It's also fun to listen back and hear famous ideas in their infancy, like the opening bars of "Slob On My Knob" appearing over a year earlier on "Whatcha Do," and the first "yeah ho" loop popping up on "Mafia N****z," or the first versions of songs they kept doing sequels and remakes of for years like "Body Parts." And though they backed off on some of the satanic horrorcore shock value stuff over the years, they really created the blueprint for the more dark and aggressive strains of crunk and trap that eventually became mainstream.
Three 6 really refined and perfected their sound over the course of a decade, but it's kind of remarkable that it was pretty much there from the beginning, their signature snare drum sound doesn't slap as hard on Mystic Styles as it did on later albums but it was already there. Tracks 18, 19 and 20 from Most Known Unknown (2005) Tracks 15, 16 and 17 from Da Unbreakables (2003) Tracks 11, 12 and 13 from When The Smoke Clears: Sixty 6, Sixty 1 (2000) Tracks 9 and 10 from CrazyNDaLazDayz by Tear Da Club Up Thugs (1999) Tracks 6, 7 and 8 from Chapter 2: World Domination (1997) Tracks 3, 4 and 5 from Chapter 1: The End (1996) Don't Cha Get Mad featuring Lil Flip and Mr. Are U Ready 4 Us featuring Dayton Familyġ9. Dis) featuring Kingpin Skinny Pimp and Playa FlyĨ. Three 6 Mafia deep album cuts ( Spotify playlist):Ģ. Three 6 are one of the greatest southern rap groups of all time and I feel like their legacy and influence has really aged well over the past decade. Here’s a short list of tracks that sampled the Memphis group and paid tribute to them in the best way possible: ‘Talk Up’ – Drake, featuring Jay Z.Three 6 Mafia are starting a reunion tour in March, and even though it's bittersweet that it won't include Lord Infamous and Koopsta Knicca, who died in 20 respectively, it's pretty cool that DJ Paul, Juicy J, Crunchy Black, Gangsta Boo, and HCP extended family like Project Pat, La Chat, and Lil Wyte will be back on the road.
But no matter the size of the sample, that gritty, gangster groove of Three Six Mafia is captured on every song. Some artists sample entire instrumentals, some artists sample just hooks while others sample as little as one bar. Yet their biggest win is how their sound inspired new-age artists and how it will always survive using hip-hop’s oldest method of appreciation: sampling. Three Six Mafia captured specific moments in the uprising of Dirty Southern rap through their signature Southern slick talk and wildy catchy beats. Each artist complimented each others styles in so many ways and this can be heard through their extensive discography. Formerly known as Triple Six Mafia, Backyard Posse and Da Mafia 6ix, the group consisted of members DJ Paul, Juicy J, Crunchy Black, Gangsta Boo and the late great Lord Infamous and Koopsta Knicca.
Memphis group, Three Six Mafia has been one of the most influential and eclectic groups in the game and it runs deeper than most people think. WORDS BY JAMES VALENTINE AND ROWANNE ABUALFOUL