Memphis rap
*THIS POST IS DEDICATED TO MY SISTER LAURA, AND REST IN PEACE TO GANGSTA BOO, PRINCESS LOKO, KOOPSTA, LORD INFAMOUS, AND WHOMEVER ELSE*
SIDE NOTE - I DON'T DIRECTLY MENTION RAPPERS OFTEN AS IT'S AN UNFORTUNATELY DIFFICULT THING TO TIMELINE.
Long time, no see my friends.
I haven’t really put effort into writing anything lately, but this has been a topic on my mind for 2 weeks, give or take. I got super interested in Memphis rap, and had planned to write a whole deep dive/essay… and then I got painstakingly depressed. NOT stated as a sense of attention grabbing, but rather the unfortunate reality of having interests and illness… haha. I thought that would sound clever. Anyways, before I entirely lose interest (peak interest, I mean obsession, maybe), I will get this write up out the way.
I will also note that I am not entirely well versed on rap in specific.
“Underground” rap has consistently been an important thing to me, at least since my early teens. Growing up, I had the displeasure of being a $uicideboy$ fan at 13 (luckily earlier than later right?), along with all of the other notable artists of that 2016 era. Artists include Xavier Wulf (Fuck that dude also), Spaceghostpurpp, Denzel Curry, and most notably (AS I STILL LOVE HIS MUSIC) Lil Ugly Mane.
Clearly, I left a lot of artists out. That’s because all of these aforementioned rappers share a common, blatant characteristic; they are HEAVILY inspired by Memphis rap, sampling classic tracks, mimicking the aesthetics, lyrics, and beats. I’d even argue that it is almost comical and perhaps upsetting, be it that $uicideboy$ has 11.7 MILLION monthly listeners, and the most famous Memphis act, Three 6 Mafia has 4.2 million. Granted, they had their peak in the early 2000s, winning music awards and even landing a reality show “Adventures in Hollyhood” on MTV (it ran for one season, but I remember always seeing the DVD in my sisters DVD collection, and I began watching it… and my God it’s funny. It is worth noting). Times have evidently and unfortunately changed, and there is lots of avenues and tangents I could approach in that sense… But let’s stick to the initial topic- MEMPHIS RAP!
Before the ease of access abomination of the internet that I sit here writing on now, music was distributed and circulated within underground scenes by unique means. Specific to the Memphis underground scene, cassette tapes were usually given/sold from the trunks of musicians' cars. The DIY aspect of the Memphis scene is what truly dragged me in. Typically, at least for myself and those I am acquainted with, DIY is usually better credited to the early punk/emo scenes. I find that to be slightly unfair, as I believe people in those respective scenes are granted with access to more opportunity, at least that is how I see it now, the longer I stick around, the longer I see it’s just majority rich kids… but I digress.
Now, I need to quit ducking and dodging and just dive in. Honestly, though I actually conjured an outline for this write up; I work better with an unfortunate, jumbled stream of consciousness. I also fear my lack of knowledge, I will never know everything! This is passion posting; I'm not a historian.
It should be noted, though, there is extremely limited information due to the inherent racism of the media, and the early days of the internet. I did not watch many interviews, I listened and read. Most information was curated through reddit discourse.
Late 80s; DJ Spanish Fly, typically given the name of the pioneer of Memphis Rap. He began DJing in the late 80s, took his own approach to the typical club remixes happening around that time period. Shortly following his DJing, he began producing tracks with more explicit, dark themes, something unheard of at the time. Utilizing a Boss DR-660, a drum machine typically used in industrial music, he transformed and marked the beginnings of Memphis rap as a whole. It was used in Tommy Wright iii, Shawty Pimp, and DJ Zirk (who as of right now, I am unfamiliar with). DJ Spanish Fly managed to create a sound that transcends time, notably with the track “Cement Shoes”, which I think might be one of the best songs of all time.
Following the success of DJ Spanish Fly, other rappers started to emerge in the early 90s. With the use of the legendary Roland TR-808, as well as the Boss BR5, the sound was quickly definitive. A side note, though, some argue that Memphis rap was influenced by the likes of Miami bass- I’d just like to say- If people are using the same equipment- no shit it will sound similar. Things were circulated different and I am not sure Miami bass found it’s way to Memphis while rappers and producers were giving/selling cassettes out of their cars. ANYWAYS. Musicians worked with the tools they had, which shines in their music through charmingly poor recording quality via the use of a 4 track. Producers that came shortly after Spanish Fly included DJ Squeeky, MJG, and 8 Ball, who were some of the go-to producers for musicians in the area.
Gadgets aside, the indubitable similarities of the low budget ICONIC aesthetics, dark lyrical content, and commonly gritty production proved Memphis rap as a solidified, region based genre. Occult imagery and a typically consistent reference to satanic references was not a common topic at the time, besides in heavier genres like black metal (which by the way, I really hate that people compare the two. To hell with that). It was new, and refreshing isn’t quite the word to describe it. Artists like DJ Paul and Lord infamous, refer to their passion for horror movies as a direct inspiration. I mention this referring to and dismissing the ridiculous conspiracy theories that circulate to this day, and somehow have more content as opposed to actual historical-based content. Why would anybody trust the word of 4 Chan users? Whatever man. I, once again, find this to be inherently racist! I think it is unfair to put claims on POC being Satanic or demonic or whatever have you, just because of the use of darker themes. Due to the aforementioned lack of documentation, I can not run with any claims regarding how the general public felt about the artists emerging from Memphis, though.
Three Six Mafia was, as I said earlier, the most known to emerge. Though their initial breakthrough was due to the “crunk” development of their sound, perfectly fitting for the clubbing and partying of the 2000s. Juicy J has mentioned people mistaking them for genuinely being evil, but as he puts it, it’s a business. It’s an image, a concept… The only member I found to make true claims regarding these accusations was Koopsta (I choose not to say the other half because it is too close to a racial slur, and quite frankly, i’m white). In a video on his Youtube channel, he claims he turned to Devil Worship due to how let down he felt by the churches and life growing up. I will say, I think he was off his rocker in that video, albeit that being a valid claim. In Juicy J’s memoir, he mentions the neurotic nature of Koopsta that ultimately got him kicked out of the group on a breach of contract, due to constant arrests and inability to show up to various recording and video sessions. Do with that what you will, maybe they mildly praised the devil or whatever, but as a aloof non-religious individual, I don’t entirely find this to matter too much. The music rocks.
A little over a decade later, musician Lil Ugly Mane released “Mista Thug Isolation”, an album obviously inspired by Memphis Rap, down to the Pen-and-Pixel inspired cover. This album is critically acclaimed, and a true cult-classic amongst the internet. It’s got tracks, and it was an important album in my youth, whilst I wasn’t aware of its influences (though I will say anything he released after was multitudes better). It is the top rated Memphis album on the website Rateyourmusic… For the record, he is not from Memphis… but anyways. This album brought back and contributed to the resurfacing of the genre, giving it an internet cult following, amongst hardcore kids and basement dwellers. I will not say I resent this record due to that fact. Unlike the artists I mentioned that I think took the inspiration and ran with it, I think LUM gave a respectable nod.
Nowadays, rappers from Memphis still are rich in popularity, though of course it is in less aggressive and blatantly “evil” forms. Rappers like Glorilla, NLE Choppa, and Moneybagg Yo all have a distinct sound, proving Memphis as an area that has constantly bred creativity, despite the challenges of the area. Granted, I’m not sure if it holds up as being the dangerous place it once was, being a topic for documentaries and news outlets. Either way.
Now, to wrap this up, I will mention a few stand out records, as well as a link to a playlist that includes tracks from lesser and greater known rappers.
Lil Grimm/Children Of The Corn - The Single (1995)
An early release within the genre. This honestly might be my favorite one. The poor quality of it and the really interesting use of sampling makes for a strikingly specific vibe that I think is otherwise hard to find. Tracks like M.O.N.E.Y and Just Want to Know are some of my favorites. The repetition makes for some strange and awesome earworms.
Koopsta - Da Devil's Playground (1999)
Former Three Six member, as mentioned. One of the most iconic, arguably the most iconic. This record has been sampled into filth within the underground. If you've never heard it, you probably have in the beat of some rap song. Smoking on a Junt, for example, has been sampled in 7 tracks, as current as 2024 on that one Kanye album... The production on this album is phenomenal for the time. No skips, makes me evil.
Lil E - Playa 4 Life (1996)
Criminally underrated. A member of the lesser known "Playa Posse" that included innovative DJ Blackout, and rappers such as Lil Terror, Peanut, and Lil Slim. This group was truly something else, the beats on this record seem electronic-influenced and sonically different from their peers. I admired this album for keeping the theme of the Memphis life of crime and violence, but being lesser involved on the edgy stuff. "Blizo in my Head" is definitely one of my favorite tracks, and I'd go as far to say it ALMOST sounds modern.
Feel Me Before They Kill Me - Tommy Wright III (1998)
A later record in Tommy Wright's discography, but the record that directly kick-started my fixation on the genre. Though his first record is a true representation of everything I've talked about, this album includes many of his peers that all shine in their own ways. The use of sampling is awesome. It's catchy and it's timeless. Also apparently he grew up in a deaf family. He is the goat and also helped out lots of rappers back then, so. We love him.
Murder She Spoke - La Chat (2001)
Produced by Three Six members DJ Paul and Juicy J, along with being a member of the group, and also working with Tommy Wrights group "Ten Wanted Men" , she truly stuck out to me. I really appreciate the fact women were included and respected in the rap scene. This album includes "Slob on my Kat" a track you may have heard in videos online, due to it's comically vulgar nature. That being said, I think it's a representation of women's sexual expression in music, and I look up to that. Eat a bitch cat or sum! Hell Yeah!! Don't sang it is ultimately my favorite track though.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0z2oYvzFHg0NxYMAnMpSss?si=FhU66rmwQGWzoSGEnh2tAA
https://hip-hop-history.com/memphis-rap-the-groups-and-rappers-in-the-80s-and-90s/
https://www.treblezine.com/memphis-rap-tapes-90s-chilling-legend/
https://www.reddit.com/r/memphisrap/comments/nvd1hr/how_memphis_rap_was_produced_in_the_90s_a/
https://www.iowapublicradio.org/2023-07-21/how-memphis-rap-charted-a-passage-from-delta-blues
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DJ_Spanish_Fly
https://web.archive.org/web/20201109033942/https://dlynx.rhodes.edu/jspui/bitstream/10267/23966/1/2007-Laura_Vansickle-Memphis_Rap_in_the_1990s-Watkins.pdf
https://memphismusichalloffame.com/inductee/threesixmafia/
