Debut of Three 6 Mafia, Memphis hip-hop group consisting of Paul "DJ Paul" Beauregard, Jordan "Juicy J" Houston, Ricky "Lord Infamous" Dunigan, Robert "Koopsta Knicca" Phillips, Lola "Gangsta Boo" Mitchell and Darnell "Crunchy Black" Carlton. The latter two rappers joined the group in 1995. DJ Paul and Juicy J produce the album entirely. The guests are Ann Hines, Kingpin Skinny Pimp, Playa Fly, Lil Gin, MC Mack and La Chat.
The intro dictates the mood of this galactic record of 73 intense minutes: evil piano from the music of the horror movie "Witchboard 2: The Devil's Doorway" (1993), skeletal drum that falls sparse through the beat, realizing a mesmerizing and very dark production that has a daunting and frightening vibe. Then, they create one of the best horrorcore albums ever. Perhaps the best. And it is accessible horrorcore, because it's poured out through violence and crime portrayed by teenagers living in 1990s Memphis, one of the most dangerous cities in the country. The lyrics cover topics of horrorcore, violence, drugs, sex, Satanism, murders, money, materialism and occult: they are solid verses written by honest lyricists.
The rapping of the six performers is smooth, regular and slow, hardcore and lively, dope. Their simple, calm and monotone style sounds wonderful paired with this production, which is made up of one of the best selections of rhythms ever, in hip-hop. Gangsta Boo stands out above all, Lord Infamous is masterful, and overall, no one disappoints. The structure of the Three 6 Mafia tracks foresees that there are single lines in loop to create the chorus, and are often not performed by them, preferring to pay homage to rappers such as Lil Fly, 8Ball & MJG, Project Pat (Juicy J's brother), Scarface of Geto Boys, Gangsta Blac, Kingpin Skinny Pimp and Point Blank.
DJ Paul and Juicy J's beats are deeply dark and eerie, minimal, scary and intriguing, pure and charming, just perfect. They are composed of slow and lean drums, deep and vibrant bass lines in the background, subliminal synths, haunting loops and beautiful samples ranging from soul to jazz, from Michael Jackson to Marvin Gaye, from Barry White to Lafayette Afro Rock Band, from the themes of the soundtracks of horror films to the cover of the master Henry Mancini for the theme song of the soap "The Young and the Restless".
The soundscape of the album is mesmerizing, dark, foggy and slow, sounds like "Silent Hill" with rare exceptions. One of the exceptions is "Da Summa", the piece doesn't give up on violence, however, its crepuscular mood allows it to obtain radio airplays that the rest of the album wouldn't otherwise have earned. DJ Paul and Juicy J choose a sample of magic piano keys from Rick James' "Hollywood", place a dry downtempo drum and a frenetic minimal snare in the background, giving life to a flawless beat. DJ Paul, Koopsta Knicca, Lord Infamous and Juicy J sign a cut that is positive, laid-back and "sunny", being a song about summer. The simple hook sung by Ann Hines, together with a looped line taken by the fellow citizen group 8Ball & MJG, is one of the best things of the decade, an absolute pearl. Masterpiece song.
All the tracks deserve their own paragraph, from the dark violins, to the wicked pianos, passing through the flutes and horns, up to the beat that is "screwed" incredibly at the end of "Big Bizness", the iconic moments follow one after the other. "Tear da Club Up" makes its way as one of the umpteenth hits of the Triple Six. The rhythm is cinematic, the kids choose a tight and lively drum, crunchy snare, taut strings, elegant piano keys and a sickly ill keyboard, creating a dark and tense, thriller / spy thriller movie beat. DJ Paul, Lord Infamous and Juicy J deliver smoothness, providing another banger.
Released by the independent label Prophet, this is one of the best records of the year and their best studio album, it represents the pinnacle of the Memphis scene in the 1990s. The production is untouchable, the rapping is phenomenal, each track is a classic and, in addition to the enormous influence it still exerts on the contemporary scene, it's a legendary timeless album.
Rating: 10/10.
No comments:
Post a Comment