Three Six Mafia’s Juicy J and DJ Paul sure do love Willie Hutch, whom they sampled on “Testin’ My Gangsta” and their mega-hit “Stay Fly”; this track shows that they’re particularly fond of Hutch’s golden “I Choose You” from 1973’s blaxploitation soundtrack The Mack. Other producers are ‘bout it, too, as Ayatollah finely chopped it for Cormega’s “Rap’s a Hustle” back in 2001, Wu-cousin Mathematics straight looped but sloppy-snared it for “Pimpology 101,” and Ransom pretty much ruined it on “World Premiere.” This is the second time (at least) that Juicy J and DJ Paul have flipped the song’s windfall chorus, and both times they’ve let the sample star while their drum programming stays hyperactive yet thin. In fact, there’s very little basic difference between this and what they did for Project Pat’s “Choose U” off Layin’ da Smack Down (2002), so not only is the loop overused, here it’s completely re-used. But damn if it doesn’t still sound sweet.

And, to be honest, Mega’s the only rapper out of that preceding lot fit to lick the boots of what Andre Three Stacks, Pimp C, Bun B, and Big Boi do with this beat. To the producers’ credit, they find a way to tweak the formula for each rapper. Fittingly, for Andre they just let the soul cycle without their drums, and Dre drops another stellar rap in a year that’s surprisingly found him blessing Devin the Dude’s “What a Job” and the “Throw Some D’s” and “You” remixes with that old Aquemini (1998) magic. Afforded the chance to explore the cadences, Andre jogs wistful figure-eights, he waxes romantic much like he did on “You”; his wordplay and earnestness come in at somewhere off the charts, making text messages and CCing sound like vintage vernacular and then finishing with a refrain: “Keep your heart, three stacks, keep your heart / Ay, keep your heart, three stacks, keep your heart / Man, these girls is smart, three stacks, these girls is smart / Play your part, play your part.”

Anachronistically, Dre’s poignant intro jumpstarts the Three Six tick-tick sleaze and the bobbing-head mongering of Pimp C and Bun B, who pick up where they left off on 2001’s Dirty Money: chasing prostitutes. For Andre “I choose you” is something to be someday voiced at an altar, maybe; for UGK it’s said with fingers pointing at a brothel line-up. Kick stutters introduce Bun B while the sample drops out for Big Boi, who splits the difference between Andre’s brains and UGK’s balls with the most versatile flow of the bunch. In true family man form, he concludes “International Players Anthem” by detailing the game’s expensive and child-filled aftermath. Juicy J and DJ Paul create a C part to the verse by screwing and chopping Big Boi’s vocals where he says things like “ask Paul McCartney” or “pick-pick the kiddies up,” and now everybody’s sold. Sex of all degrees has been encapsulated. Spring has arrived. 2007 has its “Stay Fly.”

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