Georgia rapper JMB Juvie first caught widespread attention in the spring of 2021 with a freestyle recorded via phone from a prison cell. Though little was known publicly about him at the time, the brief clip shows an artist brimming with raw talent: Dressed in a white prison uniform, he bangs out a beat on a metal desk while spitting a disarmingly catchy verse about betrayal and redemption. Juvie was released not long after the video went viral, and since then he’s capitalized on his internet fame, signing to Alamo Records and releasing a string of singles and mixtapes—including “Wicked,” a reworked version of his initial freestyle guided by raspy-voiced hooks, 808 drums, and clanging church bells. Raised by his aunt and brothers in the small city of Waycross, Juvie had a tough upbringing; he first started putting rhymes together when he was 12, eager to keep his head straight while in juvenile detention. Now, inspired by favorite rappers like Lil Wayne and Kevin Gates, he pours his pain into his own trap anthems and street hymns, sounding heartfelt and hard as nails.