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Reality Check

 
Album Review: Reality Check

  • Artist: Juvenile
  • Rating: StarStarStar
  • Release Date: March 07, 2006
  • Type: Contains explicit content, Enhanced CD-ROM
  • Genre: Rap

Review

Since his last full-length, Juvenile's situation changed in so many ways. He topped Billboard with the single "Slow Motion," he had a not-so-friendly split with his label, Cash Money, and then Hurricane Katrina and its grim aftermath hit his New Orleans home hard, destroying his house and scattering friends and family across the country. There was also a three-single build-up to the album, with the raw mixtape hit "Animal" setting the streets on fire and the smooth "Rodeo" keeping radio happy before "Get Ya Hustle On" and its accompanying video painted the rapper as New Orleans' most militant revolutionary, with Bush, Cheney, and Nagin all in his sights. Folks who caught the edited version of the song missed out on Juvy's true assessment of the situation, which is basically that FEMA and the rest of the government have forgotten the Crescent City, so pushing crack is the way to step up and provide. Whether or not the powers that be edited the word "Pyrex" out of the tune because they felt it was product placement or were aware it was slang for a crack pipe, the track is a bleak party number that's irresponsible while also being a stunning breakaway hit that brings into question whether or not the big corporations pimping it are now comfortable with crack dealing or totally unaware of how street-slang/street-life has progressed. The rest of the album is nowhere near as subversive, but Juvenile has constructed a wonderfully varied collection with club tracks, street burners, and even "one for the ladies." "Addicted," with smooth crooner Brian McKnight, is the blueprint for delivering a bedroom number without selling out, while all the previous hits sound even better here, surrounded by album tracks that are inspired. Special mention goes to "I Know You Know," which is a great portrait of domestic life in the hood (Juvy speaking to his woman: "I'm comin' home with a big bag of groceries/And somethin' we can smoke up"), but longtime followers of the man's story should jump right to the end of the album and check his bitter beef track, "Say It to Me Now," which addresses the Cash Money split. Drop the laser anywhere and Juvenile's lyrics are tricky, wry, riveting, but most of all, brutally honest and free of any major-label influence. Love it or be horrified by it, there's no denying that the album's title is as accurate as they come. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Intro (Lyrics) Juvenile (:25)
Get Ya Hustle On (Lyrics) Juvenile (3:28)
Around the Way (Lyrics) Juvenile (3:55)
Sets Go Up (Lyrics) Scott Storch Juvenile (4:11)
Rodeo (Lyrics) Juvenile (3:57)
What's Happenin' (Lyrics) Juvenile (3:37)
Loose Booty (Lyrics) 8Ball, Juvenile (4:12)
Way I Be Leanin' (Lyrics) J.K. Hunter Juvenile, Paul Wall (4:07)
Break a Brick Down (Lyrics) Juvenile (4:41)
Who's Ya Daddy (Lyrics) Juvenile (3:18)
I Know You Know (Lyrics) N. "Happy" Perez Trey Songz, Juvenile (4:05)
Keep Talkin' (Lyrics) P.D. James Redd Eyezz, Juvenile (3:51)
Rock Like That (Lyrics) Bun B, Juvenile (3:31)
Why Not (Lyrics) Chris Love, J.C. Phillips Juvenile (3:52)
Animal (Lyrics) Juvenile (3:42)
Addicted Brian McKnight Brian McKnight, Juvenile (3:45)
Holla Back Juvenile (4:03)
Pop U (Lyrics) Fat Joe, Juvenile, Ludacris (4:24)
Say It to Me Now (Lyrics) Scott Storch Juvenile (7:15)

Credits

Corey Cray (Executive Producer), DJ Slice (Engineer), Craig Love (Guitar), Donnie Scantz (Keyboards), Ellen To (Package Art Direction), Happy Perez (Producer), Ben Watts (Photography), Donald "XL" Robertson (Producer), Scott Storch (Producer), Dave Junco (Engineer), Skip (Vocals), Terius Gray (Engineer), Brian McKnight (Assistant), Ray Seay (Mixing), Mannie Fresh (Producer), Dave Junco (Mixing), Kevin "KD" Davis (Mixing), Dré (Producer), Mike Dean (Producer), Aubrey Francis (Management), Dionnee Harper (Product Manager), Todd E. Berry (Engineer), Manny Marroquin (Mixing), Terius Gray (Producer), Cool (Producer), Brian Gardner (Mastering), Ellen To (Design), John Frye (Mixing), Brian McKnight (Producer), Robert Gold (Art Producer), Jonathon "Lil' Jon" Smith (Producer), Mark Vinten (Engineer), Stormy Day (Producer), Steve Solomon (Project Consultant), Aubrey Francis (Executive Producer), Terius Gray (Executive Producer), Stormy Dai' (Producer), Chris Wood (Assistant), LaMarquis Mark Jefferson (Bass)
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Wikipedia: Reality Check (Juvenile album)
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Reality Check
Studio album by Juvenile
Released March 7, 2006 (USA)
Recorded 2005–2006
Genre Hip hop
Length 71:54
Label UTP / Atlantic
Producer Cool and Dre
Scott Storch
Mannie Fresh
Lil Jon
Sinista
Professional reviews
Juvenile chronology
Juve the Great
(2003)
Reality Check
(2006)
Cocky & Confident
(2009)

Reality Check is the eighth studio album by rapper Juvenile which was released on March 7, 2006. It features artists such as Paul Wall, Mike Jones, Fat Joe, and Ludacris making guest appearances, among others. The first single was "Rodeo" produced by Cool and Dre, which charted on the Hot 100 and peaked at a modest #41. The second single was "Get Ya Hustle On", followed by "Way I Be Leanin'", which premiered on MTV's Making the Video. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 making Juvenile's first #1 on that chart. The album would eventually be certified gold by the RIAA.

Track listing

# Title Songwriters Producer(s) Featured guest (s) Length
1 Intro Stormy Dai 00:26
2 Get Ya Hustle On T. Gray, T. Freeman, D. Robertson XL, Sinista 03:29
3 Around the Way T. Gray, T. Freeman Sinista 03:55
4 Sets Go Up T. Gray, S. Storch, D. Grison Scott Storch Wacko 04:12
5 Rodeo T. Gray, A. Lyons, M. Valenzano, R. Kelly Cool & Dre Dre 03:58
6 What's Happenin' T. Gray, T. Freeman Sinista 03:37
7 Loose Booty T. Gray, D. Miller, P. Smith, C. Nocholas Stormy Dai Eightball & Skip 04:12
8 Way I Be Leanin' T. Gray, J. Hunter, M. Jones, P. Slayton, C. Nicholas, D. Grison, T. Mosely, S. Carter Perion Mike Jones, Paul Wall, Wacko & Skip 04:08
9 Break a Brick Down T. Gray, A. Lyons, M. Valenzano Cool & Dre 04:41
10 Who's Ya Daddy T. Gray, T. Freeman Sinista 03:18
11 I Know You Know T. Gray, N. Perez, T. Neverson, M. Caren Happy Perez Trey Songz 04:06
12 Keep Talkin' T. Gray, T. Freeman, C. Nicholas, P. James Sinista Skip & Redd Eyezz 03:52
13 Rock Like That T. Gray, T. Freeman, B. Freeman Sinista Bun B 03:32
14 Why Not T. Gray, J. Smith, C. Love, L. Jefferson, J. Phillips, R. Jones Lil' Jon Skip 03:53
15 Animal T. Gray, B. Thomas Mannie Fresh 03:42
16 Addicted T. Gray, B. McKnight Brian McKnight Brian McKnight 03:45
17 Holla Back T. Gray, T. Freeman Sinista 04:03
18 Pop U T. Gray, J. Cartagena, C. Bridges, M. Dean Mike Dean, Juvenile Ludacris & Fat Joe 04:25
19 Say It to Me Now T. Gray, S. Storch Scott Storch Kango (of Partners-N-Crime) 04:45
20 Come Out Your Laundry (iTunes bonus track) Skip 03:40

Disc 2: Target Exclusive Bonus CD

# Title Songwriters Producer(s) Featured guest (s) Length
1 So Gone T. Gray, M. Johnson, R. Jones Mixzo Fiend 04:11
2 Guns Up T. Gray, T. Freeman Sinista 03:25
3 Line Of Fire T. Gray, T. Neverson, M. Dean Mike Dean, Juvenile Trey Songz 03:36

Chart positions

Year Chart Position
2006 The Billboard 200 1
Preceded by
In My Own Words by Ne-Yo
Billboard 200 number-one album
March 19, 2006 - March 25, 2006
Succeeded by
High School Musical Soundtrack

 
 
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Album Review. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
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