Back That Azz Up

"Back That Azz Up"
"Back That Azz Up"
Single by Juvenile featuring Mannie Fresh and Lil Wayne
from the album 400 Degreez
Released	June 11, 1999
Recorded	1998
Genre	Bounce; Southern hip hop;
Length	4:24
Label	Cash Money; Universal;
Songwriter(s)	Terius Gray; Dwayne Carter; Byron Thomas;
Producer(s)	Mannie Fresh
Juvenile singles chronology
Lil Wayne singles chronology
Music Video
	"Back That Thang Up" on YouTube
Audio
	"Back That Azz Up" on YouTube
	"Back That Thang Up" on YouTube

"Back That Azz Up" or the censored version "Back That Thang Up" is a song recorded by American rapper Juvenile featuring fellow American rappers Mannie Fresh and Lil Wayne. Produced by Fresh, it was released on June 11, 1999, as the second single from Juvenile's 1998 album 400 Degreez. The song was Juvenile's biggest hit single at the time until the chart-topping "Slow Motion" in 2004, surpassing "Back That Azz Up" which peaked at number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2021, it was listed at number 478 on Rolling Stone's "Top 500 Best Songs of All Time".^[2]

Both the song and its music video were omnipresent in media venues for much of 1999 and early 2000.^[3] "Back That Azz Up", Lil Wayne's "Tha Block Is Hot", and B.G.'s "Bling Bling" were the three hits that launched Cash Money into the pop mainstream.

Based on the content of the song, there were three edited versions of the song, which allowed for radio stations to choose between playing "Back That Thang Up" and the edited version of "Back That Azz Up". Johnny Kenaya was in the studio with Juvenile and Mannie Fresh while the record was playing. He gave the green light on the project to go on. The former had redone amended lyrics, while the latter was edited as is (with the word "ass" left intact). Also, the edited album version had "ass" backmasked along with other expletives. "Back That Thang Up" only came out on the single, the compilation Universal Smash Hits in 2000, and Juvenile's Greatest Hits in 2004.

The song played a pivotal role in introducing bounce music—a distinctive New Orleans style of hip-hop characterized by rapid beats and call-and-response vocals—into mainstream culture, thereby solidifying the South as an epicenter of hip-hop. It has achieved lasting cultural significance, frequently sampled by artists like Drake and Beyoncé, and remains popular at cultural events and celebrations.^[4]

^ "The 100 Greatest Rap Albums of All Time (100-26): Staff List". Billboard. 2024-07-01. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
^ "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. 2021-09-15. Retrieved 2022-07-03.
^ Abrams, Jonathan (4 July 2024). "The Booty-Shaking Anthem That Still Endures, 25 Years Later". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
^ Abrams, Jonathan (2024-07-04). "The Booty-Shaking Anthem That Still Endures, 25 Years Later". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-07-12.

[1] "The 100 Greatest Rap Albums of All Time (100-26): Staff List". Billboard. 2024-07-01. Retrieved 2024-07-08.

[2] "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. 2021-09-15. Retrieved 2022-07-03.

[3] Abrams, Jonathan (4 July 2024). "The Booty-Shaking Anthem That Still Endures, 25 Years Later". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 July 2024.

[:0-4] Abrams, Jonathan (2024-07-04). "The Booty-Shaking Anthem That Still Endures, 25 Years Later". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-07-12.

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