Most Known Unknown

by Three 6 Mafia

Overview

As with practically every successive Three 6 Mafia album, Most Known Unknown is more of the same, executed a little bit better than before. That means a parade of first-rate productions by Juicy J and DJ Paul, the group's primary members, and plenty of street-level rhymes of the most hardcore variety. "Stay Fly" stands out -- not only amid the rest of the album, but amid the entire Three 6 catalog -- with its propulsive intensity and crafty hook. Juicy and Paul sample an old Willie Hutch song here, and the result is striking. Sure, Three 6 has always had a knack for roof-raisers like this, going back to similarly styled anthems like "Tear da Club Up" and "Hit a Muthafucka," but none have had such crossover potential. Features by Eightball, MJG, and Young Buck -- who are also from Memphis -- make the song even more dizzying, as the verses come quickly and hit hard. Nothing else on Most Known Unknown comes close to matching the excellence of "Stay Fly," unfortunately, though there are plenty of good songs here. "Swervin'" and "When I Pull Up at the Club" are two such instances, while "Side 2 Side" shows off Juicy and Paul's ability to import concurrent trends, in this case the "we-don't-dance dance" of Terror Squad's "Lean Back." And of course, you'll find all kinds of gratuitous profanity, sex talk, and drug references, along with over-the-top showboating aggression -- everything that has come to be expected from Three 6. Clocking in at 20-plus songs in roughly 80 minutes Most Known Unknown is indeed more of the same, plus a little extra quality, so if you're a fan, you won't be disappointed. On the other hand, if you're new to the group, likely introduced to them via "Stay Fly," you should expect over-the-top hardcore Southern rap. The beats are all done in-house and are the main draw. The rapping is not bad, though what the guys lack in technique and invention, they compensate for with lyrical excess. Three 6 Mafia is the hardcore of the hardcore, and not for the faint of heart. [Midway through 2006, a few months after Three 6 won an Oscar for their contribution to the film Hustle & Flow, Columbia re-released Most Known Unknown with some bonus material. Of note are two remixes of "Side 2 Side," one featuring Kanye West, the other Bow Wow, the latter of whom seems out of place in such hardcore territory. Also, there's the addition of "Hard Out Here for a Pimp," the song that brought home the Oscar. This bonus material improves an already impressive album.] ~ Jason Birchmeier

Product Details

Release Date:	06/20/2006
Label:	Sony Music Distribution
UPC:	0828768440025

Tracks

1. Most Known Unknown Hits
2. Stay Fly
3. Roll with It
4. Don't Violate
5. Swervin'
6. Knock tha Black off Yo ***
7. Poppin' My Collar
8. Hard Hittaz
9. Side 2 Side
10. Half on a Sack
11. Skit
12. When I Pull Up at the Club
13. ***** Got Ya Hooked
14. Don't Cha Get Mad
15. Body Parts 3
16. Hard Out Here for a Pimp
17. Stay Fly
18. Outro
19. Got It 4 Sale
20. Let's Plan a Robbery
21. Side 2 Side
22. Ain't Got Time for Gamez

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Three 6 Mafia   Primary Artist
8Ball and MJG   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Lil Whyte   Primary Artist
Paul Wall   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Bow Wow   Primary Artist
DJ Paul   Primary Artist,Vocals
Young Buck   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Slim Thug   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Featured Artist,Vocals
Lil Wyte   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Frayser Boy   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
8Ball   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Lil' Flip   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
MJG   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Juicy J   Primary Artist,Vocals
Kanye West   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Vocals
Project Pat   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Paula Campbell   Primary Artist
Mike Jones   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Remy Ma   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
DJ Kayslay   Primary Artist
Trick Daddy   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Crunchy Black   Primary Artist,Vocals
Boogie Mane   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Grandaddy Souf   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Chrome   Primary Artist,Vocals
Chrome Korleone   Featured Artist
Mr. Bigg   Featured Artist

Technical Credits

DJ Paul   Mixing,Engineer,Producer,Programming,Executive Producer
James Cruz   Mastering
Boogie Mane   Performer
Kurt Clayton   Programming
Darnell Carlton   Composer
Jeff Bowden   Composer
Marlon Goodwin   Composer
Premro Smith   Composer
Paul Hutchinson   Composer
Jordan Houston   Composer
Vincent Soyez   Photography
Carl Breeding   Composer
C. Duane Coleman   Composer
Herman Lang   Composer
Dan Mandell   Design,Art Direction
Chrome   Performer
Wesley Weston   Composer
David Brown   Composer
Willie Hutchinson   Composer
Cedric Coleman   Composer
Patrick Lanshaw   Composer
Remy Smith   Composer
Jeffrey Coleman   Composer
Donald Maurice Pears   Composer
Debright Pannell   Composer
Anson Watts   Composer
Patrick Houston   Composer
Paul Beauregard   Composer
Carlos Broady   Programming
Mike Foster   Mixing,Engineer,Programming
Frayser Boy   Composer
S. Thomas   Composer
Ricky Dunigan   Composer
Juicy J   Mixing,Engineer,Producer,Programming,Executive Producer
Mike Jones   Composer
Paul Slayton   Composer