Triple Six Mafia
| Three 6 Mafia | |
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| Origin | Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Genres | Hip hop, crunk, gangsta rap, horrorcore |
| Years active | 1991–present |
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Three 6 Mafia is an American hip hop group from Memphis, Tennessee, signed to Columbia Records. The group was formed by DJ Paul, Lord Infamous, and Juicy J in 1991 and was at first known as Triple 6 Mafia. During the group's earlier years they were known as Backyard Posse before becoming known as Triple 6 Mafia and often worked with members of the Prophet Posse and the Gimisum Family. Koopsta Knicca joined the group in 1994. Crunchy Black was at first added to the group as a dancer in 1995 and Gangsta Boo became a full member of the group after the release of the debut album Mystic Stylez.
The group released their debut 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 less dark style. The group has also had numerous lineup changes, and now (due to contract disputes) performs under the group name of Da Mafia 6ix. Two of their albums are RIAA-rated platinum: When the Smoke Clears: Sixty 6, Sixty 1 (2000) and Most Known Unknown (2005), the latter featured their well-known single "Stay Fly", which is said to have kick-started their rise to fame and the mainstream. The group's worldwide album sales stand at 5.5 million. In 2006 the group won the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 78th Academy Awards for their song "It's Hard out Here for a Pimp" from the movie Hustle & Flow. Three 6 Mafia have been described as horrorcore, crunk and gangsta rap.
The group started in 1991 in Memphis with DJ Paul (Paul Beauregard), Juicy J (Jordan Houston), Lord Infamous (Ricky Dunigan), and Boblet. 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, rappers Koopsta Knicca (Robert Cooper), Gangsta Boo (Lola Mitchell), and Crunchy Black (Darnell Carlton) joined the group. Many artists over the years ended up leaving the label over money disputes.
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