Five years ago, Three 6 Mafia fans would have their fingers crossed watching the Source Awards on UPN. In 2006, the Memphis Tennessee boys took home Oscar gold - on the biggest night in Hollywood.
As a result, their songs rose to the top of the iTunes charts and Most Known Unknown got a second look from the suburbs.
How will the group that screamed “Tear The Club Up” a decade ago adapt to their new fame? Will Three 6 Mafia go down in history according to their vision or that of their detractors?
Now that they have exploded in the mainstream, will the trio reunite with former crew members? Get a Hip-Hop look at the Academy Awards, and see if Academy Award honorees Crunchy Black, DJ Paul and Juicy J will be producing for the Bacon Brothers or Bette Midler now that they're in red carpet company.
AllHipHop.com Video
Three 6 Mafia Discuss Their Oscar Win.
Juicy J and Paul of Three 6 Mafia address the Devil Worship Rumors.
The crew talks about their approach to making beats and songs.
AllHipHop.com: All right, what was going through your mind when they called your name at the Academy Awards?
Juicy J: Man, 'just run, run Forest, run.' I just ran [to the stage] like the police was chasing me man. You know what I’m saying? I mean it was a blessing. I mean you know, [it's] not every day you get a chance to get nominated, get a chance to perform, get a chance to, win an Oscar.
AllHipHop.com: Right.
DJ Paul: So you know, it was just big adrenaline rush. It was all real man. You know we didn’t know we was gonna win. We didn’t have no acceptance speech, just ran out there like, “Hey thanks.”
AllHipHop.com: Right, I saw you were taking a lot of pictures of the award, were those the actual awards because I know --
DJ Paul: Yeah, they give it to you
Juicy J: The Oscars is the only award --
DJ Paul: They give it to you --
Juicy J: The Oscar is the only award [and] you leave with the award.
AllHipHop.com: I see, I see.
Juicy J: Grammy’s and everybody else they send to you, Oscar you leave right with it which is good.
DJ Paul: In hand.
AllHipHop.com: Were y’all scared to let ‘em go?
Juicy J: Yeah --
AllHipHop.com: Not scared but you know what I’m saying.
DJ Paul: I was scared. Yeah, but I mean they’re valuable, they got to get insurance on it
Juicy J: Yeah, [the people in Hollywood] loved it, man. They loved them Oscars, especially in LA because you know that’s what they live for. You know actors, go to LA be a actor, that’s your ultimate goal - to get the Oscar.
DJ Paul: Yeah, a lot of people live for those man. So hard to get one.
Juicy J: [With the Oscar in hand], I thought Jesus had walked in the room, they love it.
AllHipHop.com: Now, Frayser Boy got one too right? What’d he do with the song?
Juicy J: He wrote some bars on the song.
AllHipHop.com: Now what’s your take, you have gotten praise and criticism. Some Black people feel you didn't rep the race with your performance. How do you address that?
Juicy J: Make a prayer for them man. That’s all we do, pray for them and keep on pushing.
AllHipHop.com: Yeah.
DJ Paul: (Singing Bun B’s “Keep Pushin’”)
AllHipHop.com: Terrance Howard even expressed some disappointment in the performance and saying that the performance was contrary to what the actual movie was about. Do you have anything to say about that?
Juicy J: Right. Pray for him, keep on pushing.
AllHipHop.com: Right, right. Did yall, did yall get a crack out of [actress who sang on "It's Hard Out Here For A Pimp"] Taraji Henson when she sang that last note at the Oscars?
DJ Paul: [Laughs]
Juicy J: Yeah, she did that thing man, we loved it man. She did her thing man. That’s my girl.
AllHipHop.com: I ain’t clowning nobody. Is she trying her hand at a singing career?
Juicy J: I don’t even know man.
Crunchy Black: Don’t know nothing.
Juicy J: No, but if she was, she already know she got my number, she can always call me man. That’s like my little sister, man.
AllHipHop.com: Speaking of praying there’s been a lot of new talk about Three 6 Mafia’s so-called “devil worship.” Do you care to address that at all?
Juicy J: Man, we ain’t no devil worshippers, I mean how can you win an Oscar being a devil worshiper? I mean you know you probably win, win like a firecracker or something if you was a devil worshiper. You won’t win an Oscar. So I mean there ain’t nothing but God in me. That’s a blessing.
DJ Paul: We got so many blessings, we’ve been doing this for 16 years. Making a arrangement though [the devil] - no way.
Juicy J: No you can’t worship the devil and get that kind of blessing, man. I mean everybody know that.
AllHipHop.com: Yeah. Now people may not know that y’all been out for so long. Where do you see yourself headed because you actually seem to keep going up.
Juicy J: Yeah. I mean we just trying to just keep doing what we been doing, man- standing. Strip us to this music, man. This is what got us here. We’ll try to do some more production with our other big studio, big film companies. But yeah, we’re gonna stick with music man. Just keep on struggling with this, because this is the bread-n-butter right here man. It’s hip-hop.
AllHipHop.com: Yeah, no doubt. Now how, speaking of God and religion, how do yall, deal with that conflict between the things you rap about and God?
Juicy J: It’s a job, man. It’s entertainment. You know people get things twisted. You can’t be scared to watch a scary movie. You know, you hear some kind of music, man. I mean you know just a certain kind of music. It’s a job.
DJ Paul: It ain’t reality.
AllHipHop.com: But people, kids, I mean and even me like I’m like “Yo, these cats is, yeah they the real thing right there.”
Juicy J: I mean you, people just, if you go online and look at our background, you be like man, these dudes been hustling. Man these dudes been hustling, you know making a honest living. Man, you know a putting out CDs, selling CDs out their trunk, till making it to the Oscars’ performing and then you know, they won the Oscar. So, that’s an accomplishment man, you know.
AllHipHop.com: Have, have you guys gotten any new opportunities through the Oscar situation?
DJ Paul: Film stuff, all kind of television right now. Got a lot of stuff on the table. Disney all kind of folks, yeah.
AllHipHop.com: Okay, what keeps yall motivated? Some people come in this game, they spit a few bars, drop a few classics and then they don’t know where else to go.
Crunchy Black: Stay home –
DJ Paul: Stay striving --
Juicy J: Yeah you got try, you know you got to always try. We just like music. We like making hard beats, making hard hooks, making hard songs, so we just a love for it man. We done made a lot of money in it and we still making some money, you know now but we just like got the love for the music.
AllHipHop.com: Yeah.
DJ Paul: So then we do film and, and you know rap as well, you know what I’m saying, both of them. Try to be doing both of them.
AllHipHop.com: Hungry, they look at the icy wrists and the icy chain and stuff and they like, “Man, really hungry?”
DJ Paul: That’s the make believe. You can still like, you know those are like, like basketball players that sign a contract for like a million dollars a year just sit on the bench. And he, he can, if he wants to, just sit back and [say], “I’m sorry, but [I have money] I don’t give a fuck about playing.”
AllHipHop.com: Yeah.
Juicy J: But you know, it ain’t gonna be like that [with Three 6 Mafia], you know we still gonna want to play. You still gonna want to get them rings and you know and be good at what you do, keep your fans happy. I love our music. I’m a fan myself.
AllHipHop.com: What’s the hardest song you ever heard?
DJ Paul: The hardest song I ever heard was “I’m Bad” by LL Cool J. That’s my favorite song of all time. And then “Funky Enough” by D.O.C.
Juicy J: I say “Funky Drummer” by James Brown.
AllHipHop.com: Okay, okay what about you. Crunchy?
Crunchy Black: I just like them all and, uh, I like them all.
AllHipHop.com: I think yall got some of the hardest, I got a whole mix tape I made of just all of yall’s songs for when I’m mad.
AllHipHop.com: Do yall ever think yall will get back with Gangsta Boo, I miss her, I ain’t gonna lie. I miss her, dog.
DJ Paul: Ain’t gonna happen, man, you know what I’m saying?
Juicy J: You never know. Man, my door is always open, to everybody man. It’s all great. We doing so good right now man, I’m just feeling good man - got an Oscar.
Crunchy Black: Got an Oscar –
AllHipHop.com: Now, I know y’all use to work with Boo and LeChat, why is it though that y’all can’t hold any women in the group? I mean why both females in the group bounced?
DJ Paul: No, no that, everything was all good they just wanted to do their own thing, you know. We don’t try to hold nobody back, you know what I’m saying. You want to be in the group, you can be in the group you just say hey, I want to be out of the group then well like all right I wish both of them the best of luck, you know what I’m saying. It’s all good.
AllHipHop.com: Anybody called you to get back with you?
DJ Paul: No, ain’t been nobody calling us, it’s just lot of times like you might hear somebody that be with us. But [people might say], somebody said this or that, this is that. I wish everybody the best of luck. We’re still doing our thing, we made history, you know performed at the Oscars. We won at the Oscar. I mean how good is that man?
Juicy J: That’s old news. We moved on.
AllHipHop.com: What’s y’all’s home life like, like family wise, I mean yall got kids or --
DJ Paul: Yeah, I got one kid, yeah.
AllHipHop.com: How old is he?
DJ Paul: My boy he’s ten.
AllHipHop.com: Oh yeah? How’s he, I mean is he rapping yet?
DJ Paul: Yeah, he plays games or he don’t know what he wants to do, say he want to play basketball but I think he can play football better than basketball.
AllHipHop.com: Yeah, so, so I mean how do they feel? I mean, how did they feel about the whole Oscar situation? I mean --
Juicy J: I don’t have any kids. My Mom and my Dad, yeah, they was going crazy man cause they know what we been through man. We come from the street, gutter. We been, you know, six people living in a two-bedroom apartment, man. We done came a long way from that to this, you know. That was just a blessing man, they was going crazy.
AllHipHop.com: So your pop is a minister, Juice. Is he still preaching or anything?
Juicy J: Yeah, yeah, yeah a little bit here and there man. You know, kind of like chillin out. He used to like go out of town a lot, but now he’s just chilling.
AllHipHop.com: Yeah. Crunch so what’s up with you man, you never talk.
Crunchy Black: : You know I just go with the flow.
AllHipHop.com: Why don’t you tell me about your dance.
Crunchy Black: Ah, it’s a gangsta walk, you know. I didn’t invent it. I just do it the best, you know.
DJ Paul: That’s a Memphis thing
AllHipHop.com: So any music coming from you, Crunchy?
Crunchy Black: I always got something working.
As a result, their songs rose to the top of the iTunes charts and Most Known Unknown got a second look from the suburbs.
How will the group that screamed “Tear The Club Up” a decade ago adapt to their new fame? Will Three 6 Mafia go down in history according to their vision or that of their detractors?
Now that they have exploded in the mainstream, will the trio reunite with former crew members? Get a Hip-Hop look at the Academy Awards, and see if Academy Award honorees Crunchy Black, DJ Paul and Juicy J will be producing for the Bacon Brothers or Bette Midler now that they're in red carpet company.
AllHipHop.com Video
Three 6 Mafia Discuss Their Oscar Win.
Juicy J and Paul of Three 6 Mafia address the Devil Worship Rumors.
The crew talks about their approach to making beats and songs.
AllHipHop.com: All right, what was going through your mind when they called your name at the Academy Awards?
Juicy J: Man, 'just run, run Forest, run.' I just ran [to the stage] like the police was chasing me man. You know what I’m saying? I mean it was a blessing. I mean you know, [it's] not every day you get a chance to get nominated, get a chance to perform, get a chance to, win an Oscar.
AllHipHop.com: Right.
DJ Paul: So you know, it was just big adrenaline rush. It was all real man. You know we didn’t know we was gonna win. We didn’t have no acceptance speech, just ran out there like, “Hey thanks.”
AllHipHop.com: Right, I saw you were taking a lot of pictures of the award, were those the actual awards because I know --
DJ Paul: Yeah, they give it to you
Juicy J: The Oscars is the only award --
DJ Paul: They give it to you --
Juicy J: The Oscar is the only award [and] you leave with the award.
AllHipHop.com: I see, I see.
Juicy J: Grammy’s and everybody else they send to you, Oscar you leave right with it which is good.
DJ Paul: In hand.
AllHipHop.com: Were y’all scared to let ‘em go?
Juicy J: Yeah --
AllHipHop.com: Not scared but you know what I’m saying.
DJ Paul: I was scared. Yeah, but I mean they’re valuable, they got to get insurance on it
Juicy J: Yeah, [the people in Hollywood] loved it, man. They loved them Oscars, especially in LA because you know that’s what they live for. You know actors, go to LA be a actor, that’s your ultimate goal - to get the Oscar.
DJ Paul: Yeah, a lot of people live for those man. So hard to get one.
Juicy J: [With the Oscar in hand], I thought Jesus had walked in the room, they love it.
AllHipHop.com: Now, Frayser Boy got one too right? What’d he do with the song?
Juicy J: He wrote some bars on the song.
AllHipHop.com: Now what’s your take, you have gotten praise and criticism. Some Black people feel you didn't rep the race with your performance. How do you address that?
Juicy J: Make a prayer for them man. That’s all we do, pray for them and keep on pushing.
AllHipHop.com: Yeah.
DJ Paul: (Singing Bun B’s “Keep Pushin’”)
AllHipHop.com: Terrance Howard even expressed some disappointment in the performance and saying that the performance was contrary to what the actual movie was about. Do you have anything to say about that?
Juicy J: Right. Pray for him, keep on pushing.
AllHipHop.com: Right, right. Did yall, did yall get a crack out of [actress who sang on "It's Hard Out Here For A Pimp"] Taraji Henson when she sang that last note at the Oscars?
DJ Paul: [Laughs]
Juicy J: Yeah, she did that thing man, we loved it man. She did her thing man. That’s my girl.
AllHipHop.com: I ain’t clowning nobody. Is she trying her hand at a singing career?
Juicy J: I don’t even know man.
Crunchy Black: Don’t know nothing.
Juicy J: No, but if she was, she already know she got my number, she can always call me man. That’s like my little sister, man.
AllHipHop.com: Speaking of praying there’s been a lot of new talk about Three 6 Mafia’s so-called “devil worship.” Do you care to address that at all?
Juicy J: Man, we ain’t no devil worshippers, I mean how can you win an Oscar being a devil worshiper? I mean you know you probably win, win like a firecracker or something if you was a devil worshiper. You won’t win an Oscar. So I mean there ain’t nothing but God in me. That’s a blessing.
DJ Paul: We got so many blessings, we’ve been doing this for 16 years. Making a arrangement though [the devil] - no way.
Juicy J: No you can’t worship the devil and get that kind of blessing, man. I mean everybody know that.
AllHipHop.com: Yeah. Now people may not know that y’all been out for so long. Where do you see yourself headed because you actually seem to keep going up.
Juicy J: Yeah. I mean we just trying to just keep doing what we been doing, man- standing. Strip us to this music, man. This is what got us here. We’ll try to do some more production with our other big studio, big film companies. But yeah, we’re gonna stick with music man. Just keep on struggling with this, because this is the bread-n-butter right here man. It’s hip-hop.
AllHipHop.com: Yeah, no doubt. Now how, speaking of God and religion, how do yall, deal with that conflict between the things you rap about and God?
Juicy J: It’s a job, man. It’s entertainment. You know people get things twisted. You can’t be scared to watch a scary movie. You know, you hear some kind of music, man. I mean you know just a certain kind of music. It’s a job.
DJ Paul: It ain’t reality.
AllHipHop.com: But people, kids, I mean and even me like I’m like “Yo, these cats is, yeah they the real thing right there.”
Juicy J: I mean you, people just, if you go online and look at our background, you be like man, these dudes been hustling. Man these dudes been hustling, you know making a honest living. Man, you know a putting out CDs, selling CDs out their trunk, till making it to the Oscars’ performing and then you know, they won the Oscar. So, that’s an accomplishment man, you know.
AllHipHop.com: Have, have you guys gotten any new opportunities through the Oscar situation?
DJ Paul: Film stuff, all kind of television right now. Got a lot of stuff on the table. Disney all kind of folks, yeah.
AllHipHop.com: Okay, what keeps yall motivated? Some people come in this game, they spit a few bars, drop a few classics and then they don’t know where else to go.
Crunchy Black: Stay home –
DJ Paul: Stay striving --
Juicy J: Yeah you got try, you know you got to always try. We just like music. We like making hard beats, making hard hooks, making hard songs, so we just a love for it man. We done made a lot of money in it and we still making some money, you know now but we just like got the love for the music.
AllHipHop.com: Yeah.
DJ Paul: So then we do film and, and you know rap as well, you know what I’m saying, both of them. Try to be doing both of them.
AllHipHop.com: Hungry, they look at the icy wrists and the icy chain and stuff and they like, “Man, really hungry?”
DJ Paul: That’s the make believe. You can still like, you know those are like, like basketball players that sign a contract for like a million dollars a year just sit on the bench. And he, he can, if he wants to, just sit back and [say], “I’m sorry, but [I have money] I don’t give a fuck about playing.”
AllHipHop.com: Yeah.
Juicy J: But you know, it ain’t gonna be like that [with Three 6 Mafia], you know we still gonna want to play. You still gonna want to get them rings and you know and be good at what you do, keep your fans happy. I love our music. I’m a fan myself.
AllHipHop.com: What’s the hardest song you ever heard?
DJ Paul: The hardest song I ever heard was “I’m Bad” by LL Cool J. That’s my favorite song of all time. And then “Funky Enough” by D.O.C.
Juicy J: I say “Funky Drummer” by James Brown.
AllHipHop.com: Okay, okay what about you. Crunchy?
Crunchy Black: I just like them all and, uh, I like them all.
AllHipHop.com: I think yall got some of the hardest, I got a whole mix tape I made of just all of yall’s songs for when I’m mad.
AllHipHop.com: Do yall ever think yall will get back with Gangsta Boo, I miss her, I ain’t gonna lie. I miss her, dog.
DJ Paul: Ain’t gonna happen, man, you know what I’m saying?
Juicy J: You never know. Man, my door is always open, to everybody man. It’s all great. We doing so good right now man, I’m just feeling good man - got an Oscar.
Crunchy Black: Got an Oscar –
AllHipHop.com: Now, I know y’all use to work with Boo and LeChat, why is it though that y’all can’t hold any women in the group? I mean why both females in the group bounced?
DJ Paul: No, no that, everything was all good they just wanted to do their own thing, you know. We don’t try to hold nobody back, you know what I’m saying. You want to be in the group, you can be in the group you just say hey, I want to be out of the group then well like all right I wish both of them the best of luck, you know what I’m saying. It’s all good.
AllHipHop.com: Anybody called you to get back with you?
DJ Paul: No, ain’t been nobody calling us, it’s just lot of times like you might hear somebody that be with us. But [people might say], somebody said this or that, this is that. I wish everybody the best of luck. We’re still doing our thing, we made history, you know performed at the Oscars. We won at the Oscar. I mean how good is that man?
Juicy J: That’s old news. We moved on.
AllHipHop.com: What’s y’all’s home life like, like family wise, I mean yall got kids or --
DJ Paul: Yeah, I got one kid, yeah.
AllHipHop.com: How old is he?
DJ Paul: My boy he’s ten.
AllHipHop.com: Oh yeah? How’s he, I mean is he rapping yet?
DJ Paul: Yeah, he plays games or he don’t know what he wants to do, say he want to play basketball but I think he can play football better than basketball.
AllHipHop.com: Yeah, so, so I mean how do they feel? I mean, how did they feel about the whole Oscar situation? I mean --
Juicy J: I don’t have any kids. My Mom and my Dad, yeah, they was going crazy man cause they know what we been through man. We come from the street, gutter. We been, you know, six people living in a two-bedroom apartment, man. We done came a long way from that to this, you know. That was just a blessing man, they was going crazy.
AllHipHop.com: So your pop is a minister, Juice. Is he still preaching or anything?
Juicy J: Yeah, yeah, yeah a little bit here and there man. You know, kind of like chillin out. He used to like go out of town a lot, but now he’s just chilling.
AllHipHop.com: Yeah. Crunch so what’s up with you man, you never talk.
Crunchy Black: : You know I just go with the flow.
AllHipHop.com: Why don’t you tell me about your dance.
Crunchy Black: Ah, it’s a gangsta walk, you know. I didn’t invent it. I just do it the best, you know.
DJ Paul: That’s a Memphis thing
AllHipHop.com: So any music coming from you, Crunchy?
Crunchy Black: I always got something working.
