Three 6 Mafia paid out an undisclosed sum last month to a Pittsburgh man who was suing the Oscar-winning rap group, claiming he was severely beaten up at a 2003 concert after one of their songs incited violence.
Ramone Williams, who was 19 at the time, stated in his lawsuit that he suffered a fractured jaw after being knocked to the ground, hit with a chair, stomped on and kicked in the face.
Although it was part-time Mafia members Robert "Koopsta Knicca" Cooper and Darnell "Crunchy Black" Carlton who actually performed the raucous tune "Let's Start a Riot," Williams charged that main emcees Jordan "Juicy J" Houston and Paul "DJ Paul" Beauregard were the ones responsible for warning the audience that things might get out of hand.
Cooper, Darnell (both of whom have left the group) and the now-out of business nightspot, the Rock Jungle, were also named in the lawsuit. The defendants were slapped with the suit in July 2005, about seven months before Three 6 Mafia rose to new heights by winning the Oscar for Best Original Song for the Hustle & Flow anthem "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp."
Williams has already won a default judgment against the club, which he said had no business letting him in to see the concert in the first place, considering he was underage at the time. Attorneys for Three 6 Mafia moved to have the lawsuit dismissed in September, claiming there was "no genuine issue of material fact" in Williams' complaint.
Meanwhile, the Memphis-based hip-hop artists can be heard on Justin Timberlake's FutureSex/LoveSounds tune "Chop Me Up," and they are working on a comedic reality series for MTV.
Adventures in Hollyhood will follow DJ Paul and Juicy J as the Tennessee natives uproot their lives and get used to conducting business in Hollywood.
The Memphis Business Journal reported earlier this month that DJ Paul and Juicy J would be making an on-camera stop at the Artitude art gallery, which has provided paintings that will be featured in the MTV show in the rappers' new Hollywood home.
"Relocating to Hollywood is a big move for Paul and Juicy J," Adventures in Hollyhood executive producer Kevin Lee said. "The guys wanted to keep their roots nearby by surrounding themselves with art work that reminded them of their home in Memphis."