From the 2019 Westbank Heritage Festival

Juvenile, Mannie Fresh & Mia X want you to ‘Vax That Thang Up’

Almost 20 years after local rappers Juvenile and Mannie Fresh told us to “Back That Thang Up,” the two are back (sans Lil Wayne) in a nationwide PSA, encouraging folks to get vaxxed against Covid-19. In 1996, a pre-multi-platinum Juvenile would sign to Cash Money Records, which now proudly boasts a roster of talent including the aforementioned Lil Wayne and hip hop mega star Nicki Minaj.

This time, Juvenile is having fun, parodying his original hit in hopes of promoting vaccinations amongst both young  male and female Black people.  The rapper partnered with BLK, a dating app for Black singles, and reunited with old friend Mannie Fresh, this time with Mia X (known as Mother of Southern Gangsta Rap) replacing Lil Wayne on the parody. As HuffPo and other outlets have reported, the release of the song and video on Wednesday, July  7 came just after President Joe Biden missed his goal of making sure 70% of adults in the U.S. had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by July 4.

In a press release, Juvenile, born Terius Gray, stated: “I just wanted to do something positive for my people and to stand in the front to show that I’m willing to sacrifice my life not just for me but also for my family. We don’t know what we’re facing right now but we really do all need to be vaccinated so we can continue to do our thing and survive.”

New Orleanian locals Juvenile, Mannie Fresh, and Mia X have certainly continued to do their thing. In 2018, Juvenile celebrated 25 years since the release of his juggernaut Cash Money Records album, 400 Degreez. Mannie Fresh, a native of the 7th Ward, has participated in the Red Bull Academy, DJ’d around the city, and even collaborated with Flow Tribe. Mia X was the first woman to be signed to the No Limit Records label. Since then, she has become an author and hip-hop instructor at Loyola University.

Watch the video below. And you know…vax that thang up.