccupied with all the duties of being the "Prom Queen" and his upcoming rock album)

But I think the most disappointing verse on this was Eminem's.  His flow was great, lyrics were on point; it just did not match up with the beat at all.  It was almost as if he got on this solely to meet LeBron and to show up everyone else.  Em, we all know you are a better rapper than them, you don't need to prove that to anyone who knows hip-hop.  What makes me disappointed was this is a topic that Eminem shouldn't have had to struggle to shine on, he has a great perspective in my opinion.  But unfortunately, his flow was whack on this beat, and it came off as forced.  It comes off as a bit hypocritical that he is talking about not caring about the fame when he has never done a song like this before with so many big time rappers. That this is also a way for him to connect to LeBron says a lot about what he really thinks about fame.


This could have been such a great opportunity for everyone involved.  I want to stress that I do not think that this is a bad song, I do like it.  However, I KNOW that it could have been much better, and I think we as fans deserve better.  That's all.