Juicy J stays trippy at the Masquerade
The Three 6 Mafia co-founder stops by Atlanta tomorrow night on his Never Sober” tour.”
As co-founder of the legendary Memphis hip-hop group Three 6 Mafia, Juicy J (aka Jordan Houston) helped mold Southern hip-hop and hatched the beginnings of the Atlanta trap scene.
The Oscar winner (jointly won for Three 6 Mafia’s song “It’s Hard Out of Here for a Pimp”) launched a highly successful solo career, that reached new heights with last year’s release of Stay Trippy (Kemosabe/Columbia), which featured singles like the hauntingly ubiquitous “Bandz A Make Her Dance” and “Bounce It” (above). And after a featured spot on Katy Perry’s new “Dark Horse”, Juicy J has a new album on the way called The Hustle Continues.
Before stopping at the Masquerade tomorrow (Wed., Feb. 26) as part of his “Never Sober” tour with Travi$ Scott and fellow Three 6 Mafia alum Project Pat, Juicy J phoned in for quick chat about Memphis hip-hop, poppin’ bottles, and doing his own taxes.
How have you managed to find longevity while maintaining a consistent style?
It’s not easy; it’s just coming up with new ideas and experimenting with different styles to get a different sound. I’ve never lost the love of music. Nothing gets old.
What are your thoughts on the resurrection of the old Memphis sound, specifically with artists like SpaceGhostPurrp?
Yeah, he’s keeping the old Mafia sound alive. He’s really doing it. He’s really getting the sound. It comes from the heart. He gets it, he loves it.
You’ve delved into production with tracks on the new Lil Wayne album and some on your own. Have you considered producing an entire album?
Yeah, I’ve been coming up with different sounds. I want something that sounds different than anything else I’ve ever heard.
You’ve said that you’re not going to have as many features on this next album as you did on Stay Trippy. Why the change?
I got a lot to say. I’m pouring my heart out on this album, things I’ve been through. I want to let everyone know how long I’ve been doing the struggle, coming up from the hood, becoming something from nothing.
What do you think of the direction that Southern hip-hop has taken?
I love it. It’s going back to real music. It used to be mostly party records, but now we can keep going back to where we came from. It’s not so much just poppin’ bottles anymore. Now it’s more about, we went through all this and now we can pop bottles.
With Stay Trippy, I was kicking it hard. I was working really hard, just living my life and being myself. It wasn’t so much about the grind. I was just so happy to be back in the game. No one can be serious all the time. I was hitting up bars and strip clubs, but I worked hard for over 20 years. I want to be CEO of Columbia Records one day, so I’m talking about what it takes to get there. If you want to be a CEO of a major label, you have to be disciplined. I do my own taxes, you know? I’m just focused.