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Why Your Halloween Playlist Needs More Memphian Menace

Released: May 9, 1995

This isn’t an album I grew up with; it’s one I got into later in life. I actually don’t mentally connect Three 6 Mafia to horrorcore or anything like that, probably because their career and sound have stretched across so many years and styles. But Mystic Stylez definitely leans into that lane. It’s not only a great album in general but especially fitting for the Halloween season with its menacing production and lyrical content.

I thought “Break Da Law ’95” was a great song and a perfect start. That hook is repetitive but in a great way, and the beat comes in hard. The next track that immediately hooked me was “In Da Game.” It samples “Scarface” by The Geto Boys—a great solo Scarface song from that era. “Now I’m High 3” was a song that had to grow on me; initially, the slow down after “In Da Game” kind of threw me off. I’m not in love with the super-slow flows at times, though I love everything about the beat and hook. I think a slightly quicker BPM would help it for me. Take the next song, “Long Nite.” It’s a beat I could see myself disliking, but it’s kind of fast-paced, and I think that helps. It’s a really good song, maybe one of the better overall tracks from everyone on it.

“Sweet Robbery” is dark and features a chilling, looped laugh in the background. On “Back Against the Wall,” I love the Lord Infamous start on the track. He actually developed into my favorite member while listening to this album. It used to be DJ Paul, then in the last few years switched to Juicy J, but I might be settling on Infamous’s flow at his peak. And to wrap up a long story short—or long, in this case—I pretty much like the rest of the album except the songs I’m about to mention. I thought “Tear Da Club Up” was decent but could’ve gone a little harder, and yes, I know how that sounds. Maybe it needed stronger drums or better mixing/engineering. “Porno Movie” was honestly hilarious, but I never need to hear it again. “Da Summa” was a song I didn’t love; it’s grown on me some, but overall I’d have cut it. And the Bone Thugs diss, “Live By Yo Rep,” I just thought had a terrible beat.

Three 6 Mafia is iconic, and this is a good album. I wish some flows were a little tighter at times, and there are a few beats I wasn’t into, but when things were clicking, you can clearly see the roots of what has established so much in Hip-Hop. If this had 2-4 specific songs cut out, I think I’d be higher on it, but there’s still a lot to enjoy. On a chilly October night, this hits right.

Standout Tracks: Break Da Law ’95, In Da Game, Back Against The Wall, & Big Bizness

Album Rating:🪦🪦🪦🪦🪦🪦🪦 (7/10)