By Felicia J. Barclay
Whether you’re a fan or not of Three 6 Mafia, who wasn’t
happy to see a Hip-Hop act win an academy award? Still riding high off their
Oscar win, the remaining duo releases their eighth album Last 2 Walk (Columbia). While this effort doesn’t top their best work,
it still remains on track with their original sound combined with a dose of commercial
singles.
Capturing the core of the group’s signature hard-hitting
beats mixed with gritty lyrics is the opener “I Told ‘Em.” “Trap Boom” which
features Project Pat, gives an account of the everyday dealings of the
trap-house. The pulsating storytelling track blueprints what is offered in the
trap inventory, to the idealistic transmission of goods from pick up to
delivery. “Playstation” also takes things back to vintage Three 6 with rhythmic
bells interjected midway with a thumping tempo.
With only Juicy and Paul left in the group, this album
lends to a lot of guests. Cuts like “I’d Rather” featuring Unk, “Weed, Blow,
Pills” and “Rollin” featuring Lil Wyte may not hold the attention of the pair’s
new found audience that came with The
Most Known Unknowns due to its content, however all can appreciate the
melodic high each track carries you away on.
“Hood Star” featuring Lyfe Jennings, slows things down a
bit. It depicts the tribulations of going from hood assailant to hood star and
the stress that follows. Akon lends his vocals on “That’s Right,” while “First
48” features a slew of appearances including Eightball & MJG, on an edgy
track consisting of a conglomerate of different sounds.
“My Own Way” oddly features Good Charlotte, lending their
vocals not once, but twice with the remix. The album winds down with the
current single, “Lolli lolli (Pop That Body)” which is not the typical
ruggedness that we’re used to hearing from Three 6.
Despite their compliance of taking a slightly different
approach with certain tracks on this project, they still manage to stay true to
the essence of the days when they were known for tearing up clubs.