Cocky And Confident

Shaking off the personal tragedy of losing his four-year-old daughter to gun violence a year earlier, Juvenile’s 2009 effort is just what it says on the cover. Cocky & Confident is also a return to form for the rapper, filled with the street music and club tracks that helped launch his career, along with all the provocative sniping that Juvy always nails. During the opening title track it’s “If you a pitbull/I’m Mike Vick,” while later, during the Dirty South triumph that’s “I’m Out Chere,” it’s the flat-out admittance that “I’m no humanitarian” before some bragging about his gear begins with “All white Guccis like an Aryan.” The bedroom numbers like “Make U Feel Alright” with Kango Slim work just as well, balancing polish and pimp attitude with skill, and while the social commentary found on Reality Check is missed, there’s the overall feeling that Juvy isn’t ready or willing to deal with heavy topics at this point. That’s fine since he actually sounds exhilarated and -- as he declares during the title track -- “reJuvynated” to be getting back to more lighthearted material.