This leading US rap crew has released a prolific number of albums under various aliases, all characterised by a fixation with violent thug-life themes and some truly malevolent imagery. Three 6 Mafia emerged from Memphis, Tennessee in the early 90s, and soon became a fixture on the underground mix-tape scene. DJ Paul (b. Paul Beauregard) and DJ Juicy ‘J’ (b. Jordan Houston) first met up in 1991 when they began rapping over their own tapes. They began working with local MCs Crunchy Black (b. Cedric Coleman), Gangsta Boo, Lord Infamous (DJ Paul’s brother) and Koopsta Knicca under the Triple 6 Mafia moniker, releasing the underground hit ‘Smoked Out Loced Out’. Their first official album as Three 6 Mafia was 1995’s Mystic Stylez, which followed the blueprint of their underground releases by rapping explicitly about sex, drugs and violence over a backdrop of harsh beats and eerie synthesizers. They fuelled further controversy by attacking Bone Thugs-N-Harmony on the Live By Yo Rep (B.O.N.E. Dis) EP. A second album, The End, preceded a major label distribution contract with Relativity Records for the collective’s Hypnotize Minds label. Their major label debut Chpt. 2: “World Domination” was followed by a nationwide hit single with ‘Tear Da Club Up ’97’, which was a reworking of an earlier track.
A number of Three 6 Mafia related releases were then overseen by DJ Paul and DJ Juicy ‘J’, including solo albums by Gangsta Boo, Koopsta Knicca and associate Project Pat (Juicy J’s brother) and several compilation-styled albums. The approach was similar in effect to that of Master P and his No Limit Records, saturating the market but bringing increased recognition for Three 6 Mafia and the Memphis scene. The crew’s second major label album, When The Smoke Clears: Sixty 6, Sixty 1, was finally released in 2000. It rose into the upper reaches of the US mainstream charts, buoyed by the success of ‘Sippin’ On Some Syrup’. The following year they released the direct-to-video film Choices and an attendant soundtrack album. In March 2006, Three 6 Mafia became the second rap group to win an Oscar for Best Song, ‘It’s Hard Out Here For A Pimp’ from the Hustle & Flow soundtrack. They were the first rap artists to perform at the Oscars.
