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- Dj Paul Alias: Da Killaman, M.O.B (Mark of the Beast) Real Name: Paul Beauregard Juicy-J Alias: Da Juice Real Name: Jordan Houston
- Lord Infamous Alias: Scarecrow, Da Mystical One Real Name: Ricky Dunigan
- Koopsta Knicca Alias: Koop, Warlock Real Name: Robert Cooper
- Gangsta Boo Alias: Devil's Daughter, Miss Lady Real Name: Lola Mitchell
- Crunchy Black Alias: Demon Child, Demon Knight Real Name: Darnell Carlton
- MEMBERS: DJ Paul,Juicy J,Gangsta Boo,Lord Infamous,Crunchy Blac,Koopsta Knicca LOCATION: Memphis,10 ANNA: Playa Fly,Skinny Pimp,Gangsta Pat, and a bunch of other broke local hoes.
Three 6 Mafia will go down as one of the greatest southern crews in rap history. In a span of 5 years they have taken the industry by storm. From selling TDK tapes in Memphis parking lots and gas stations to selling records nationwide. From them bummy outfits they had on the Mystic Stylez CD cover to gold and platinum Hypnotize medallions and chains. From pushing less then 100,000 units in a year to moving 500,000 in a week. Triple 6 is just now beginning to achieve the success they have deserved for years. And unlike other crews (hint:No Limit) they didn’t have to dilute they sound to do it. Now granted they aint the same demonic spitting rappers back in the Mystic Stylez days. But are you the same person you were 5 years ago? Probably not, so to expect them to be is ludicrous. Underneath it all they’re still the same Triple 6. Still spitting bout guns, smut, tearing up clubs, experimenting wit dope, you name it. And even on their worst album, they’re still better than oh bout 90% of the groups out there.
Three 6 began sometime in the early 90’s when DJ Paul and Juicy J (both respected local Memphis DJ’s) decided to form a group of MC’s. At first they were named the Backyard Posse, but were later named Triple 6 Mafia due to their demonic content and evil references. After the success of their undergroud tape Smoked Out,Loced Out, they put their money together and put out their first independent CD Mystic Stylez. To this day many feel this is Three 6’s best piece of work (I disagree). The CD was laced with demonic overtones, horror filled beats, hypnotic vocal samples, and lyrics filled with trigger play. The CD broke much ground for the Memphis underground (whom to this day still doesn’t get its just shine) and established Triple 6 as credible artists in the southern region. Disputes over money and publishing forced certain artists to leave DJ Paul and Juicy J’s Prophet Entertainment label. Artists including Playa Fly (who went on to earn much regional success), Kingpin Skinny Pimp (who hasn’t rebounded since), and La Chat (who later returned after her career went no where).
A few months after the release of Mystic Stylez, Three 6 released an EP entitled Live By Yo Rep which was a diss record to the then multi-platinum rap group Bone Thugs N Harmony. Angered by Bone’s mention of Memphis as a “bunk ass town” the group fired shots at Bone all over the CD. In early 97, Three 6 released The End a CD that had a little less satanic references as MS, but much better production. After pushing even more units with the release of that CD, Relativity Records signed the group to a deal that would allow them to record under their newly started Hypnotize Minds imprint. To gain a good buzz, they released a remake of one of there old club hits “Tear Da Club Up” which quickly took off. Their first major release Chapter 2:World Domination had almost no satanic lyrics but was filled with raunchy themes, top notch lyricism, and 808 induced beats. The album later reached Gold status. Soon other Prophet Entertainment artists were let out of contract including (Indo G,Gangsta Blac,Droopy Drew Dogg,M-Child,& K-Rock).
After releasing numerous solo projects and a few compilations, Three 6 has returned with their first group effort in close to 3 years with When The Smoke Clears 6661. The CD was laced with rowdy bass heavy production, sing a long choruses, and energy charged flows. The album debuted at #4 on the Billboard 200 and is still selling 100,000’s of units per week. They also dropped the critically acclaimed Kings Of Memphis Vol.3 which was filled with alot of banging unreleased material. Expect to hear a lot more from the Three 6 Mafia in the near future.
Without compromising their dark image as a malevolent rap group from the South, Three 6 Mafia quickly evolved from a humble underground rap collective to a commercially successful dynasty by retaining their raw qualities and releasing countless albums under a number of monikers.
Representing Memphis, TN, the group's six core members: Crunchy Black, Gangsta Boo, Lord Infamous, Koopsta Knicca, Juicy "J", DJ Paul. Give the group its dark image, vividly rapping about drug use, violent aggression, pornographic sex, and anything else remotely evil. Furthermore, group leaders Juicy "J" and DJ Paul's cinematic production perfectly compliments the group's theatrical rapping, causing many to call them the South's Wu-Tang Clan, as both groups are led by in-house production, feature a closed roster of rappers, and also release a glut of affiliated solo and compilation albums.
After releasing their first official album in 1995 and their first major-label album in 1997, Three 6 Mafia soon found themselves on the verge of superstardom; once When the Smoke Clears debuted at number six on Billboard's album charts in summer 2000, it became evident that Three 6 Mafia no longer were an underground group. Before Three 6 Mafia became a sprawling slew of loosely connected side projects, DJ Paul began his musical career as a popular Memphis DJ around 1990, creating mix tapes at home with his brother, Lord Infamous. In 1991, DJ Paul met up with another hot local DJ, Juicy "J", who was a fan of his mix tapes; the two began producing tapes with them rapping over beats and they eventually began integrating local MCs into their music.
After Juicy "J" and DJ Paul honed their beats to the point where they had developed a trademark sound (later showcased on Underground, Vol. 1, a collection of their early recordings from 1991-1994), they began officially collaborating with local MCs; these resulted in their first underground release as Triple 6 Mafia, Smoked out Loced Out. After an enthusiastic response within the South, the group changed their name to Three 6 Mafia and put out their first official album in 1995, Mystic Stylez.At this early point in their career, the early Three 6 Mafia camp prided themselves on being as raw as possible, rapping explicitly about sex, drugs, and violence. While these topics weren't exactly MTV material, they did garner a considerable cult following -- quite similar to what Esham was doing in Detroit at the time -- and the group used controversy to further fuel their growing popularity via the media by releasing an EP, Live By Yo Rep (B.O.N.E. Dis), which took lyrical shots at Bone Thugs-N-Harmony.
After following up their debut and EP with a second album, Da End, Three 6 Mafia signed to Relativity Records. Having released their early albums on the group's independently run Prophet Entertainment label, their first major-label release, Chapter 2: World Domination, found the group polishing up their production and tweaking their image a bit. They also reprised "Tear the Club Up" from Mystic Stylez as "Tear the Club Up '97" and found themselves with a respectable anthem that made its way out of the South.At this point in the group's evolution, having signed to a major label and having scored an admirable hit single, group leaders Juicy "J" and DJ Paul began extending their brand by releasing group member solo albums (Gangsta Boo, Koopsta Knicca), non-group member solo albums (Project Pat, the Kaze), and also compilation-styled albums (Tear the Club Up Thugs, Hypnotize Camp Posse). Similar in approach to Master P's No Limit Records at the end of the '90s, a glut of Three 6 Mafia-affiliated albums soon flooded the market.
Though even the most diehard fan couldn't possibly keep up with every release, these many albums did help bring increased awareness about what was going on in Memphis. This became evident in summer 2000 when the long-awaited "official" Three 6 Mafia follow-up to 1997's Chapter 2 album, When the Smoke Clears, finally hit the streets. Aided immensely by the surprising national success of the lead single, "Sippin' on Some Syrup," in a few non-Southern markets, the album debuted at number six on Billboard's album charts. Following the success of this album (which received no MTV and little national radio rotation), began work on a direct-to-video film and on affiliated solo albums. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
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