Juvenile

Juvenile wears many hats: He's a self-professed "magnolia soldier," a former alligator wrestler and -- after the release of 400 Degreez -- a Southern rap legend. He has a crunchy, at-times indecipherable growl that grinds beneath the track, providing perfect counterpoint to Mannie Fresh's loose and funky New Orleans bounce. The interrogative "Ha" and the declarative "Back Dat Azz Up" were this album's big singles, but the samba-flavored "Following Me Now" and the bulbous "U.P.T." are pretty awesome as well.