Biography All Music Guide Wikipedia
Group Members: DJ Paul, DJ Paul of Three 6 Mafia, Gangsta Boo, Lord Infamous, Mr. Del & Various Artists, Juicy J (Of Three 6 Mafia), Juicy J, Crunchy Black, Mr Del, Koopsta Knicca
All Music Guide:
Evolving slowly but steadily over the years, Three 6 Mafia began as an exploitative, horror-themed underground hardcore rap sensation ("666 Mafia," get it?) yet went on to enjoy relatively mainstream success years later, eventually winning an Oscar and scoring some major hits. The Memphis, TN, group's membership varied from album to album, with the one constant being the duo of Juicy J and DJ Paul, who are producers as well as rappers. Other notable Mafia affiliates at one time or another include Crunchy Black, Gangsta Boo, Lord Infamous, Koopsta Knicca, La' Chat, Project Pat, Killa Klan Kaze, and Indo G. The production acumen of Juicy and Paul also brought about a number of side projects (Tear da Club Up Thugs, Hypnotize Camp Posse, Da Headbussaz) and independent label ventures; the guys initially did business as Prophet Entertainment, later as Hypnotize Minds, working out deals with Relativity Records, Loud Records, and Columbia -- all in turn.
Three 6 Mafia's beginnings date back to the early '90s, when they were known as Triple Six Mafia; these recordings are well compiled on such latter-day compilations as Underground, Vol. 1: 1991-1994. Three 6 made their proper debut in 1995 with Mystic Stylez, a fairly groundbreaking if rudimentary effort that lent itself well to the "horrorcore" tag tossed about in the years to follow. Following another independently released album, Da End (1996), Three 6 signed a distribution deal with Relativity, resulting in Chapter 2: World Domination (1997) and a rash of hasty releases to follow, including solo albums as well as side projects. There were some underground hits from this era that helped further the group's fan base: "Tear da Club Up '97" and "Sippin' on Some Syrup," most notably. Three 6 eventually signed to Columbia, though the group's label debut, Da Unbreakables (2003), didn't break into mainstream consciousness. That would happen with Most Known Unknown (2005), thanks to "Stay Fly," the first major hit for the group. Many doors opened for Three 6 thereafter, including an unlikely Oscar win in early 2006 (for "Hard out There for a Pimp," from the film Hustle & Flow). Capitalizing on the success, Sony reissued Most Known Unknown in 2006 with some new tracks, including a remix of "Side 2 Side," that featured Kanye West.
Given the longevity of Three 6 and the group's longtime status as cult sensations within the hardcore rap underground, there are all kinds of stories and rumors that surfaced over the years. Keeping tabs on the group membership alone is a challenge. For one reason or another, Juicy and Paul rarely kept a consistent stable of rappers, and with each departing member came some sort of drama; for instance, Gangsta Boo allegedly left after finding the Lord whereas Project Pat spent time behind bars. There was also a short-lived beef with Bone Thugs-N-Harmony that inspired a one-off EP, Live by Yo Rep. And there were cinematic ambitions, too -- albeit direct-to-video in nature (Choices). That such a group would ever cross over as Three 6 did in the wake of "Stay Fly" could never have been imagined early on, when they were among the most notorious rap acts out there.
Wikipedia:
Three 6 Mafia are an Academy Award-winning rap group originally from Memphis, Tennessee. Formed in 1991 as 666 Mafia, the group at its most featured six members including; Crunchy Black, Gangsta Boo and Koopsta Knicca (who were all added shortly before the release of their debut album Mystic Stylez). The group has also collaborated with many rappers on their own label; Hypnotize Minds, where they have kick started the careers for many Memphis rappers, such as; Frayser Boy, Gangsta Blac, Lil Wyte and Indo G. The group frequently collaborates with Project Pat (Juicy J's older brother). Their 2005 song "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" won Best Original Song at the 78th Academy Awards.
The group released their debut underground album Mystic Stylez in 1995 through Prophet Entertainment, a record label they created but have since relinquished control of. Their musical style—which initially featured dark, menacing beats with equally gritty lyrics—has since moved to a more mainstream sound. The group has also had numerous lineup changes, and now consists of original members Juicy J and DJ Paul. Nonetheless, they have cultivated a sizable and diverse cult following that has only increased since their Oscar win. They have released two RIAA rated platinum albums; When the Smoke Clears: Sixty 6, Sixty 1 and Most Known Unknown, the latter featured their well known single Stay Fly, which is said to be the cause of their rise to fame and the mainstream. The group's worldwide album sales stand at 5.5 million. They have since gone on to collaborate with many well known singers and rappers such as Akon, 2 Chainz, Tech N9ne, Insane Clown Posse, Paul Wall, Rick Ross, Gucci Mane, Waka Flocka Flame, French Montana, Ludacris, Sean Kingston and Flo Rida. Their latest album entitled Laws of Power is set to be released summer 2012.
History
The group started in 1991 in Memphis with DJ Paul (Paul Beauregard), Juicy J (Jordan Houston) and Lord Infamous (Ricky Dunigan). Big P of Hughes Arkansas better know as Preston Jones is the Originator. The original name for the dark hip hop group was "Backyard Posse". The group formed through the release of numerous EPs from their own record company with Nick Scarfo, Prophet Entertainment, which were sold around Memphis and the Mid-South. Later DJ Paul and Juicy J formed their own label, Hypnotize Minds Records. During their early career, they also propelled the careers of several other rappers. Eventually added before the release of Mystic Stylez were rappers Koopsta Knicca (Robert Cooper), Gangsta Boo (Lola Mitchell), and Crunchy Black (Darnell Carlton).
The group expanded and help start the careers of notable Mafia affiliates such as Project Pat, Al Kapone, La Chat, Lil Wyte, T-Rock, Killa Klan Kaze, Playa Fly and Indo G. The production acumen of Juicy and Paul also brought about a number of side projects such as Tear da Club Up Thugs, Hypnotize Camp Posse and Da Headbussaz as well as independent label ventures.
At this point in the group's evolution, having signed to a major label and having scored an admirable hit single, group leaders DJ Paul and Juicy J began extending their brand. They started by releasing solo albums by Gangsta Boo and Koopsta Knicca, solo albums by their affiliates and compilation-styled albums such as collections of tracks from earlier years (Underground Vol. 1: (1991-1994), Underground Vol. 2: Club Memphis, Underground Vol. 3: Kings of Memphis). Three Six Mafia also originally coined the term "Crunk" as a description of their Southern type sound.
Events after Academy Award win
World Wrestling Entertainment superstar Mark Henry uses their song "Somebody's Gonna Get It" as his entrance theme. The song was the first track they did after receiving their Oscar.
On June 7, 2006, Sony officially acknowledged the departure of original Triple Six Mafia member Crunchy Black. He stated his reason for departure was to make a solo album that DJ Paul and Juicy J had allegedly put off for years, with most of the material being used for Most Known Unknown. Thereafter Triple Six Mafia consisted just of remaining members DJ Paul and Juicy J.
The two producers of the group had their own reality show, Adventures in Hollyhood, on MTV. The show focused on what it's like to be a member of the Triple Six Mafia, balancing the increased fame after their Oscar win while attempting to stay true to their loyal fans. The show premiered on April 5, 2007 at 10 p.m. Eastern time on MTV.The show turned out a major failure and was soon cancelled.
Three Six Mafia are featured on Justin Timberlake's "Chop Me Up" from his album FutureSex/LoveSounds, along with record producer/singer/rapper Timbaland.
DJ Paul and Juicy J appeared in the May 9, 2008 episode of the CBS television series Numb3rs, which revolves around the murder of a rapper. The group also performed "Lolli Lolli (Pop That Body)" on the show.
As of early 2009, Lord Infamous was featured on DJ Paul's new solo album Scale-A-Ton, which was released on May 5, 2009. Lord Infamous was featured on 8 tracks. Juicy J's Hustle Till I Die album was released on June 16. Juicy J's album featured his brother Project Pat and other rappers such as V-Slash, Gucci Mane, Webbie and Gorilla Zoe.
The group now has their own Youtube pages, DJ Paul's being "djpaulkomtv" and Juicy J's being "juicyjcomic". The group regularly posts information about their new albums on the pages and they have posted many videos of their tour in Germany where they have been to places such as; Mainz, Nuremberg, Passau, Weinheim, Wildeshausen, Stuttgart, Japan, and Gollhofen. The two members now also both have Twitter pages, Juicy J's being "therealjuicyj" and DJ Paul's being "djpaulkom".
The group's tenth album, entitled; Laws of Power will be released at some point in 2012. It has spawned four singles so far. "Shake My" (which features R&B signer Kalenna and rapper Pitbull) was released September 8, 2009. Three Six Mafia then released the single "Lil' Freak (Ugh Ugh Ugh)", which features Louisiana rapper Webbie on September 25, 2009. Three Six Mafia's third single from the album, "Feel It", was a completely different style of music to the usual type the duo release; the single was nominated for 2010 International Dance Music Awards Best Hip Hop Dance Track. The latest single to be released from the album features Tech N9ne, entitled "Shots After Shots", and features production from Dr. Luke.
June 10, 2011 Three 6 Mafia became part of the VH1 reality show, "Famous Food," where Dj Paul got into a controversial fight with Ashley Dupre from the Elliot Spitzer scandal.
