A lot’s changed in the three years since we last officially heard from Three 6 Mafia. In that span, the Memphis rap crew infamously collected an Oscar (in 2006, for their work on the Hustle & Flow [Grand Hustle/Atlantic] soundtrack), helmed Adventures In Hollyhood, a widely loved and widely reviled MTV reality show, and lost yet another member—Crunchy Black— cutting the once sprawling group down to a duo. For those familiar with Three 6, the fact that DJ Paul and Juicy J, the collective’s owner-producer-rappers, would be the two left standing hardly comes as a surprise.
What’s interesting is that after devoting considerable energy chasing an elusive proto-crunk-pop breakthrough à la their 2005 hit “Stay Fly,” Three 6’s Last 2 Walk is decidedly back to basics. “Doe Boy Fresh,” the stalled, futuristic 2007 single featuring Chamillionaire, doesn’t even make the album. Instead, we get the street single “I’d Rather” and its straightforward Oomp Camp production. All pounding drums and rolling keyboards, this is the Three 6 sound at its most dumbed down. The same could be said for the majority of Walk, which avoids the experimental sounds the group dabbled in on 2005’s Most Known Unknown (Hypnotize Minds/Sony Urban/Columbia) and treads more familiar ground.
Unsurprisingly, fight records power this project. Akon does pop up on “That’s Right” to supply a hook, and Good Charlotte, of all acts, finds its way onto the ill-conceived faux-rock ballad “My Own Way,” which would have been better served with a heaping helping of T-Pain. But to its credit, Walk showcases Three 6 doing what it does best—making aggro songs for the hell of it, and occasionally, as on “Lolli Lolli (Pop That Body),” giving white girls Down South a soundtrack for downing Coors Lights.
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1.
ceci23 says:
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I love everything Three six puts out. I can never hate on them!
July 9, 2008 at 11:59 pm