Project Pat
North Memphis rapper and older brother of Juicy J whose Hypnotize Minds albums, led by the gold “Mista Don’t Play,” produced street favorites like “Chickenhead.”
North Memphis
Patrick Houston was born in North Memphis in 1973 and is the older brother of Three 6 Mafia co-founder Juicy J. He was part of his brother's circle as the group formed in the early 1990s, and in 1993 he helped Juicy J cut an early underground tape track on a four-track setup at their mother's house, a song that became a Memphis staple.
Hypnotize Minds breakthrough
His debut “Ghetty Green” was released by Hypnotize Minds and Loud in September 1999 and reached No. 52 on the Billboard 200. “Mista Don't Play: Everythangs Workin” (2001), produced by DJ Paul and Juicy J, peaked at No. 4, topped the Independent Albums chart and went gold. Its lead single “Chickenhead,” featuring Three 6 Mafia and La Chat, reached No. 87 on the Hot 100 and No. 24 on the R&B/Hip-Hop chart, and was followed by “Don't Save Her.” The album's “Gorilla Pimp” became a Memphis club fixture.
Prison and return
After a January 2001 traffic stop, Pat was convicted in 2002 on two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and received a four-year sentence. “Layin' da Smack Down” (2002) reached No. 12 despite limited promotion while he was incarcerated. Released in July 2005, he featured on Three 6 Mafia's “Poppin' My Collar,” a No. 21 Hot 100 single, and followed with “Crook by da Book: The Fed Story” (2006) and “Walkin' Bank Roll” (2007, No. 45).
Later work
“Real Recognize Real” (2009), “Loud Pack” (2011) and “Mista Don't Play 2: Everythangs Money” (2015) kept him active alongside a long run of mixtapes. He is credited on Drake's “Knife Talk” (2021) with 21 Savage, which reached No. 4 on the Hot 100, and he runs the Go Foundation, a nonprofit focused on prison ministry.
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