"Triple 9" Soundtrack Lyrics

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“Triple 9 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)” – Album Guide to Tracks and Key Scenes

Review

What happens when a heist film swaps lush strings for scorched circuitry and a crooked saxophone? “Triple 9” answers with a score that hammers your pulse while the plot tightens the screws. John Hillcoat’s Atlanta-set neo-noir follows a crew of criminals and bent cops forced into an impossible job; the music doesn’t just goose the action — it stalks it, turning alleys, squad cars, and back rooms into pressure cookers.

Atticus Ross, with Claudia Sarne, Leopold Ross, and Bobby Krlic (a.k.a. The Haxan Cloak), builds a sonic architecture of grime: clipped rhythms, industrial throb, and that wonderfully warped sax weaving like siren-light through smoke. Tracks such as “Ticking Glock” operate like improvised explosive devices — anxious tick, then detonation — while cues by Krlic smear dread across transitions. The effect is narrative glue: scenes of planning, panic, and aftermath share one bloodstream.

Genre-wise, the album phases through post-industrial and electronic drone toward trap-adjacent texture, with chopped-and-screwed source tracks and a Cypress Hill remix anchoring the film to street-level reality. Call it: ambient menace → percussive pursuit → synth-and-sax catharsis. The palette implies moral rot without sermonizing — a world where the only clean tones are the sirens.

How It Was Made

Hillcoat deliberately pivoted from his usual Nick Cave collaborations to a raw, unsophisticated electronic approach — “no piano, no strings” — and invited Ross and company to lean into grit. The process was iterative and chaotic: sequences kept changing in the cut, forcing cues to be torn down and rebuilt. The team folded in a jagged saxophone color and allowed distortion, tape hiss, and unstable pulses to live on the record, matching the film’s handheld, on-the-run energy.

The soundtrack album arrived alongside the film’s U.S. release, on Filmtrax/RED, with 14 cuts of score plus an Atticus Ross remix of Cypress Hill’s “Pigs” — also used in marketing — tying the score’s industrial DNA to the movie’s diegetic world.

Tracks & Scenes

Below are the most documented needle-drops and cue placements — with time marks from widely used fan/industry databases. I’ve expanded the scene notes to capture setting, motive, and function in the story. (Diegetic = heard by characters.)

“Let’s Do It” (Heroes x Villains)

Where it plays:

~00:19. Marcus and Chris cruise through an Atlanta neighborhood. The track pumps from the car stereo (diegetic), the bass rattling as they trade small talk and scan the street. It sets a casual patrol vibe before the film’s violence erupts.

Why it matters:

Establishes their beat-cop rhythm and the city’s sonic texture; juxtaposes routine with the chaos coming.

“Mainstream Ratchet” (2 Chainz)

Where it plays:

~00:20. Marcus and Chris roll into a disturbance call; the song leaks from nearby speakers (diegetic), folding the neighborhood soundscape into police procedure.

Why it matters:

Uses a recognizable club cut to ground the film in time/place and underscore community tension.

“Po-Po Story” (Randy Emata & Stephen Bray)

Where it plays:

~00:24. As Michael phones Russell, a passing car blares the tune (diegetic). The quick hit of brassy kitsch undercuts the severity of the call.

Why it matters:

A sly needle-drop that literalizes the cops/criminals theme in-joke fashion.

“Horny Toad Fanfare” (Stephen Bray)

Where it plays:

~00:31. Police pop a trunk and find severed heads; absurdly loud music blares (diegetic). The garish tune clashes with the horror.

Why it matters:

Blackly comic counterpoint that deepens the film’s nihilist streak.

“After I Die” (DJ Screw)

Where it plays:

~00:32. While Marcus and Luis work a scene and Chris leans on a crew, the chopped-and-screwed texture oozes under the dialogue (diegetic/bleeding into score).

Why it matters:

Chopped tempo mirrors the movie’s moral drag — everyone moves slow in a quicksand plot.

“Wishy Washy” (Migos)

Where it plays:

~00:35. Nightclub briefing: Marcus and Franco jaw about the “triple nine” gambit while the track thumps (diegetic). Colored lights, bass fog, nervous glances.

Why it matters:

Party ambiance camouflages conspiracy; the mix swallows voices the way the job swallows lives.

“Come Black Bird” (Chevelle V)

Where it plays:

~00:37. Jeffrey Allen (Harrelson) and Chris grab a drink — the bar’s PA hums with this cut (diegetic), a weary breather between raids.

Why it matters:

Humanizes the hunters; the song’s melancholic shade hints at Jeff’s frayed edges.

“Wonderworld” (Stephen Bray)

Where it plays:

~00:39. Domestic tension: Michael and Elena argue while their kid games nearby; TV sound and this track collide (diegetic), a home life out of tune.

Why it matters:

Contrasts family space with criminal duty — the score will grind these worlds together.

“Everyday” (Decatur Redd)

Where it plays:

~00:44. Marcus and Chris drive to flush a suspect in the beheading case; music pours from passing porches and cars (diegetic).

Why it matters:

Locational realism: Atlanta’s street mix becomes texture for police choreography.

“Sweetpea Chopped” (The Roostar Incorporated)

Where it plays:

~00:46. Jeffrey pays a visit to Sweetpea; the track plays in-room (diegetic), sleazy and humid.

Why it matters:

Signals who owns the territory; establishes Jeff’s informant channel.

“Wreckless” (DJ Screw)

Where it plays:

~00:53. Ambush sequence with Termite and Luis. Gunfire, drywall dust, and slow-rolling “Wreckless” smeared across the chaos (diegetic source sliding under the mix).

Why it matters:

The chopped cadence amplifies disorientation and the film’s grim fatalism.

“New Friends” (David Poe)

Where it plays:

~00:58. Marcus and Chris decompress at a bar, trying to joke away the shake. The gentle tune floats from the speakers (diegetic).

Why it matters:

Micro-respite that underlines how little normalcy they have left.

“Help Me Understand” (Elizaveta)

Where it plays:

~00:59. Briefly heard on location; soft vox contrasts with harsh neon and harder truths (diegetic, fleeting).

Why it matters:

A grace note — empathy sneaks into a film allergic to it.

“Beyond Grey” (Randy Emata)

Where it plays:

~01:00. Elena Vlaslov’s phone ringtone. A tiny, icy motif (diegetic) that still manages to feel dangerous.

Why it matters:

Character stamp: even her ringtone is a threat.

“Pigs” (Cypress Hill) → “Turn Up” (Decatur Redd)

Where it plays:

~01:02–01:03. Strip club passage. “Pigs” heats the room, then “Turn Up” keeps the bodies moving (diegetic) while deals get whispered in semi-dark corners.

Why it matters:

Bridges the score’s industrial DNA with the film’s source-music realism; cops and criminals share one soundtrack.

“Mozart: Divertimento in F, K.138” (Handman family performance)

Where it plays:

~01:27. Classical snippet bleeds from a pedestrian’s car as Jeffrey passes (diegetic), a brief class clash.

Why it matters:

Irony: elegance rolling by a crime scene like it’s not even there.

“Juicy Juicy” (The Roostar Incorporated)

Where it plays:

~01:42. Chris talks to a neighborhood kid about Marcus. The track hums nearby (diegetic), equal parts flirt and threat.

Why it matters:

Humanizes Chris, frames him against the community that will outlast the case.

“Pigs (Atticus Ross Remix)” (Cypress Hill) — End Credits

Where it plays:

~01:50–end. Credits roll over Atticus’s aggressive remix: lurching sub, serrated tops, siren-sax ghosts (non-diegetic).

Why it matters:

A sonic exclamation mark. Ties promos, album, and film into one brutal coda.

Notes & Trivia

• Hillcoat initially eyed a different composer, then pivoted to Ross’s electronic approach — a clean break from his Cave/Ellis collaborations.
• That bent sax you hear? It’s intentional — the team wanted a grimy, “unsophisticated” color living inside the electronics.
• The marketing leaned into source-music DNA: “Pigs (Atticus Ross Remix)” powers the red-band trailer and caps the film.
• Score personnel include additional musicians on sax and synths; Krlic contributes standalone cues that smear like anxiety.
• The album shipped with 14 tracks of score; several diegetic cuts heard in-film don’t appear on the album proper.

Reception & Quotes

Critical response to the film was mixed; the music won consistent notice for its pulse and texture.

“A propulsive wall-of-sound score… credited to four composers.” Variety

“Ineffective.” The Hollywood Reporter (on the score’s impact within the film)

“Electro-throb score.” NPR

“Synth-and-sax score with an interesting texture.” Empire

Availability: Digital release via Filmtrax/RED; streaming on major platforms (album page credits list CAS Admin Ltd). Physical CD editions circulated through standard retailers.

Interesting Facts

• Sax as siren: The production embraced an intentionally “unsophisticated” sax color inside the electronic bed — a rare hybrid in modern crime scores.
• Chopped & screwed: DJ Screw cuts (“Wreckless,” “After I Die”) align the film’s rhythm with Southern hip-hop lineage.
• End-credits sting: The “Pigs” remix doubles as brand identity — trailer music that closes the story.
• Multiple composers, one voice: Ross/Sarne/Ross/Krlic divide duties but mix into a continuous, grimy atmosphere.
• Label trail: The album is associated with Filmtrax/RED for release; platform listings also show CAS Admin Ltd rights language.

Technical Info

• Title: Triple 9 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
• Year: 2016
• Type: Film score (album)
• Composers: Atticus Ross; Claudia Sarne; Leopold Ross; Bobby Krlic
• Music supervision: Tracy McKnight
• Notable placements: “Wreckless” (DJ Screw) during ambush; “Pigs (Atticus Ross Remix)” over end credits; strip-club pair “Pigs” → “Turn Up”
• Release context: Album issued alongside U.S. theatrical release (Feb 26, 2016)
• Label/album status: Filmtrax / RED Music (release); platform metadata displays CAS Admin Ltd ℗ notice
• Availability: Streaming (Apple Music, Spotify); CD via standard retail

Questions & Answers

Who composed the score for Triple 9?

Atticus Ross with Claudia Sarne, Leopold Ross, and Bobby Krlic. Hillcoat pushed for a raw, electronic palette with distorted sax.

What song plays over the end credits?

“Pigs (Atticus Ross Remix)” by Cypress Hill — an aggressive rework that also powered the film’s red-band trailer.

Which tracks score the strip-club sequence?

Cypress Hill’s “Pigs” followed by Decatur Redd’s “Turn Up,” both used diegetically while characters exchange info.

Is the DJ Screw material on the official album?

No — “After I Die” and “Wreckless” feature in the film but are not part of the core score album.

What’s distinctive about the score’s sound?

Industrial electronics, percussive ticking structures, and a purposely “unsophisticated” saxophone timbre cutting through the mix.

Key Contributors

Entity	Relation (S–V–O)
John Hillcoat	Director → led film; guided raw electronic score approach
Atticus Ross	Co-composer → created score; shaped electronic palette
Claudia Sarne	Co-composer → co-authored principal cues
Leopold Ross	Co-composer → co-authored principal cues
Bobby Krlic (The Haxan Cloak)	Co-composer → contributed distinct anxiety-laden cues
Tracy McKnight	Music Supervisor → cleared/placed licensed songs
Michael Patterson	Music Scoring Mixer → mixed score elements
Open Road Films	Distributor → released the film in the U.S.
Filmtrax / RED Music	Labels → released the soundtrack album
Cypress Hill	Artist → source track “Pigs” and end-credits Atticus Ross remix
DJ Screw	Artist → film features “After I Die” and “Wreckless”

Sources: Variety; NPR; Empire; Apple Music; Spotify; Wikipedia (soundtrack); Uproxx interview with Atticus Ross; Metacritic credits; Soundtrakd (scene timings); Vehlinggo (Krlic background).

One of those action movies that tells the ins-and-outs story. About a world that is very cruel and brutal – where you are hated simply because you are doing your job as a police officer. Where people are ready to thrust a bullet after a bullet in your body, with no doubt, to kill or not to kill, but only having doubts on the most sophisticated methods of such assassination, choosing between them. An example of this – the cutted heads on the hood and pulled out teeth with the fingers cut off, so that the victim could not be identified. It is an unexpected bounce head down at dirty world, where the most lyrical words are only in speeches without filthy language – so don’t wait anything good. The flagman of the collection is Cypress Hill, who do not do just a gangsta rap (as exemplified Pigs or Mainstream Ratchet among others in the soundtrack), but distinguished from the rest by unexpected inclusions – guitar, bright vocals, good post-processing. DJ Screw found in this collection several times, giving the audience to listen a rather gloomy rap, which, fortunately, does not hold in the brains for a long time, not allowing to plunge into the abyss of despair. As in the movie, in a collection of music quite a lot of lyrics with filthy language, which is typical for rap-genre that dominates here. Come Back Bird is a cool song in the genre of country rock, which can be compared with works of Tito & Tarantula. In the film star: Casey Affleck, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Norman Reedus, Woody Harrelson & Kate Winslet – people who in their lives played as in comedies, and well as in serious movies, and even utopia and disaster movies (both – Kate Winslet – Titanic and Divergent). Woody Harrelson we know from the films with Antonio Banderas, and Norman Reedus plays mega-tough guy in The Walking Dead serial movie.

November, 29th 2025

"Triple 9" profile on IMDb.com, Rottentomatoes.com

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