Juicy J — and by extension, Three 6 Mafia — have been involved in a number of disputes with other artists in recent months, suing everyone from Travis Scott to Trippie Redd to Suicideboys for sampling their work without permission. Now, they may have a new target: Fast food chain Arby’s, which Juicy claims sampled a Three 6 Mafia beat in one of its TV commercials. Juicy tweeted “I Just found out Arby’s used a three 6 sample in their commercial with out clearing it” early today before deleting the tweet.
While it’s not completely certain which commercial Juicy may be referring to, the Boxden hip-hop forum does have a post from 2017 that posits “Whoever does Arby’s commercial is a Three 6 Mafia fan.” The poster provided links to the 2017 ad for Arby’s Triple Thick Brown Sugar Bacon and a YouTube upload of Three 6 member Koopsta Knicca’s “Now I’m Hi Part 2” from his 1999 album Da Devil’s Playground Underground Solo. They certainly seem similar.
If the Mafia’s past actions are any indication, they may very well be taking legal action soon. The group has been adamant about protecting their copyrights, even going so far as issuing a bar in Lansing, Michigan 500 DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) notices because someone downloaded the Three 6 Mafia discography using the bar’s WiFi during a party. The Arby’s commercial is no longer airing — if it is the one Juicy found out about today — but if Arby’s did indeed sell a few sandwiches using DJ Paul’s production, it’s guaranteed that the Memphis rap pioneers will want a slice of the profits.