Three 6 Mafia
Memphis group founded in 1991 by DJ Paul, Juicy J and Lord Infamous whose dark tape sound led to platinum albums and a 2006 Academy Award for Best Original Song.
Formation in Memphis
Three 6 Mafia took shape in Memphis in 1991, when DJ Paul (Paul Beauregard) and Juicy J (Jordan Houston) joined forces with Lord Infamous, DJ Paul's half-brother, who had already worked with him as Da Serial Killaz. The crew first called itself the Backyard Posse and from 1993 used the name Triple Six Mafia, selling homemade cassettes through the city's underground tape network. Koopsta Knicca, Crunchy Black and Gangsta Boo came aboard by the mid-1990s.
Prophet and Hypnotize Minds
In 1994 DJ Paul and Juicy J co-founded Prophet Entertainment with Nick Scarfo, which issued the debut “Mystic Stylez” in 1995; its murky, horror-tinged sound made it a cult classic. “Chapter 1: The End” followed in 1996. After a dispute with Scarfo, the producers launched Hypnotize Minds in 1996 and struck a distribution deal with Relativity. “Chapter 2: World Domination” (1997) reached No. 40 on the Billboard 200 and went gold, powered by the club anthem “Tear da Club Up '97.”
Mainstream success
“When the Smoke Clears: Sixty 6, Sixty 1” (2000, Loud) peaked at No. 6 and went platinum, with “Sippin' on Some Syrup” featuring UGK as a signature single. “Da Unbreakables” (2003) reached No. 4. “Most Known Unknown” (2005, Columbia) peaked at No. 3 and went platinum behind “Stay Fly,” a No. 13 Hot 100 hit with Young Buck and 8Ball & MJG, and “Poppin' My Collar.” In 2006 the group won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for “It's Hard out Here for a Pimp” from Hustle & Flow, the first hip hop group to take the category. “Last 2 Walk” arrived in 2008.
Losses and legacy
Five original members regrouped as Da Mafia 6ix in 2013. Lord Infamous died in December 2013, Koopsta Knicca in October 2015 and Gangsta Boo on January 1, 2023. DJ Paul and Juicy J revived the Three 6 Mafia name in 2019 and met Bone Thugs-n-Harmony in a 2021 Verzuz battle. The side project Tear Da Club Up Thugs is credited with an early crunk album, and the group's chanted hooks and eerie production remain a reference point for later trap and phonk.
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