The Kaze | |
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Background information | |
Also known as | Killa Klan Kaze |
Origin | Memphis, Tennessee, United States |
Genres | |
Years active | 1990 | –present
Labels | Kami Kaze Productions (1992–present) Hypnotize Minds (1997–2000) Prophet Entertainment (1995–1998) |
Members | M.C. Mack Vokillz Kano Da Wolf Mac-Yo Queen King |
Past members | Scan Man K-Rock (deceased) Project Pat Lil Corb (deceased) Pimp Teddy Mac Yo Nigaro M-Child |
The Kaze, also known as Killa Klan Kaze, is an American hip hop group from Memphis, Tennessee. They are largely known for their affiliation with Three 6 Mafia throughout much of the 1990s, having been a featured act and members of the Prophet Posse and Hypnotize Camp Posse. The group originally consisted of M.C Mack, Scan Man and K-Rock, though Project Pat replaced K-Rock in the trio for the group's debut album, 1998's Kamakaze Timez Up, produced by DJ Paul and Juicy J.
In 2000, the group's affiliation with Three 6 Mafia ended when M.C. Mack and Scan Man had a fallout with DJ Paul and Juicy J after attempting to release music independently produced and recorded under The Kaze name, with a lengthy dispute over royalties resulting. Since that time, The Kaze has operated independently, having undergone membership growth and changes, while releasing several albums via its label, Kami Kaze Productions.
The Kaze began their activities in the early 1990s in Memphis. In 1995, the group (then known as "Killa Klan Kaze") was featured on a tape entitled "Volume 3 Spring Mix 95", which contained the first recorded track of Killa Klan Kaze, "Runnin 'Lip". They had a track on Three 6 Mafia's 1995 EP Live by Yo Rep , titled "Be a Witness". Project Pat ultimately replaced K-Rock and in 1998 the group released their first studio album Kamakaze Timez Up and sold about 50,000 independent copies. The album was released with the production of Three 6 Mafia's Juicy J and DJ Paul. The album would be the only project released by the group together. [1] [2] 1998, the group's label, Prophet Entertainment shut down after label co-founders DJ Paul and Juicy J split from fellow label co-founder Nick Scarfo. The result was DJ Paul and Juicy J's creation of a new label, Hypnotize Minds. In, 1999 Scan Man and M.C. Mack founded their own Kami Kaze Inc. independent label and released Thugz From Southside: 2000 Mazdestruction. [3]
In 2012, the group was nominated for music awards at the Memphis Music Hall of Fame and won the "Best Group" Award. [4] [5]
In 2020, MC Mack filed a copyright lawsuit against Three 6 Mafia, alleging that they have been using their music without permission since the 1990s. [6] [7] The case is pending in court in Shelby County, Tennessee. [8]
Year | Awards | Category | Result |
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2012 | Memphis Music Hall of Fame | Best Group | Won |
Three 6 Mafia is an American hip hop group from Memphis, Tennessee, formed in 1991. Emerging as a horror-themed underground hip hop group, they would eventually go on to enjoy mainstream success. The group's 1995 debut album Mystic Stylez became an influential cult classic. They have released music on independent labels such as Prophet Entertainment and their own Hypnotize Minds label, as well as Relativity, Loud, and Columbia Records.
Paul Duane Beauregard, better known by his stage name DJ Paul, is an American DJ, record producer, and rapper from Memphis, Tennessee. He is a founding member of hip hop group Three 6 Mafia and the half-brother of rapper Lord Infamous. DJ Paul is also the half-brother of convicted drug lord Craig Petties. He is also a part owner of FaZe Clan.
Jordan Michael Houston III, known professionally as Juicy J, is an American record producer and rapper. Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, he is a founding member of the Southern hip hop group Three 6 Mafia, established in 1991. He released ten studio albums with the group, which began as an underground act until attaining mainstream success and signing with Loud Records, an imprint of Columbia Records in 2000. In 2005, they reached their furthest commercial success with the single "Stay Fly", which peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. The same year, they recorded the song "It's Hard out Here for a Pimp" for the film Hustle & Flow, which won an Academy Award for Best Original Song.
Hypnotize Minds, known by the stage name Hypnotize Camp Posse or HCP, was an American record label created by DJ Paul and Juicy J of Three 6 Mafia in 1997, in Memphis, Tennessee. The label served as the successor to Three 6 Mafia's previous label, Prophet Entertainment, which was co-founded by DJ Paul and Juicy J along with Nicholas ‘Nick Scarfo’ Jackson in 1994. Hypnotize Minds was created after DJ Paul and Juicy J had a disagreement with Jackson, which led to Three 6 Mafia and several other artists previously on the Prophet label to move to the new Hypnotize Minds imprint.
Patrick Earl Houston, better known by his stage name Project Pat, is an American rapper from Tennessee. He is the older brother of Juicy J, the co-founder of Three 6 Mafia.
Cedric Kelvin Coleman, professionally known by his stage name Frayser Boy, is an American rapper from Memphis, Tennessee. He was formerly signed to Hypnotize Minds, the record label run by Three 6 Mafia founders DJ Paul and Juicy J, and had released three studio albums under the label: Gone on That Bay (2003), Me Being Me (2005), and Da Key (2008). At the 78th Academy Awards, he won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for "It's Hard out Here for a Pimp" along with Three 6 Mafia members Juicy J, Crunchy Black, and DJ Paul.
Da Unbreakables is the sixth studio album by American hip hop group Three 6 Mafia. The album was released on June 24, 2003 by Hypnotize Minds and Columbia Records. The album features Lord Infamous, DJ Paul, Juicy J and Crunchy Black. Gangsta Boo and Koopsta Knicca both left to pursue solo careers.
Mystic Stylez is the debut studio album by American hip hop group Three 6 Mafia. Produced completely by founding members DJ Paul and Juicy J, the LP was published via Prophet, an independent record label.
Choices: The Album is the fifth studio album by American hip hop group Three 6 Mafia. Released as the soundtrack for the direct-to-video movie Choices: The Movie. The album was released on August 28, 2001, by Loud Records, Relativity Records and Hypnotize Minds. The Song "They Don't F*uck Wit U" is featured on the Soundtrack for "Exit Wounds". This is the final album by Three 6 Mafia to feature Koopsta Knicca and Gangsta Boo.
Crook by da Book: The Fed Story is the fourth studio album by American rapper Project Pat. First rumored to be released August 18, 2006, but was pushed back to December 5, 2006. Recording sessions took place at Hypnotize Minds Studio in Memphis, Tennessee. Production was handled by DJ Paul and Juicy J. The album features guest appearances from Three 6 Mafia, Beanie Sigel, Lyfe Jennings, Pimp C, Mr. Bigg and Young Jeezy. The album debuted at number 64 on the Billboard 200, selling about 40,000 copies in its first week.
Prophet Entertainment, known by the stage name Prophet Posse, is an independent record label based in Memphis, Tennessee, formerly owned by DJ Paul and Juicy J with Nick Scarfo. From 1991 to 1994 it launched new independent musical artists linked mainly to the strands of American music such as crunk, hip hop, gangsta rap, Southern hip hop and horrorcore. As of 2009, the label is assumed defunct.
CrazyNDaLazDayz is the only studio album by American hip hop trio Tear da Club Up Thugs, consisting of DJ Paul, Lord Infamous and Juicy J from Three 6 Mafia. It was released on February 2, 1999, via Relativity and DJ Paul & Juicy J’s Hypnotize Minds. Recording sessions took place at Cotton Row Recording Studio and Hypnotize Minds Studio in Memphis, Tennessee. It features guest appearances from the Hot Boys, the Big Tymers, Crucial Conflict, Hussein Fatal, Spice 1, The Kaze, Too $hort and Twista. The album spawned two singles: "Push 'Em Off" and "Hypnotize Cash Money". The latter peaked at #74 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and at #64 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart in the United States.
Dat's How It Happen to'M is the only studio album by Da Headbussaz, a collaboration between Three 6 Mafia and Fiend. Da Headbussaz is a trio consisting of DJ Paul, Juicy J, and Fiend. Three 6 Mafia member Crunchy Black is featured on "U See We Poe'', as is Hypnotize Minds artist and Mafia affiliate Project Pat. Frayser Boy and La Chat, also Hypnotize Minds artists, are likewise featured on the album, in "Powder Cake". There was a three-song promo released ahead of the album's release, which contained "Where They Hang", "Get the Fuck Out My Face", and "Hands On Ya".
Darnell Lorenzo Carlton, better known by his stage name Crunchy Black, is an American rapper, hype man and dancer best known for being a member of the Memphis rap group Three 6 Mafia and its affiliated Hypnotize Camp Posse, Prophet Posse, and Da Mafia 6ix.
Ricky Terrell Dunigan, better known by his stage name Lord Infamous, was an American rapper from Memphis, Tennessee. He was the nephew of DJ Paul and one of the co-founders of Three 6 Mafia. His lyrics touched on macabre subjects such as Satanism, mass murder, and torture, along with more traditional themes such as sex and drug use.
Robert Cooper Phillips, better known by his stage name Koopsta Knicca or simply Koopsta, was an American rapper. He was best known as one of the members of the Memphis rap group Three 6 Mafia and its related Hypnotize Camp Posse and Prophet Posse. He was also a member of the subgroup collective Da Mafia 6ix.
From Me to You is the second solo studio album by American rapper Crunchy Black. It was released on June 12, 2007 via Hypnotize Minds/Asylum Records. Recording sessions took place at Hypnotize Minds Studio in Memphis, Tennessee. Production was handled by DJ Paul and Juicy J. This marks the second time, following On My Own, when Hypnotize Minds dropped the rapper's music without his permission since he left Three 6 Mafia in 2006.
"Who Run It" is a song by hip hop group Three 6 Mafia, released as the lead single from their fourth studio album When the Smoke Clears: Sixty 6, Sixty 1. The song is a posse cut, featuring a verse from every group member. The song peaked at number 12 on the Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart.
Hypnotize Camp Posse is the only studio album by the Hypnotize Camp Posse, a collaboration between Three 6 Mafia and members of its label, Hypnotize Minds. The Hypnotize Camp Posse group is essentially a larger or "broader" form of Three 6 Mafia, as it includes all the members of Three 6 Mafia as well as all the artists signed to Hypnotize Minds. All the artists featured on the album were Hypnotize Minds artists with the exception of guest artist Pastor Troy, a member of the Atlanta-based group D.S.G.B.. The album was released by Loud Records and Hypnotize Minds on January 25, 2000, and distributed through RED Distribution.
Smoked Out Music: Greatest Hits is a compilation album by hip-hop group Three 6 Mafia. The album features tracks that span the full history of the group up until the album's release. The first track on the album, "When It's On, It's Murder", is a previously unreleased song, while the rest are lifted from previous album releases.