Memphis - the original Memphis was a famous city in Northern Egypt bout 3,000 years ago. Now we got Memphis, Tennessee, US, on the map. Including bout 500,000 inhabitants itz the biggest city in Tennesse, a Southern state. In the rap scene Memphis hasn't played a big role as NY, LA or at least New Orleans. A lot of artists well-known in the Dirty South are still underground for rap fans all over the world. So let me introduce you to a city that should play a big role in Rap music history. Back in the late 80'z there was NY on top of Rap music for bout 10 years and on the other part of the US, in the sun-state California, rappers like the ground-breaking NWA, Ice-T, Too Short, Compton's Most Wanted, Tone Loc and others made LA and the Bay Area blow up! In the Dirty South only the Geto Boys became well-known with their street attitude (similar to NWA and others). They are from Houston, Tx. A lot of today's Southern artists started back in the days but became famous in the late 90's: Juvenile and Cash Money, No Limit Records, Rap-A-Lot Records. In Tennesse I consider the underground scene even bigger cuz yet no artist / group really became famous and multuple-platinum selling (tho i do NOT see platinum plaques as a price for good music).

Gangsta Pat in 94: gangsta shit

femme fatale in Tennesse: Gangsta Boo is a dope MC

In 1990 GANGSTA PAT put Memphis on the map with his street debut album "# 1 SUSPECT". Born as Patrick Hall he is a member of a musical family (his father Willie Hall was big in R&B), juss that he choosed rap instead of blues. A lot of Tennesse artists grew up on his music like many of today's rappers grew up on NWA. Then many artists started off of former high school "careers" to producer their own records in the early 90's: SKA-FACE AL KAPONE started his career in the early 90's and THREE-SIX MAFIA worked on their first mixtapes. The LMG MAFIA started off with their first tapes (they juss got a recent album out called "southside soldiers". In the early 90's Eazy-E, who was alwayz lookin for new talents, signed the Nashville-based rapper PISTOL on Ruthless Records and PISTOL released his first album, "HITTIN LIKE A BULLET". The probably best known rap duo from Tennesse (many peepz dont know they from Memphis), EIGHTBALL & MJG, moved to Houston to release their first album, "COMIN OUT HARD", on Suave House in bout 1993. During these years THREE-SIX MAFIA released their debut album, "mystik styles", a self-titled Bone diss who juss blew up around this time with their EP "creepin on ah come up". Three Six claimed Bone stealin their style (but that let us ask: why is "creepin on ah come up" so much better than "mystik styles"?). At this time Triple Six contained many more artists than today. Some rappers went of but more bout that later. DJ PAUL and JUICY J had started Three Six and continued workin hard on the records. LORD INFAMOUS, GANGSTA BLAC, PLAYA FLY, KINGPIN SKINNY PIMP and Tennessee's first female rapper, GANGSTA BOO, rapped on the tapes. Also Gangsta Pat continued releasing LPs but I dont consider his following albums as good as his debut work, maybe cuz "suspect" was as new and hard for Tennesse as "straight outta compton".

underground legend: DJ Squeeky

So Memphis and Nashville rap still stayed underground for many years. When Master P and No Limit were puttin it down for the South in 96/97 also the Tennesse rap scene became better known. Three Six blew up with their records. Ska Face started workin together with E-40 and B-Legit, they released a compilation in 97 featuring Bay and Southern artists, called "South West Riders". Gangsta Boo released her solo album "inquiring minds" in 1998 which was a big success. DJ SQUEEKY, one of the earliest underground artists in Memphis, started to blow up in the scene with workings for TOM SKEEMASK and Kingpin Skinny Pimp. The Three-Six clique changed totally. Playa Fly left and started his own solo career, Kingpin Skinny Pimp and Gangsta Blac followed. So DJ Paul and Juicy J signed a deal with Relitivity Records. Now they are really big-selling with artists like PROJECT PAT and the PROPHET POSSE. Musically the 2 producers Paul and J really worked hard, but you can forget their lyrics. Sometimes they really can be seen as studio gangsta lyrics. Better listen either to the ex-triple six MC's or to all the other good lyricists out there.

underground king outta Nashville: Pistol

The Memphis sound is really outstanding. It is a tight club sound. Tennesse artist often talk bout fights in clubs some years ago and this fighting attitude has survived in the sometimes even aggressive music. The Nashville sound is similar to the Memphis sound but not so hard. Besides Pistol many other artists blew up in Nashville. STREET FLAVOR RECORDS are a big thing movin, they got a white rapper called HAYSTAK MAK MILLION who is really good. You should also listen to stuff from GREENWADE (solo artist), hes workin on his new indipendent label called Greenwade records, KOOL DADDY FRESH (solo artist), TAYLOR BOYZ (group), PLAYA G (solo artist), THINK TWICE (group), this 3 mcs are still teenagers but they are really good, itz 1 girl and 2 guys, onf of them sounds a bit like Mystikal and the other one raps so fast, i would say he even fucks up Twista, RAWLOW B (solo artist, originally from Alabama) and BLACK & JAY (group), MISTA IAN (solo) with a dope debut. The most recent group who blew up are SERVIN THE WORLD CLICK. Cash Money started workin with them and mastermind Manny Fresh layed down the tracks of this Nashville group. It is really good rap music. Nashville has many good artists, they juss have to blow up. In 1999 a really outstanding records was released by 2 cats called 1ST DEGREE & DEEP SLEEP, "mental prison". This Memphis record is real outstanding cuz itz no club stuff. They have many dark, deep songs on there, with kinda sad piano melodies and stuff. And their lyrics are so good, they dont talk juss gangsta shit. They take street rap on a new different level. Damn, you have to check this shit out. And 1st Degree isn't First Degree from the bay area.

3-6 Mafia: gangsterous group outta Memphis, left to right: Gangsta Boo, Juicy J, Lord Infamous, DJ Paul

In Memphis were other things movin in 98 and 99. Three Six dissed Gangsta Pat bad in the Murder Dog magazine, forgettin that Pat was the first Tennessee artist ever. Tho not being a gangsta any more Pat answered with "tear yo club down", an album "dedicated" to the Triple Six. But also ex-triple six members got beef with Paul, J and Infamous. Dont get me wrong, besides their bloody lyrics they make good music but I dont like the thought that they first became famous cuz they dissed Bone in 94 and now Gangsta Pat. The only member of the mafia that really got rap skills is Gangsta Boo. But of course there are also good news bout Memphis. After even platinum success Eightball & MJG went back to Memphis and started working with DJ Squeeky and Three Six Mafia and gonna release soon a compilation. DJ Squeeky's latest group, the PROJECT PLAYAZ, juss released their good debut album. Ska Face Al Kapone signed to Sick Wid it Records (E-40's label) and will release his solo album in summer 2,000. And of course there is a lot of good underground music from Tennessee, one of the best formations are Gangsta Pat's DIE HARD ORGANIZATION. Tennessee rap juss started to become well-known!

Pat's answer to 3-6 diss in Murder Dog Magazine: "tear yo club down"

best artists comin out of Tennesse:

Gangsta Pat, Eightball & MJG, Three Six Mafia, Pistol

South goes West: Ska-Face Al Kapone from Memphis signed to E-40's label Sick Wid It and is going to release his solo album in 2000

best recent (98-00) records (doesnt include any Eightball & MJG records cuz they recorded in Houston):

"tear yo club down" by Gangsta Pat

"mental prison" by 1st Degree & Deep Sleep

"crazyndalazdayz" by Tear da Club up Thugs (DJ Paul & Juicy J)

"ghetty green" by Project Pat

"inquiring minds" by Gangsta Boo

"da game owe me" by Playa Fly

"shippin n handlin" by Servin tha World Click

"back to the playaz ball" by Kingpin Skinny Pimp

"74 minutes of bump" by Gangsta Blac

"in da beginning" by DJ Squeeky

"when the smoke clears" by Three 6 mafia