Before David Banner rode his “Cadillac on 22s,” they were “Ridin Spinners.” Before Lil Jon got crunk, they tore the club up. And before Bone Crusher said he was “Never Scared,” they told people, “Don’t Be Scared.” They are the Three 6 Mafia.
But the Hypnotize Minds headliners aren’t out reaching for recognition. They don’t need to. They’ve been making noise below the Mason Dixon Line before the New South movement. From the frosty set of their forthcoming video with Kay Slay, DJ Paul and Juicy J brought the heat—just like they’ve done the past 12 years.
AllHipHop.com: First I wanted to lead off with the situation with your label. If I have it correct, don’t you have it where you can do independent albums and then come out and do your major albums?
Juicy J: Yeah, fa’sheezy. We still can do that. I feel like I’m a slave, but not a full-fledged slave. You know the master is giving us a little leeway to move around. You know, pick cotton, make our own cotton fields, pick our own cotton over here and make our own money. That’s how I put it.
AllHipHop.com: So was there any problem with that arraignment when Loud Records folded?
Juicy J: Nah, nah, nah, master didn’t have a problem with that. They thought everything was cool with that. You know master be good to us boys sometimes, us country boys.
AllHipHop.com: We had an interview with Gangsta Boo in September, and she was talking about you tell her everything is love and support, but she said because you got the money you’re quick to say it’s about love with each other. And she said your artist LaChat couldn’t even pay her rent when she was with you.
Juicy J: You know, I really don’t want to comment on people’s negativity, because I’m trying to be positive right now That’s what my mama my mama told me; She said if you ain’t got nothing nice to say then don’t say it.
DJ Paul: LaChat had a house and an apartment and two cars. Boo was hating on her from the beginning, because Boo didn’t want another girl in the group. But Chat was good until she started doing other things.
AllHipHop.com: With the last album, was that an attempt with the lead single and the sample you used, to branch out to the East Coast?
Juicy J: When we made that song, it was just a song. If it goes to the East Coast, if it goes to the West Coast, then God bless it. It’s music that we just made, we make music for everybody: East Coast, West Coast, overseas. Whoever wants to bop their head to it.
DJ Paul: Nah, I wasn’t trying to do nothing special with it. We rap about hood s###, and that’s what n##### was doing at the time we wrote the song. So I just wrote the song about it.
AllHipHop.com: As far as Down South hip-hop, No Limit had their run, then Cash Money, then you guys were going to have yours when you joined Loud—do you still feel like you’re a part of that movement, or do you feel like you’re a part of the New South movement with Lil’ Jon and David Banner?
DJ Paul: We from the original South that had Master P and everybody from back in the day. But it’s all South. We been dong this for 12 years, so it’s nothing new about this.
AllHipHop.com: Do you think you’ve earned the props or status nationally like the people before you like P and Cash Money?
DJ Paul: Nah, I don’t think we out there like we should be for all the stuff that we’ve done. I still think it’s a lot of props that’s due to us, but f**k it.
Juicy J: I think we are like an off-and-on type group. Cause you know, Columbia don’t understand our music. That’s master. Master don’t understand our music, and so they have a hard time. The might promote this one, and the hell with that one. So I think we are like off-and-on. I think maybe like one day, one day we’ll get that good run. We’ve had some good runs. But we’ve had some bad runs. But we still pushing, man. The album went gold. We got Lil’ Wyte, our new artists Frazier boy.
AllHipHop.com: Can you speak on them?
DJ Paul: His album is in store now, Lil’ Wyte, and he about to sell 100,000 independent. Frazier boy go down in a couple of months. We just try to keep it rolling.
AllHipHop.com: What’s up with Project Pat? When are we gonna hear another release from him?
DJ Paul: This year. He got a mixtape that just came out called The Appeal. It got two new joints on it. He still locked up, probably until January.
AllHipHop.com: You got Choices 2 coming out, is that an actual part 2? Or the second part in a series?
Juicy J: It’s an actual part two, like a sequel.
AllHipHop.com: Speaking of the movie, compared to Master P’s “I’m Bout It,” or “State Property,” people who have watched it feel like it’s an actual movie, because it’s that good.
Juicy J: The movie went platinum, so it sold a lot and got some good reviews. It’s really an independent movie like how Master P used to do. That’s where the money is.
DJ Paul: We look at as a hood movie. Because when you look at the movies that come out a lot these days, their pretty much made for white people, you know what I saying? It’s only so often you’ll get a movie for black folks, one Cube brings out or something. So in between them times, I try to keep something out there for the hood n##### to look at. I like a lot of movies, like white people movies or whatever, cause I like movies. But when my homeboys be coming over to my house and s###, they be like ‘dang you ain’t got nothing but the crazy ass movies, you don’t got no hood sh*t.’ So that why I try to make s### for hood n#####.
AllHipHop.com: You mentioned Cube, do you want to take your movies to Hollywood?
DJ Paul: One day, I want to try that. Right now I’m chill.
AllHipHop.com: So when is your next release?
Juicy J: We got the Choices 2 soundtrack, and then we going to work on Crunchy Black’s solo album, maybe another Three 6 Mafia, Tear the Club Up Thugs, Frazier boy, Lil’ Wyte, we just work, man. I can’t say exactly what’s going to coming up, but when it comes up you’re going to hear about it. We going to promote the sh*t out of that joint.
AllHipHop.com: How do you separate the material for Three 6 Mafia and Tear the Club Up Thugs?
Juicy J: Ah, we just do it. We just make sure it has enough space to get sales.
AllHipHop.com: Do you think you would take Three 6 Mafia back independent after your deal with Sony is over?
DJ Paul: I don’t know. I got to see what people would be offering me.
AllHipHop.com: Where’s your music going now? In the past, fans have focused on the satanic worshiping thing, but what the music like now?
DJ Paul: Just ghetto s###, man. That’s it. Hood music. We just keep it the same.