Hustle till I Die

Juicy J, one half of Memphis rap group Three 6 Mafia, is back with his second solo album, "Hustle till I Die," an extensive collection of goonish anthems, all equally simple-minded and vulgar.

Three 6 Mafia has enjoyed a good deal of success with hit's "Stay Fly" and "Poppin My Collar," songs that celebrate a simple fun time. The group earned its highest accolade though in 2005, when the duo won the Academy Award for Best Song, for "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp," a number they lent to Terrence Howard in "Hustle & Flow." Three 6 Mafia also became the first rap act to ever perform on the Academy Awards stage that year.

A lot of what appeals about Three 6 Mafia is their southern-cooked Memphis style of music. It's repetitive, hook driven, and hard to resist. Juicy J does these things sparingly, and even then, the music gains entry by pounding the skull rather than seducing the ear. "North Memphis Like Me" is a hard-hitting anthem void of all lyrical and conceptual thought. But it's only downhill from there, as "Hustle till I Die" boasts tracks like "You Niggaz Pu**y," "Violent," and "Ugh Ugh Ugh." The last being an ode to demeaning women with filthy imagery and profanity.

The bouncy "30 Inches" though shows an attitude that's freer spirited than demeaning or aggressive. But when Juicy J goes to the well, he's more likely to deliver what he's accustomed to ... a batch of nonsensical chants about women, drugs, and criminal activity.