It featured a seven-verse onslaught (“Live by Yo Rep”) about murdering the members of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony because of the supposed jacking of their musical stylings. It was received with negative acclaim and no radio-play because of its vulgarity and demeanor, but was lauded as an underground success, and years down the line, will be considered an essential hip-hop album in the space time continuum of the genre. It was produced entirely in-house by Juicy J and DJ Paul, and was released independently of a label. The mixtape, under the guise of an album, set the precedent for how music was created throughout the years in hip-hop-free flowing, loose and riddled with guest appearances from friends. This all came to fruition in 1995, when Three 6 Mafia released their debut studio album, Mystic Stylez. That’s what people do today, but we were doing that back in ’88.” And so it became, the birth of the modern mixtape. We would put our own songs on our mixtapes. Like if your uncle or whatever would take his favorite O’Jays songs, his favorite Staples Singers songs, and put them all on one tape, so when they have a party, they could play all of their favorite songs…Memphis took it a step further…that’s what me, DJ Squeeky, and Juicy J would do. In an interview with journalist Louis Goggans from the Memphis Flyer newspaper in 2013, DJ Paul explained, “Mixtapes, back in the day, was just a mix of people’s favorite songs. Who said Goths had to wear eyeliner and squeal like pigs? But, it was an interesting development in the way that people were listening to their music that shot the rap mafia into stardom. It was eerie, backed by heavy bass tracks and lo-fi drum kits and had strong gothic undertones. Their music struck new notes from what people had been previously listening to. The crew added new members, Koopsta Knicca, Gangsta Boo and Crunchy Black-rappers whose names sounded more like WWE character than recording artists, but it was a different time, back then. Three 6 Mafia began to grow, in size and attention. So, for all of you old bags of frozen cheese sticks who were shocked and appalled at the vulgarity and shock value of Odd Future in 2007, honestly get over yourself because it wasn’t anything new. They would rap about the devil or the occult over horror core beats, in a collaborative fashion that would seemingly pave the way for and influence an early Odd Future or A$AP Mob. They built up a loose collection of tracks, rapping about their grimy crime-infested imaginations. A group that would shape hip-hop for years to come, thus, was born.Īs many success stories start, the group came from humble beginnings-three young men enjoying themselves making music, and seeing some success in the process. They would call themselves Three 6 Mafia. Eventually, the two crossed paths, enjoyed each other’s presence and recognized a similar musical taste, and decided to team up. DJ Paul, along with his half-brother Lord Infamous, was doing the same thing in the south. Back before the zips or the double cups, before the club bangers and bouncing strippers, back when an Academy Award wasn’t even a thought in his mind, Juicy J was a young southern producer making his rounds of the north Memphis club scene.