9 LPs in and Juvenile is still one of the most important voices in the game today. From his early start in bounce music scene in New Orleans, to his stint as a Cash Money solider, Juvy has used his ability to put words together to speak for those on the block and those in the clubs, all while maintaining his integrity and core fan base.

On disc #9, Beast Mode, Juvy perfects an already solid blue print. The first single, Drop That Thang, has Juvy going back to his bounce music roots. Synthesizers compliment a Pharcyde sample, giving him the perfect background to command all in the club to Drop That Thang. The simplistic hook does nothing to detract the listener, “Roll that thang this away, roll that thang that away...drop that thang.” From there he sings/raps to the ladies in the club, “There's a lot of women in this party, but you're the only one that I'm looking at shorty.” Reminiscent of many of his other clubs bangers like Back That Azz Up, he proves that sticking to a familiar script can work.

Unlike his last few discs, Juvy keeps it to a minimal with the guest appearances. The only other voices that check in are Verse Simmonds, B.o.B, and Juvy's son, Juvy Jr. That helps the album maintain a sense of consistency and stop it from sounding like a mixtape.

This solo mission really comes off on tracks like Bitch Instructions. The production takes you back to the early days of Cash Money when Mannie Fresh was at helm. “Its going down soon as the nigga see that hoe...I'm a business man I don't need a hoe,” the hook borrows from his classic LP, 400 Degrees; “Don't touch my shit, don't drive my shit, got dope in the house and I hide my shit, do right and nice things I buy my bitch.” While the repetition might be a little too much new listeners, long time fans will find themselves bobbing their heads to every vulgar, in your face line.

Go Hard Or Go Home finds Juvy back in his comfort zone, spitting live and direct from the VIP section; “If you ain’t in this motherfucka thuggin, then what you doing.” Rather than commanding women to hit the floor, he's asking the fellas, “Why you on the wall when all the b***s on the floor....you're best to Go Hard Or Go Home”

You can't have a Juvy album without an anthem for the weed smokers: La, La, La, La is just that. Juvy takes 3 minutes to explain to us what he's smoking on; “I'm smoking that good/ I'm on that kush/ You smoking that brown/ You on that Reggie Bush." The weakest track on the disc, La, La, La, La plays out like a bag of swag and not an O of that good.

Despite that mist-step, Juvy manages to compile a good album. Keeping the tracklisting to a minimum while managing to give listeners and longtime fans enough to digest without feeling like they're getting short changed.

9 albums deep and Juvenile can still deliver when it counts!

- By Mekha