As a member of the Memphis collective Three Six Mafia, Juicy J can take credit for being one of the originators of the Hip-Hop sub-genre known as “Crunk music.”
But in 2009, Crunk has seen a steep decline from its previous early decade dominance.
Unlike other veterans that bemoan the sudden trend and stylistic shifts in Hip-Hop music, Juicy J states that Crunk is evolving along with the rest of the culture.
“I will never say its dead, it’s different,” Juicy J told AllHipHop.com during a tour of Germany. “The Crunk now is not like the hollering chants that we used to do back in the day. It’s not like it used to be. A lot of young cats – they do it a different way. I’m not mad at nobody. Get your money. God bless. This is our talent; if you making some money with it, that’s a blessing.”
Still, Juicy J realizes the importance of maintaining a distinct, signature sound in a market where innovations are quickly copied and appropriated.
To that end, he assures fans that his forthcoming sophomore solo Hustle Til I Die will be a return to the original Three Six Mafia sound.
“I just took it back to the old Three Six Mafia, the ones that the fans want to see,” Juicy J explained. “Its a lot of fans that wanted to hear a lot of the older stuff. This is not no major release – just an independent album – so I made it straight for the gutter, straight for the streets. I just took it back. I put a lot of work in this album. I got my subjects on there that I talking about, but its like the Three Six Mafia original sound.”
Juicy also praised the Internet as an essential 24/7 promotion tool, and confirmed that preliminary work has begun on a new Three Six album.
“Never [will I retire]. Even my Youtube channel – that’s hustling. I’m trying to make this the biggest Youtube channel.” Juicy J stated. “I stay hustling. I talk to them every day. Even if I’m at the bar, I might have my laptop with me and say, ‘I’m at the bar.’ I read the internet every day, because it helps me keep up. It’s cool. It’s getting bigger and bigger every day. The fans give me ideas every day. We’ve been working hard. We about to bring it back.”
Juicy J’s Hustle Til I Die will be released on June 16.
It features appearances from Gorilla Zoe, Project Pat, V-Slash, Webbie, and Gucci Mane.