Ha (Juvenile song)

The primary topic of "Ha" is "street life in New Orleans", a subject that Juvenile presents through a series of rhetorical questions about "the highs and lows of hustling".^[1] The questions are addressed directly to the listener, at whom Juvenile alternately "laughs and sneers and, occasionally, commiserates".^[2] The song's confrontational nature has also led "Ha" to be described as a "vicious dressing down of a fake hustler".^[3]

Juvenile has attracted attention for his delivery on "Ha", which has been compared to talking rather than rapping.^[4] He has also been described as employing a "syrupy, sing-songy rhyme scheme" on the track.^[5] The song's production has been described as a "rattling, electronic taunt".^[2]

According to producer Mannie Fresh, "Ha" was the last song to have been added to 400 Degreez. He describes feeling that the album needed another song that would feel "raw" and off-the-cuff; in response, Juvenile suggested the lyrics to "Ha", which he had written previously but was unsure if listeners would appreciate.^[6] Once he heard the lyrics, Mannie composed the beat in "like 30 minutes", and the song was subsequently recorded in two takes.^[7]

The music video was directed by Marc Klasfeld, in what Juvenile describes as Klasfeld's "first big video". It was shot in the Magnolia Projects over the course of three days.^[8] The video's contents include a series of vignettes that have been described as portraying "the raw simplicity and the unapologetic honesty" of life in the Magnolia Projects,^[1] interspersed with footage of Juvenile performing the song. Paul A. Thompson of Pitchfork lists several specific examples of scenes from the video:

The rest of Magnolia pops to life, either in eerily real tracking shots or in static frames that might as well be portraits. Kids jump on cast-off mattresses. Women in church clothes pose soberly—so do EMTs, with arms crossed in front of their ambulance. Magnolians get chased and cuffed and clutched by their fathers. There are roller skaters and pickup basketball games. A man on crutches hobbles down a street lit only by that ambulance’s siren lights; a boy feeds a piece of deli meat to a dog; money is counted and blurs until the bills are indistinguishable.^[2]

In a 2016 interview, Juvenile stated that the neighborhood's drug dealers all paused their business during the video shoot in order to avoid interfering with it.^[8]

Two remixes were recorded and also included on 400 Degreez. The first had a different beat and lyrics, and featured Juvenile's fellow Hot Boys members B.G., Lil Wayne, and Turk. The second had the same beat but different lyrics and featured a new verse from New York rapper Jay-Z.^[9] The second remix originated when Jay-Z, interested in "Ha", contacted Baby for a copy of the beat and recorded a verse without Juvenile's knowledge.^[1][7] The collaboration was particularly notable as East Coast rappers had previously shown minimal interest in Southern hip-hop;^[7] thus, Jay-Z's decision to remix "Ha" has come to be viewed by Billboard as "a key inflection point in the relationship between Southern and East Coast rap".^[10]

"Ha" has come to be regarded as one of Juvenile's most significant songs. Rashad D. Grove of Revolt.tv describes the song as "a decisive introduction of Juvenile and Cash Money to the masses", further arguing that the song became "a classic street anthem" that placed Juvenile at the forefront of Southern hip-hop.^[1] Paul A. Thompson of Pitchfork calls it "one of the most singularly brilliant rap songs of the 1990s".^[2] A more contemporaneous review, by MtumeS of RapReviews, opines that the song "may be either a subtly nuanced work of genius or a beautiful accident. Or both."^[11] Robert Christgau, despite not being impressed with 400 Degreez overall, identified "Ha" as one of its highlights.^[12]

In contrast to Juvenile's performance, Thompson argued that Jay-Z "couldn't find the right bounce to really sell his verse" on the remix.^[2]

"Ha" peaked at number 16 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart and number 68 on the Billboard Hot 100.^[13]