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.
Lexus Arnel Lewis, professionally known as Lex Luger, is an American record producer. His stage name is a homage to the former WCW/WWF professional wrestler Lex Luger. He co-founded the American hip hop production team 808 Mafia with Southside. He is a member of the hip hop production duo Low Pros with A-Trak, and the VABP, a hip hop group that he founded in high school.
Nayvadius DeMun Cash, known professionally as Future, is an American rapper and singer. Known for his mumble-styled vocals and prolific output, Future is considered a pioneer of the use of Auto-Tuned melodies in trap music. Due to the sustained popularity of this musical style, he is commonly regarded as one of the most influential rappers of his generation.
Trap Back is a mixtape by American rapper Gucci Mane. The mixtape was released online on February 5, 2012, coinciding with Super Bowl Sunday, at 10:17 a.m.—a reference to Gucci Mane's label, 1017 Bricksquad. It was Gucci Mane's first major recording project following his release from jail at the end of 2011, after spending a total of six months incarcerated that year. Trap Back was conceived as a "comeback mixtape" to revive the rapper's reputation and career, which had stalled for years due to ongoing legal troubles and other personal setbacks.
Astronaut Status is the ninth mixtape by American rapper Future. It was released on January 12, 2012. The album features guest appearances from rappers Gucci Mane, Young Jeezy, Ludacris and Rocko. Future previously stated Streetz Calling would be his last mixtape, before his debut full-length album Pluto, but instead released Astronaut Status in 2012, making it his last official mixtape. "Itchin'" peaked at #2 on the Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Since the release of Astronaut Status, it has been downloaded over 250k times on DatPiff, certifying it platinum. Astronaut Status also charted at #50 on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart.
808 Mafia is an American record production and songwriting team founded by record producers TM88, Lex Luger, and Southside, who is currently at the helm of the group. The organization also includes producers Fuse 100, Tarentino, Purps, Swede, Nonstop Da Hitman, MP808, among others. The group's name originates from the Roland TR-808, a drum machine commonly used in hip-hop music.
Joshua Howard Luellen, known professionally as Southside, is an American record producer, rapper and songwriter. Based in Atlanta, he is recognized in the music industry for his aggressive, trap-infused production work for prominent hip hop artists. His production work for hometown rapper Waka Flocka Flame led Luellen to sign with his label Brick Squad Monopoly, an imprint of Gucci Mane's 1017 Records as in-house talent in 2010. Luellen and labelmate, fellow producer Lex Luger established the production team 808 Mafia that same year, which has been credited on commercially successful releases throughout the remaining decade.
Sonny Corey Uwaezuoke, better known by his stage name Sonny Digital, is an American record producer, rapper, and DJ. He first saw recognition for his production work on YC's 2011 single "Racks", which peaked within the top 50 of the Billboard Hot 100. Throughout the following decade, he was credited on a string of commercially successful hip hop and trap singles including ILoveMakonnen's "Tuesday", Future's "Same Damn Time", 50 Cent's "I'm the Man", 2 Chainz's "Birthday Song", and Travis Scott's "Stargazing". Uwaezuoke has also produced for XXL Magazine's Freshman Hip Hop Cyphers in 2017 and 2018, and pursued a lukewarmly-received career as a recording artist.
Freebandz is an American record label founded by American rapper Future in 2011. The label's releases are distributed through Epic Records. Freebandz has signed artists including Real Boston Richey, Lil Double O, Doe Boy, Young Scooter, and Future's personal mixtape compiler, DJ Esco.
Jeffery Lamar Williams, known professionally as Young Thug, is an American rapper. Known for his eccentric vocal style and fashion, he is considered an influential figure in modern hip hop and trap music, and a pioneer of the mumble rap microgenre. Williams embarked on a musical career in 2011, releasing a series of mixtapes beginning with I Came from Nothing. In 2013, he signed with fellow Atlanta rapper Gucci Mane's 1017 Records and gained further attention and praise for his debut mixtape with the label, 1017 Thug, released in February of that year.
Beast Mode is the fourteenth mixtape by American rapper Future and American producer Zaytoven. It came out on January 15, 2015. Along with Monster and 56 Nights, it is considered part of "a trilogy of album-quality mixtapes" that Future released following Honest. On July 6, 2018, a sequel mixtape titled Beast Mode 2 was released.
Purple Reign is the sixteenth mixtape by American rapper Future, hosted and executive-produced by DJ Esco and Metro Boomin. It was released on January 17, 2016 with an 11-hour notice via LiveMixtapes and DatPiff. It is Future's first non-commercial mixtape since the mixtape trilogy Monster (2014), Beast Mode and 56 Nights (2015). Purple Reign follows the commercial collaborative mixtape What a Time to Be Alive with Canadian rapper Drake. The mixtape features production from frequent collaborators Metro Boomin, Southside, Zaytoven, DJ Spinz, and Nard & B, among others. The title and cover font is a tribute to Prince's landmark 1984 album Purple Rain, which is stylized in the same fashion.
"March Madness" is a song by American rapper Future. It was released on August 31, 2015, as the lead single of his mixtape 56 Nights (2015). Written alongside producer Tarentino of 808 Mafia, the song was eventually certified Platinum by the RIAA (RIAA) on May 26, 2017. The song is ranked as one of the 100 songs that defined the 2010s decade by Billboard.
Project E.T. is a mixtape by Atlanta-based producer William "DJ Esco" Moore, hosted by American rapper Future. It was released on June 24, 2016, on DatPiff and LiveMixtapes.
Terrell Davis, better known by the stage name Ralo, is an American rapper. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, he first gained recognition following the release of his 2015 single, "Can't Lie". He signed with Birdman's Cash Money Records and Young Scooter's Black Migo Gang in 2016, which entered a joint venture with Gucci Mane's short-lived Interscope Records imprint, 1017 Eskimo Records the following year.
Jordan Terrell Carter, known professionally as Playboi Carti, is an American rapper from Atlanta, Georgia. An influential figure among his generation, he has contributed to the progression of trap music and its rage subgenre. He first signed with local underground record label Awful Records in 2014, and later signed with ASAP Mob's record label AWGE, in a joint venture with Interscope Records two years later. Carter gained mainstream attention following the release of his eponymous debut mixtape (2017), which peaked at number 12 on the US Billboard 200 and spawned the Billboard Hot 100-charting singles "Magnolia" and "Wokeuplikethis".
James Lee Baker, known professionally as BlocBoy JB, is an American rapper. He is best known for his 2018 single "Look Alive", which peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100. Its follow-up, "Rover" entered the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart, and both preceded the release of his seventh mixtape, Simi (2018). He signed with Interscope Records in August of that year. His debut studio album, FatBoy (2020) was released two years later and failed to chart.
Sergio Giavanni Kitchens, known professionally as Gunna, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He signed with Young Thug's YSL Records, an imprint of 300 Entertainment in 2016, and rose to fame with his third mixtape, Drip Season 3 (2018). It moderately entered the Billboard 200, while his collaborative mixtape Drip Harder with fellow Georgia rapper Lil Baby, peaked at number four on the chart. Its lead single, "Drip Too Hard" reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100, received diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and was nominated for Best Rap/Sung Performance at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.
William Seay Moore known professionally as DJ Esco, is an American DJ, record producer, record executive, and songwriter. He is best known for his 2017 single "Too Much Sauce", which peaked at number 50 on the Billboard Hot 100. He is the personal live DJ and A&R for Future, whom he met in 2008.
Fever is the third and debut commercial mixtape by American rapper Megan Thee Stallion, released on May 17, 2019, via 300 Entertainment and 1501 Certified. Primarily produced by LilJuMadeDaBeat and written by the rapper herself, it also features guest appearances from rappers DaBaby and Juicy J. Fever is a hip hop record driven by minimal bass-heavy trap production. It is widely considered by music critics as Megan Thee Stallion's mainstream breakthrough.
