CRUNK NEVER DIES: Three 6 Mafia shows Denver their dark side
After a sweltering day in Denver, the city’s people and its premier venue were boiling with anticipation. Something special was brewing. By early evening social media had crowned Mission Ballroom as THE place to be on Saturday, June 14th as a powerful event was set to take place. An event symbolizing the reunion of two of Memphis’ most prolific, innovative, and genre defining MC’s. For months flyers littered the streets and reposts flooded social media, teasing the inevitable. Three 6 mafia has returned. As chills manifest through the spine and spirit of old fans, new fans realize they will have the opportunity they never thought possible: to have their minds hypnotized by the tectonic force of DJ Paul’s legendary 808 bass lines, and Juicy J’s commanding, raw, and propulsive flow.
Before the Academy Award-winning artists took the stage, a massive group of diverse and multi-generational fans screamed and chattered with noisy excitement. The anxiety from the impending performance was obvious. Thick rolling vape smoke filled the lungs of spectators who released it onto the ballrooms upper floor.
As the opening staccato of ‘who run it’ begins, fans are greeted with Juicy J’s forceful chant of the opening lyrics and DJ Paul, who was equipped with a silver studded mask and his signature hand scarf, emblazoned with Louis Vuitton iconography. The towering screen behind the performers rotated with mesmerizing “hypnotize minds” and Three Six Mafia animations. Unfortunately this moment also signified a haunting truth: This isn’t all of three six. Crunchy Black was notably absent, and as the bands fallen members rest in peace, a reality weighs painfully on the night: Gangsta Boo, Lord Infamous, and the Koopsta Knicca are never coming back to reprise their legendary roles.
Some patrons wept as they were overwhelmed by the emotional reality of witnessing the remaining members of the band that created the music of their childhoods.
“Open it up”
A captivating vortex of rhythmically slamming bodies forms instantly as DJ Paul’s utterance is obeyed as law. Simultaneously, every single word to the abrasive and violent “hit a mothafucka” is reverberated through the bowl shaped room. The MCs continuously take pause to allow the crowd to fill the air and the night with their voices, imitating the legends that taught them.
The high energy of the night dissipated slightly as earlier’s revelation was too cumbersome of a fact to ignore. Although the crowd continued to sing along to the groups set list of the most recognizable and popular songs from their catalog- ‘Half on a Sack,’ ‘Poppin my Collar,’ ‘Sippin on Some Syrup,’ ‘Slob on my Knob’-Three 6 mafia and their fans desperately missed their cohort and the dynamic between them.
‘Stay fly’ represented the climax of the night for many show-goers. As had become commonplace at this point, the lyrics were screamed by fans so aggressively that it rivaled the artists themselves in volume. The night ended as abruptly as it started with a somber piano playing their outro as DJ Paul pushed invisible keys into the form of a goodbye-wave. Juicy J finalizes the moment with a “Thank you Denver,” the crowd still screaming.
The high energy of the night was primarily carried out and executed by the passion within the audience. DJ Paul and Juicy J , lacked theatrics, moved around very little, and ultimately struggled to keep up with their own legacy. Despite that the night was unforgettable for all those in attendance. Myself included.