Beginning in 1999,
Smoked Out Music
began compiling many of
Three 6 Mafia
's previously released underground mix tape recordings as
Triple 6 Mafia
on the multi-volume
Underground
series. These tracks were originally released regionally back in the early '90s, predating
's name change to
in 1995. As such, the tracks are very lo-fi and uncompromising, even for
. It's perhaps most interesting to hear how the Memphis group would later reprise elements of these recordings. The third volume,
Kings of Memphis
, features such
underground
favorites as
"Fu*k What U Heard,"
"M.E.M.P.H.I.S.,"
"Da Summa,"
"Grab tha Gauge,"
and
"South Memphis B*tch."
If you're new to
, these
compilations aren't the place to initiate yourself; however, longtime fans curious to investigate the group's beginnings should find these recordings of particular interest. ~ Jason Birchmeier