Juicy J Discusses ‘The Hustle Continues’ Album, Three 6 Mafia Reunion and How A$AP Rocky Is Changing the Game [EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW]
It doesn’t take much for Juicy J to get trippy. A zip of California’s finest and double cup of Bombay Sapphire (laced with lean of course) should do the trick. But after 20 years in the game as the self-appointed Trippy King, the rapper is ready to ease up on the turn up and transition to the next phase of his career.
His forthcoming fourth solo album, Pure THC: The Hustle Continues, will showcase that. The veteran MC has a serious side, where partying is put on the backburner and business is front and center. The Hustle Continues is centered on "the things I been through," according to Juicy, from the beginning of his career as a teen to laying down the foundation for Three 6 Mafia. The Memphis native, known for his ass-shaking arsenal of hits, has reached a point in his career where he wants to take his party hat off (if only for one or two nights a week) and use THC as the vehicle to show his fans there is more to the music than blue dreams and sipping lean.
The change in his narrative comes after the release of "Bandz a Make Her Dance" and his 2013 LP Stay Trippy, which picked up right were his strip club-friendly first Blue Dream and Lean installment left off. Since then, Juicy is still commanding attention as a viable solo artist.
Outside of producing his own music, the Oscar-winning rhymer has also flexed his production chops for some of the top MCs in the game including Wiz Khalifa, Future, Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne and Wale. One of his most recent accomplishments is serving as an executive producer for A$AP Rocky’s recent No. 1 album, At. Long. Last. A$AP.
It’s safe to say Juicy will leave a lasting imprint in the music industry for another 20 years and beyond. The Boombox caught up with the 40-year-old rhymer in the midst of his THC tour as he was recovering from a hospital stint in San Francisco. His hustle obviously can't be stopped considering he was back on the road days later. Read on as Juicy J opens up about his new album, clarifies those Three 6 Mafia rumors, discusses how A$AP Rocky is changing the game and much more.
The Boombox: We know you are still on your THC tour in support of Blue Dream & Lean 2 mixtape, but your third solo album Pure THC: The Hustle Continues is dropping soon. Is there a release date?
Juicy J: Yeah, the album is coming soon but I don’t have a release date yet. When we work things out with the label it will all be set. But I have a lot of songs that I am working on. This album is more about my story my struggle, coming from Three 6 Mafia to where I am now. I got a lot of dope tracks already done.
A few songs leaked from the album, most recently the Drake and Ty Dolla $ign-assisted 'Tryna F---." Tell us about that studio session. How did it leak?
Man, it’s a long story with that song. That song was not supposed to come out. I am actually trying to find out how that leaked. I think over the past weekend three songs from Drake were leaked and that was one of the three songs in that file. It wasn’t supposed to come out yet. We weren’t finished with it yet. There were some things that needed to be changed. We are looking into finding out how it leaked and trying to take it off the internet now.
Wow, but the fans love it. The feedback is crazy.
Yeah, they are really feeling it. I am just happy they like it. It’s a dope song, but we weren’t done with it.
Tell us about a new song that hasn't leaked yet and you haven't told others about that you're excited for fans to hear.
I have a whole lot of songs. I have a few joints with Lex Lugar the producer and Mad Max. On this album, there won’t be a lot of features. I am doing a lot of everything myself -- the production and working with more producers. I just want people to hear me and my story.
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Your 2013 album Stay Trippy was all about living life, beautiful women and vibing out with the vice of your choice. What's the vision for Pure THC: The Hustle Continues?
At the time I was just happy to be back in the game. It was like I am back after being away for a while. Man, the turn up was real. I was partying and drinking, taking shots of gin. I was feeling trippy at the time. But this album is going to be more about my struggle. I go through a lot. I am one of those artists who knows where their money is, I pay my bills, I take care of my mama. I handle my business, I am a businessman. I go to meetings and take care of things, so it’s a lot more than just partying and turning up. This album talks about things I been through in the game from the Three 6 Mafia days to where I am today.
Following your recent L.A. show, you were hospitalized for exhaustion and had to cancel your San Francisco show. What are you doing to make sure that doesn't happen again?
Man, I was just so exhausted. I was going nonstop. Before the tour even kicked off I was hosting parties and doing meet and greets. So what happened was after the L.A. show, we headed to San Francisco and I was so tired. I never felt that tired in my life. I went to the hospital and basically they told me that I need to relax and take it slow. But yeah, I have to start dieting better and just slow down a bit.
You've been hinting at a Three 6 Mafia reunion. Will the whole crew link up like DJ Paul and Crunchy Black? Do you guys plan on recording new album?
I did not confirm a Three 6 Mafia reunion [at the L.A. show]. I think that social media just ran with that. What I did say is that I have been thinking about it a lot. I haven’t talked to anyone or confirmed anything yet. Right now I am still working on my solo projects. I am getting ready to release another album, I have a lot of movies and show scripts I am looking at. But I love everyone from the crew, you know.
Of course as one of the founders of Three 6 Mafia I would like to see the group get back together, you know. But I am definitely thinking about it and would like to see it happen. I think a lot of times at my shows I talk about the culture and things that are going on and fans sometimes just take it the wrong way and run with it.
You have a close working relationship with A$AP Rocky. What was it like working on his new album? As the Trippy King, what are your thoughts on his new trippier sound? Do you have a song with him on your album?
Rocky is a hell of a talented artist. Rocky is just so creative and such as hard worker. What I like about Rocky is that he won’t stop until it's perfect. He's different too; he always tries to create something new. Look out for some more stuff coming from me and Rocky soon, man. We have a lot more things we are working on. His new sound, man, I love it. Did you see the video ["L$D"]? That whole video is amazing. Rocky is bringing something new to the game.
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