Review Summary: Da Mafia 6ix return with the most logical direction to move, given where their first mixtape left off, and overcome two years of setbacks to release a solid debut album.
Three 6 Mafia occupy a very interesting place in hip-hop history. It sounds weird to call any group who's sold 5.5 million albums, as well as winning an Academy Award, underrated. But in some ways, the Three 6 Mafia still kind of is. Prior to winning their Academy Award, they had a large underground following, but had yet to break through into the mainstream. This is despite having well-known tracks like "Tear Da Club Up", "Sippin' on some Syrup, and "Tongue Ring". After their Oscar win, the crossover was inevitable, which came with the album that followed,
Most Known Unknown. But what isn't usually mentioned, outside of their Academy Award win and their number of units moved, is their incredibly far-reaching influence on hip-hop in general. Their largest influence is found in the subgenre of trap music, which they helped create and bring into the mainstream. Beyond that, their rise to become one of the largest bands in hip-hop (for a time) was done completely on their own, in the days before the internet could easily make your product available. Their original sound, dark and sinister, helped pave the way for acts like SpaceGhostPurrp, A$AP Mob, and Lil' Ugly Mane. And, currently, the "Migos flow" is essentially what the Three 6 Mafia members have been doing for 2 decades.
Regardless, Three 6 Mafia have carved their place in the annals of hip-hop history, despite maybe not getting the recognition they deserve in the present day. So basically, the Three 6 Mafia don't owe you ***. Which is why it was nice in 2013 when the members found new life, and delivered high-quality albums 20 years into their careers. Juicy found his new life on Wiz Khalifa's Taylor Gang Records, while the remaining members of Three 6 Mafia convened to become Da Mafia 6ix. The first Mafia 6ix mixtape was a throwback to their
Mystic Stylez days, albeit with better production values. The beats were a return to their dark and sinister origins, and the subject matter flirted with the dark themes found on their earliest releases. It was a triumphant return to form from a band that had been suffering from diminishing returns on their previous release,
Last 2 Walk. In the two years since
6ix Commandments dropped, they suffered multiple setbacks in the form of losing two core members. Lord Infamous, one of the most iconic members, sadly passed away just over a month after the mixtape's release. And Gangsta Boo departed, leaving just Koopsta, Crunchy and DJ Paul to carry the torch.
Despite these setbacks, Da Mafia 6ix have thankfully crafted yet another incredibly solid release in
Watch What U Wish. It feels like a departure from
6ix Commandments, in the same way
Da End and
World Domination were departures from
Mystic Stylez. In fact, it almost sounds like a culmination of the sounds of those two particular albums. Lyrically, it's fairly standard late-era Three 6 Mafia stuff, which is fine. Despite not flirting with horror-films themes, it's not like most people listen to "Tear Da Club Up" for life-changing lyrics anyway. And they still have a way with clever turns-of-phrase, and unique deliveries. Everyone comes on strong, and the overall feeling is that they have a lot riding on this release. Koopsta has fully developed his vocals into sounding like he's a rapping snake, and I mean that as the highest compliment possible. And the few scattered Lord Infamous appearances seem to be culled from decades ago, the murky quality making him sound otherworldly, adding an odd poignancy to tracks with titles like "High Like an Eagle".
Of course, the big difference-maker here is DJ Paul's production, which is on-point for the entirety of the album. From mosh-worthy opener "Dat Ain't Inya" to closer "You Can't", the production remains mainly high-energy and immediate, with lots of subtle nods to the past in the form of samples from old tracks scattered throughout. Tracks like "Gimmi Back My Dope" hearken back to tracks like "Walk Up to Your House", both in lyrics and the mood they create. "Residence Evil" is the closest thing here to the first mixtape, and their original sound. The horror-film synths stab and pulsate, and the rally cry of "Mafia" makes it feel like a nod to the past, while still keeping an eye on the present.
The only real complaint I have is that at 17 tracks (19, counting the intro and outro) it could have had 2-3 songs shaved off of the playlist, and yet at the same time I have trouble picking a song (or 3) that should have been removed. Even the weakest track, the slightly meandering weed-anthem "Do Dabs", is followed by one of the strongest, the incredibly hyped-up "Come Get Sum", so it isn't even a pacing issue. None of the tracks are bad, it just becomes a bit much. However, this is a small nitpick (I mean my biggest complaint is simply that they gave us too much music), and in the end what we have is another triumph from a band who could easily rest on its laurels and tour reunion shows playing their hits and not worrying about creating albums. However, instead of just putting out half-hearted and lazy releases, you can feel the love put into each track. That alone is good enough, especially from a band who, again, doesn't owe anyone anything. That it also turned out to be good is the reason that they're one of the most important hip-hop bands of the last 2 decades, whether they get the recognition they fully deserve or not.
