Three 6 Mafia

Fans of raw Memphis proto-crunk will cherish this compilation, which draws from Three 6 Mafia's formative years, when the group had around 10 members and was still known as Triple Six Mafia. The production is slow, lo-fi and elementary -- the beats for individual songs rarely vary, and usually feature one of two minor-key synth motifs. The best tracks ("Let's Ride N*gg*s," "Tear Up the Club" and "Throw Your Sets in the Air") feature repetitive rhymes about weed, violence and partying. The end result is both hypnotic and propulsive, blurring the line between dance music and gangster rap.