On this day, Dec. 23, in hip-hop history...

2003: After spending more than two years out of the spotlight since the release of his platinum selling album, Project English, legendary New Orleans MC Juvenile returned to glory when he dropped his sixth studio LP, Juve the Great, on Dec. 23, 2003.

For the NOLA artist, Juve the Great, would serve as Juvenile's last release through Cash Money Records, the label with which his name had become synonymous in the late-90s. After the release of this album, which came following a re-working of his deal with Cash Money, the former Hot Boy$  member would go underground, forming his own collective, the UTP Playas (Uptown Project Playas).

Juve the Great was a massive commercial success, as it was the rapper's third consecutive album to be certified platinum. The 17-track LP debuted at No. 32 on the Billboard 200, eventually peak at No. 28, and sold 100,000 copies in its first week.

The albums most notable song was the smash single, "Slow Motion," featuring Soulja Slim, who was unfortunately fatally shot a month before the album's release. The Sha Money XL and Black Jeruz-produced track would serve as Juve's most successful single, even topping even the timeless, "Back That Azz Up," by topping the Billboard 100 at No.1.

While most critics say that the album doesn't stack up against Juvenile's colossal 1998 project, 400 Degreez, Juve the Great is most certainly an album that saw the return of one of hip-hop's most polarizing figures.

Cash Money/UTP Records
Cash Money/UTP Records
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