In Gangsta Boo's memory, I will list 6 Three Six Mafia songs that have Gangsta Boo verses that I particularly enjoy. Please note that there are countless other verses of hers that I like that are not on this very short list. Also, the songs are listed in chronological order according to the year of release.
“In Da Game” - This song is actually on Three Six Mafia’s first official album, Mystic Stylez and it’s about the grim realities of the illegal drug game in Memphis. The song dropped back in 1995 so Gangsta Boo was at most 16 years old when she laid down her verse. And let me tell you, it is a hell of a verse. The "Devil's Daughter" goes first on this track and her part is tough. Obviously, DJ Paul and Juicy J already knew what kind of talent she was bringing to the Triple Six Mafia. My favorite Boo lines: “Dope game, my game, hoes lame, it's a shame/How the Gangsta Boo is gonna click up on you bitches, mane/Gangsta Boo is not the kind of bitch that will like get punked out/Looks are so deceiving, stupid bitch, you wanna f-izz-ind out?”
Fun fact: Gangsta Boo uses the opening lines of her “Dope Game” verse again five years later in Three Six Mafia’s smash hit “Who Run It.”
“Gotcha Shakin” - This song was released as a diss song against fellow Memphis rapper Playa Fly who was beefing with Three Six Mafia at the time. Gangsta Boo has the first verse on this song and First Lady of the Mafia offers fans one of her most impressive performances as a member of the group. Over the eerie and melancholy beat, Gangsta Boo serves up bar after bar of authentic, unapologetic Memphis street talk. Boo’s feisty energy, threatening verses, and aggressive vocals carry the first section of the song and lay the foundation for the rest of the group to capitalize on. I must also mention that “Gotcha Shakin” also has an awesome final section that is forever etched in Memphis rap history. At the end of the song, several members of the Three Six Mafia spend almost two minutes shit-talking Playa Fly in a raw, unscripted barrage of pure anger and vitriol. Gangsta Boo features prominently in the pandemonium and she is clearly in her element. Boo turns the ratchet meter up to 100 and it’s actually very funny. And to top it all off, Boo leads an epic Prophet Posse chant. It’s a defining moment for her and Three Six Mafia. My favorite Boo Lines: “Actions speakin’ louder than my words but you still making noise/Nigga, let me tell ya ho you fucked off with the wrong click/Turn yo volume up and listen closely to this gangsta bitch”
“Destruction Terror” - This is one of the first songs that I heard when I first started listening to Three Six Mafia. It appears on The End. Even though the song samples the comparatively innocuous LL Cool J's "Mama Said Knock You Out," DJ Paul and Juicy J produced an incredibly spooky song that conjures up imagery of a horror-themed circus with an evil clown armed with a bloody knife rampaging about. I recall being impressed by the aggressive, no-holds barred verse by Gangsta Boo who appeared on the song after Juicy J’s part. She is absolutely savage on this song. My favorite Boo lines: “Hoes killing me softly/Trying to put me to the test/Give me a fuckin' reason just to snap yo neck/I be the one with flow that's hurting all you hoes”
“Tear Da Club Up ‘97” - Every Three 6 fan loves this song. It was Three Six’s magnum opus at the time that it was released and it is one of the best rap songs to ever come out of Memphis. This song is the perfect union of late 90s Southern horrorcore and crunk and Gangsta Boo’s haunting lyrical assault on this song meshes incredibly well with the gloomy and threatening aura that surrounds the song and Three Six Mafia as a whole. My favorite Boo lines: “Crazy lady comin' at you, you can't fade me trick/I bet you bet you bottom dollar make you holla when my soldiers get you/ I don't like that violence stuff/But I believe in gettin' buck/ If you with me, let me see you tear da, tear da club up.”
“Who We Be” - This is a posse song on Gangsta Boo’s first album Enquiring Minds in which several members of Three Six Mafia participate. They deliver tough Memphis street raps over a hypnotic, dark melody that contains background female vocals that can only be described as simultaneously haunting and soothing. The song overall is a sonic masterpiece. DJ Paul and Juicy J’s production on this song is top-tier and it’s one of their best works in their catalog. After everyone gives some of their best performances as members of the Three Six Mafia, Gangsta Boo appears towards the end of this sonic gem and ties all the best elements of the track together in a satisfying conclusion. She gives Three Six fans a sensational end to what can only be called a wondrous acoustical journey. My favorite Boo Lines: “Nigga nigga what whatcha whatcha wanna do/ With your pussy ass crew trying to get a load of Boo/I be the one to bring the pain bring the rain on a sunny day/Smiling in your face mean mug it with a pistol play”
“Put Ya Signs” - This track appears on the wildly successful When The Smoke Clears album, which was Three Six Mafia’s first truly mainstream project. It is basically a song about gangs repping their sets and challenging each other with violence. The song was recorded when Three Six had shifted away from their horrorcore roots in favor of releasing crunk street anthems. Gangsta Boo comes with cutthroat street-wise lyrics on this song and raps about not being afraid to rep her set and to challenge rival gangs to a fight. She also has a really nice part on the hook where she repeats: “What! Make them hoes fight!” My favorite lines: “Ho I'm ready if you ready tell me what you wanna do/To the lovely Gangsta Boo, buck as fuck I thought you knew.”
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I was tempted to add more than 6 songs. And maybe I will. But for this post I wanted to stick with the theme of the number 6. I’m a super fan of the Three 6 Mafia and I could probably make a list of my favorite verses from everyone in the group that would end up being over 100 pages long. You know what? I am going to write about some of my favorite verses from the other members soon. It’s only right.
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