No one could say for certain, but the mystery and controversy worked in their favor. The group had another advantage in that visionary members DJ Paul and Juicy J acted like a two-person wrecking crew. They were prolific; they were originators; they were unlike anyone else in the industry. Meanwhile, Three 6 Mafia and its in-house label held its own against other southern juggernauts such as Cash Money Records, No Limit, Rap-A-Lot and Suave House by appealing to fans who purchased everything based on name recognition alone.
Relativity Records was eventually swallowed by Loud Records. More hits, as well as breakout solo albums from the likes of Gangsta Boo and Project Pat, followed, cementing Hypnotize Minds as one of the most dominant and bankable brands in rap.
Even as its peers began to fade, Three 6 Mafia continued to drop platinum hits and albums throughout the s. Andrew is also a playlist curator, published music journalist, artist manager, brand and record label consultant and media personality. Andrew Barber provides track-by-track commentary to a definitive playlist that helps put DJ Paul's diverse projects and achievements in perspective. Explore This 'Zine. A Conversation with DJ Paul. Photo Credit: Arturo Serrano. Three years later, none of these albums have been made.
At least, not completely. These albums, along with strong collaborations with Jay-Z and Kanye West, poised Lupe Fiasco to become one of the smartest, most sophisticated superstars in rap music. At its core, Lasers is the product of meddlesome record executives and an exhausted, frustrated Lupe Fiasco.
Lupe admitted in several interviews with Complex , The Chicago Sun-Times and The Guardian that he was essentially pressured into making a commercial album by Atlantic Records, and struggled for any level of control. Much of the album would be at home blaring in night clubs alongside T-Pain and any other artist who has ever worked with T-Pain.
The remaining tracks on the album waver between fun dance beats, annoying over-polished production, mediocre rhymes and forgettable concepts. Overall, Lasers is a confusing record. CH: You just spilled a lot of ink on an extremely mid G. Friday song. But the end result is a mixed bag. The Jay-Z verse is fine, as is the opening Kanye verse. Ye got an assist from Kobe?
OK, sure. The added synths are another distraction in an already busy beat. JS: Dirtbag Kanye has always been one of my favorite Kanyes. CH: This song sounds like a sentient XVideos search bar. In , famous adult actress Lisa Ann claimed that Kanye sent her unsolicited photos of the explicit variety.
CH: For a brief but blindingly transcendent moment in , Lloyd Banks was the best rapper alive. JS, how do you feel about Lloyd Banks? Banks is one of the best punch-line rappers of his generation, whereas Kanye is just one of the punch-line-iest. Charles, do you have a least favorite Kanye punch line?
Kanye rapping about race is bad. Kanye rapping about sex is worse. When you put those two together, you get the above. Fucking Kanye. Predictably, it also features Jim Jones. Does that mean it deserved to be yawned at? Hell no. JS: You ever think about how Lex Luger defined the sound of rap for two years at the beginning of the last decade and then basically disappeared? Starting around —probably thanks largely to Drake and 40—rap got a little moodier, chillier, and less fantastical.
Get this shit out of here, JS. You got Bobby Brown jaw? Friday loosie. First, how incredibly on-brand. Second, do you think that decision was a Sliding Doors moment? Being a household name that appears on Ellen is wildly different from being the subject of debates raging in the 2Dopeboyz comment section. His verse on this song in particular gets clowned frequently. In other words: Love—does late-period Jay get enough of it, too much of it, or just the right amount of it? Later-stage Jay-Z albums e.
Kanye is having the time of his life, despite trying to put on a repentant facade. First comes the King Crimson sample, next comes the bass and guitars courtesy of Mike Dean, then the keyboards by Dean and Jeff Bhasker. The end result is so full, so booming, and so triumphant that it lives on as an arena anthem and soundtrack to terrible movie trailers a decade later. That is the genius of Kanye beginning with this era: In the early Roc-a-Fella and College Dropout days, he mainly crafted beats in isolation.
During the Late Registration and Graduation days, he began adding orchestral flourishes and collaborating with outside producers, but it was still mostly whatever came out of his MPC. But by My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy , he had an army of producers and musicians at his disposal. The beat is so staccato at times that Kanye clearly struggles to fit all of his thoughts within its parameter.
JS: This song, more than any other, makes me sad that we never got a G. Uncle Charlie breathes life into the hook. Pusha and Big Sean deliver; latter-day Common even acquits himself nicely. A good time all around and, sadly, a track that could never be made today. The samples were either obscure or ridiculously expensive. Every song needed an extended outro. Legendary producers were called in as vibe connoisseurs. It made for a near perfect album, but often that meant there was little room for something that was simply fun.
Kid Cudi is on hook duty and offers a couple well-placed hums. Pusha T raps about his one true love, selling cocaine. Big Sean drops some goofy punch lines.
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