Paul Duane Beauregard (born January 12, 1977), known professionally as DJ Paul, is an American rapper and record producer.
He is a founding member of hip hop group
Three 6 Mafia
Three 6 Mafia is an American hip-hop group from Memphis, Tennessee, formed in 1991. Emerging as a horror-themed underground hip-hop group, they went on to enjoy mainstream success. The group's 1995 debut album ''Mystic Stylez'' became an influen ...
and the brother of rapper
Lord Infamous. DJ Paul is also the half-brother of convicted drug lord
Craig Petties.
He is also a part owner of
FaZe Clan
FaZe Clan, or simply FaZe, is a professional esports and entertainment brand. Founded on May 30, 2010, as FaZe Sniping, the organization has professional players and content creators from around the world, across multiple games.
In October 20 ...
.
DJ Paul started his career in the late 1980s as a DJ and released a number of solo tapes, as well as three collaboration albums with Lord Infamous as The Serial Killaz.
Juicy J
Jordan Michael Houston III (born April 5, 1975), known professionally as Juicy J, is an American rapper and record producer. Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, he is a founding member of the Southern hip-hop group Three 6 Mafia, established ...
was introduced and the three founded the group Three 6 Mafia, going on to achieve national success in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Their 2000 album, ''
When the Smoke Clears: Sixty 6, Sixty 1'', debuted at number six on the
''Billboard'' 200 chart and was certified platinum. In 2006, DJ Paul, Juicy J, Crunchy Black, and Frayser Boy won an
Academy Award for Best Original Song
The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the Film industry, motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is presented to the ''songwriters'' who h ...
for "
It's Hard out Here for a Pimp" from the film ''
Hustle & Flow''. Paul has also released three solo albums, and created soundtracks to two movies. He and the rest of Three 6 Mafia are known as the originators of the
crunk style of music. In 2018, he co-produced the track "
Talk Up" from
Drake
Drake may refer to:
Animals and creatures
* A male duck
* Drake (mythology), a term related to and often synonymous with dragon
People and fictional characters
* Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family ...
's fifth studio album, ''
Scorpion
Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the Order (biology), order Scorpiones. They have eight legs and are easily recognized by a pair of Chela (organ), grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward cur ...
''.
Aside from music, DJ Paul has been involved in a variety of business ventures, including film production and real estate. He founded his own record label Scale-A-Ton Entertainment, co-owns the fashion wear line Dangerus / Skandulus, has a collection of BBQ seasonings and is the spokesman for a legal version of the drink
Sizzurp.
Career
1988–1992: Career beginnings
In 1988, DJ Paul started his career at age 11 as a DJ in Memphis club "380 Beale". At first he wanted to focus on DJing instead of rapping.
In 1989, he formed the duo The Serial Killaz, together with his half-brother
Lord Infamous.
Paul served as the producer, making beats, which Infamous would rap over.
The two did not have any equipment, so they used to rent local DJ Just Born's studio with the money their father gave them. Paul would play and
scratch records on his mother's record player when she was not home. They released self-recorded tapes in their neighborhood, school, and local shops.
Their first tape, ''Portrait of a Serial Killa'', was released in 1992.
In the following years, the duo went on to release ''The Serial Killaz'' tape and two parts of ''
Come with Me 2 Hell''.
DJ Paul eventually bought studio equipment, consisting of a keyboard, a turntable, and a four-track recorder. He started making mixtapes with popular songs and selling them at his high school. Later he started including songs of his affiliated rappers on the tapes as well, in order to promote them. Eventually, he began making mixtapes consisting only of original songs by himself and local artists. Paul claimed that Memphis DJs, such as himself,
DJ Spanish Fly, DJ Squeeky and Juicy J created the modern format of mixtapes by including their original songs, instead of making compilations of other artists' music.
DJ Paul also released a number of solo tapes called Volume 1 to Volume 16. He rose to prominence as a DJ and producer on the south side of Memphis, and was introduced to fellow producer Juicy J, who was also garnering buzz on the north side of the city. Together with Lord Infamous, they formed the group The Backyard Posse.
DJ Paul and Juicy J soon began producing tracks, described as "dark, eerie ... driven by bass-heavy beats and haunting sounds."
They changed their name to Triple Six Mafia, after a phrase Lord Infamous would use to refer to the group in their songs.
1993–2005: Three 6 Mafia and debut solo album
In 1994, Triple Six Mafia were joined by Koopsta Knicca and released the underground album ''Smoked Out Loced Out''. Later the group acquired two more members,
Gangsta Boo and
Crunchy Black and changed its name again to
Three 6 Mafia
Three 6 Mafia is an American hip-hop group from Memphis, Tennessee, formed in 1991. Emerging as a horror-themed underground hip-hop group, they went on to enjoy mainstream success. The group's 1995 debut album ''Mystic Stylez'' became an influen ...
. In 1995, they self-released their debut studio album, ''
Mystic Stylez''. Following the album's success, Three 6 Mafia signed a major label deal with
Relativity Records. They also started their own label
Hypnotize Minds and signed a number of local artists, such as
Project Pat
Patrick Earl Houston (born February 8, 1973), known professionally as Project Pat, is an American rapper from Memphis, Tennessee. He is the older brother of Juicy J, the co-founder of Three 6 Mafia.
Houston was formerly a member of the hip-hop ...
, MC Mack,
La Chat,
Frayser Boy and
Lil Wyte, among others. DJ Paul and Juicy J exclusively produced the whole albums by their artists, as well as Three 6 Mafia's releases. The group achieved commercial success with their 2000 album, ''
When the Smoke Clears: Sixty 6, Sixty 1'', which debuted at number six on the
''Billboard'' 200 chart and was eventually certified platinum by
RIAA
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
.
In 2002, DJ Paul released his debut solo studio album ''
Underground Volume 16: For da Summa''. Most of the songs, originally featured on his 1994 mixtape ''Underground Volume 16: 4 Da Summa of '94'', were remastered and some of the old featured artists were replaced with new ones from Hypnotize Minds, such as Frayser Boy and La Chat. The album peaked at number 127 at the ''Billboard'' 200.
Three 6 Mafia released two more commercially successful albums: ''
Da Unbreakables'' in 2003 and ''
Most Known Unknown
''Most Known Unknown'' is the eighth studio album by American hip-hop group Three 6 Mafia. It was released on September 27, 2005, by Hypnotize Minds, Sony Urban Music, and Columbia Records.
This album is known for having some of Three 6 Maf ...
'' in 2005, both peaking in top five of ''Billboard'' 200. They also created the soundtracks of the movies ''Choices'' and its sequel ''Choices II: The Setup''. By 2006, Paul and Juicy were the only members of the group left.
2006–2012: Academy Award win, ''Scale-A-Ton'' and ''A Person of Interest''
In 2006, DJ Paul, Juicy J, and Crunchy Black won an
Academy Award for Best Original Song
The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the Film industry, motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is presented to the ''songwriters'' who h ...
for "
It's Hard out Here for a Pimp" from the film ''
Hustle & Flow''. The song, which they co-wrote with
HCP member
Frayser Boy, was also ranked at number 80 on
VH1
VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...
's "100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop".
After Three 6 Mafia released their 2008 album ''
Last 2 Walk'', the group had conflicts with their label
Sony
is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at Sony City in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The Sony Group encompasses various businesses, including Sony Corporation (electronics), Sony Semiconductor Solutions (i ...
about their music style,
which led DJ Paul and Juicy J to pursue other ventures and their solo careers.
In 2009, Paul released ''The Weigh In'' – his first mixtape since the ''Volume'' series in the early 1990s. A few months later he followed up with his second solo album ''
Scale-A-Ton'', released under Paul's newly founded label Scale-A-Ton Entertainment. The album was received well by critics, earning a positive review and an "Album pick" by
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
.
In 2010, Paul released his second mixtape ''Too Kill Again'', hosted by DJ Scream and
DJ Whoo Kid. The mixtape features many upcoming and new Memphis artists such as Lion Heart, Thug Therapy, Partee and Miscellaneous. DJ Paul stated the tape was a preview to his upcoming album, also titled ''Too Kill Again'', which however was never released. Instead, in 2011, Paul made a new collaboration mixtape with rapper
Ya Boy and producer Lil Lody, called ''Pray For Forgiveness''. A few months later Paul released a retail No-DJ version with bonus songs to
iTunes
iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...
.
In 2012, Paul announced he was working on an experimental dub-hop EP called ''A Person of Interest''. Later he changed it into a full featured album, which was released on October 22. ''
A Person of Interest'' was packed with a bonus DVD, including a self-titled short movie, music videos and behind the scenes footage. Paul released videos for a number of songs from the album, including "What I Look Like (W.I.L.L.)", "Wit Tha Shit", "Trap Back Jumpin", "E&J" and a remix of "I'm Dat Raw" with
Snow Tha Product. Paul called ''A Person of Interest'' his favorite solo album, stating that he loved the production and the "raw" sound of the album.
2013–present: S.I.M., Da Mafia 6ix, The Killjoy Club, Master of Evil, etc.
In early 2013, DJ Paul focused on performing as a DJ, and created a DJ duo, called S.I.M. (Sex is Mandatory). The group created a number of live sets, as well as remixes to songs, such as
Just Blaze
Justin Gregory Smith (born January 8, 1978), known professionally as Just Blaze, is an American record producer and DJ. Born in Paterson, New Jersey, Smith attended Rutgers University for three years before dropping out to pursue a career in mus ...
&
Baauer
Harry Bauer Rodrigues (born April 30, 1989), known professionally as Baauer, is an American record producer and DJ, best known for his double platinum song "Harlem Shake (song), Harlem Shake".
He has produced varied dance music from the age of 13 ...
's "Higher".
In late 2013, Paul and Lord Infamous were discussing creating a sequel to their 1993 album ''Come with Me 2 Hell'', when the latter came with the idea to try and reunite the whole Three 6 Mafia crew. Infamous brought back
Crunchy Black, Koopsta Knicca and
Gangsta Boo, and the five of them reunited as "Da Mafia 6ix" with plans to release an album in 2014.
On November 12, 2013, Da Mafia 6ix released their first mixtape ''
6ix Commandments''. The tape was almost entirely produced by DJ Paul and featured
Yelawolf,
8Ball & MJG,
Krayzie Bone
Anthony Henderson (born June 17, 1973), better known as Krayzie Bone, is an American rapper. He is a member of the hip-hop group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony.
Career
Solo
After finding success with Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Krayzie Bone recorded his so ...
,
Bizzy Bone,
SpaceGhostPurrp
Markese Money Rolle (born April 1, 1991),Fri, Crossfade. (June 8, 2012Best of Miami 2012 – Best Solo Musician: SpaceGhostPurrp Blogs.miaminewtimes.com. Retrieved on November 4, 2013. known professionally as SpaceGhostPurrp, is an American rapp ...
and
HCP affiliates
Lil Wyte, Skinny Pimp and
La Chat, among others.
Juicy J
Jordan Michael Houston III (born April 5, 1975), known professionally as Juicy J, is an American rapper and record producer. Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, he is a founding member of the Southern hip-hop group Three 6 Mafia, established ...
and
Project Pat
Patrick Earl Houston (born February 8, 1973), known professionally as Project Pat, is an American rapper from Memphis, Tennessee. He is the older brother of Juicy J, the co-founder of Three 6 Mafia.
Houston was formerly a member of the hip-hop ...
also appeared as surprise guests on the posse song "Body Parts", being credited just as "& more" in the track listing.
DJ Paul collaborated on a mixtape titled ''Clash of da Titans'' with fellow Memphis producer
Drumma Boy that was released on October 23, 2013, and on a free EP, called ''Black Fall'', with rapper Yellawolf, which they put out for Halloween on October 31, 2013.
On November 26, 2013, DJ Paul released ''Volume 16: The Original Masters'', a remaster of his 1994 mixtape ''4 da Summer of '94''. It was revealed on the PSYR17 EP given away at the 2014 Gathering of the Juggalos that DJ Paul plans to release his next solo album, ''Master of Evil'', on Psychopathic Records in 2015. He later confirmed it himself on August 28 on The Australia underground hip hop podcast "The Underground Podcast", as well as on the outro song to The Killjoy Club's debut album ''
Reindeer Games''.
DJ Paul has been announced to play
South by Southwest
South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...
showcase in
Austin, Texas
Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...
on March 21, 2015.
On August 19, 2016, DJ Paul announced that he has signed to Yelawolf's Slumerican Records. Upon signing with Slumerican, Paul released a two album series titled ''YOTS: Year of the Six'' parts 1 & 2.
In 2017, he released the follow-up to his album ''"Underground, Volume 16: For da Summa"'' respectfully titled, ''"Underground, Volume 17: For da Summa"'' through his own Scale-A-Ton imprint. On September 2, 2018, Paul announced that he had begun working on the next volume in the "Underground" series titled ''"Drackula: Vol. 18"'', which is said to be recorded in Castle Dracula in Transylvania. The project was originally scheduled to release sometime in 2018, but has since been pushed back to 2019.
Personal life
DJ Paul and Juicy J starred in
MTV
MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
's 2007 reality show ''
Adventures in Hollyhood'', which showed Three 6 Mafia's move to Hollywood, California, following their Oscar win. The show also featured their personal assistants Computer and Big Triece, as well as Hypnotize Minds artists Project Pat and Lil Wyte.
The series aired for eight episodes between April 5 and May 23, 2007.
In 2011, DJ Paul starred in
VH1
VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...
's cooking show ''
Famous Food'' together with seven other celebrities and eventually won first place. In a
interview Paul cleared up some controversy from the show, involving
Ashley Dupre best known from the
Eliot Spitzer scandal.
In a 2013 interview, Paul said he is getting three hours of sleep a day due to the amount of work he has to do in the variety of business ventures he has a part in. Describing his daily schedule, he said that he works with all of his companies during the day and records music during the night, stating that "I feel like if I'm not working, then I'm losing and I'm not really giving my life what I should be giving."
On December 20, 2013, his half-brother,
Lord Infamous, died from a heart attack at his mother's house in Memphis, Tennessee.
DJ Paul is no longer engaged to Majda Baltic. They participated in an episode of Celebrity Wife Swap together with Plaxico Burress and his wife. They stated that they met at the Salt Lake City Airport.
Business ventures
In 2001, DJ Paul and the rest of Three 6 Mafia created the straight-to-video film ''Choices'', followed by a sequel ''Choices II: The Setup'', which was released in 2005. In 2007, DJ Paul and Juicy J started their own fashion wear line titled "Dangerus / Skandulus". It was branded as the official Three 6 Mafia wear and includes T-shirts, hats, accessories and stickers. DJ Paul founded his own record label Scale-A-Ton Entertainment in 2009. He has released his last two albums under the label.
In 2012, DJ Paul launched a collection of
BBQ seasonings called "DJ Paul BBQ". Paul initially created a BBQ rub seasoning, soon followed by a Smoked Out BBQ Sauce. In 2013, DJ Paul became the official spokesman for a new legal version of the alcoholic drink
Sizzurp. As of 2013, Paul also owns a real estate company.
Legal issues
In an interview with
Power 105.1's The Breakfast Club, Paul stated he has been arrested numerous times. He was sent to jail for the first time at the age of 17.
In 2006, a man from
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
, named Ramone Williams, filed a lawsuit against DJ Paul and other Three 6 Mafia members, claiming he has been severely beaten at a Three 6 Mafia concert when other fans followed the lyrics of the song "Let's Start a Riot" and attacked him. The man claimed he was hit with a chair, kicked and stomped numerous times. Three 6 Mafia asked for dismissal of the suit on a summary judgment motion. In October 2006, both sides settled the suit and Williams received financial compensation.
On June 8, 2012, a lawsuit was filed against DJ Paul and
Juicy J
Jordan Michael Houston III (born April 5, 1975), known professionally as Juicy J, is an American rapper and record producer. Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, he is a founding member of the Southern hip-hop group Three 6 Mafia, established ...
for failing to appear at a concert for which they were booked. The suit claimed the two were booked for an April 2011 show in
Orlando, Florida
Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...
but never showed up. They also never returned a $9,000 advance payment they received for the performance. Paul and Juicy were demanded to pay $50,000 for economic loss, out-of-pocket expenses and loss of income and revenue.
In October 2012, a few days before his third album was released, DJ Paul was arrested in New York when a
Taser
Taser (stylized in all caps) is a line of handheld conducted energy devices (CED) sold by Axon Enterprise (formerly Taser International). The device fires two small barbed darts intended to puncture the skin and remain attached to the targe ...
stun gun was found on him during a routine search. He was charged with a misdemeanor and released shortly after. Paul commented on the arrest: "I honestly didn't know it was illegal. I thought it was at the same level as pepper spray." Paul pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 21 hours of community service.
Discography
Studio albums
* ''
Underground Volume 16: For da Summa'' (2002)
* ''
Scale-A-Ton'' (2009)
* ''
A Person of Interest'' (2012)
* ''Volume 16: The Original Masters'' (2013)
* ''
Master of Evil'' (2015)
* ''YOTS: Year of the Six Pt. 1'' (2016)
* ''YOTS: Year of the Six Pt. 2'' (2016)
* ''Underground Volume 17: For da Summa'' (2017)
* ''Power, Pleasure & Painful Things'' (2019)
Filmography
Films
Television
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paul, DJ
1977 births
21st-century American rappers
African-American film producers
African-American male rappers
20th-century American male rappers
African-American record producers
African-American songwriters
American businesspeople in retailing
American chief executives of food industry companies
American drink industry businesspeople
American businesspeople in fashion
American fashion designers
American hip-hop DJs
American hip-hop record producers
American music industry executives
American businesspeople in real estate
Best Original Song Academy Award–winning songwriters
Businesspeople from Tennessee
Film producers from Tennessee
Hardcore hip-hop artists
Living people
Rappers from Memphis, Tennessee
Songwriters from Tennessee
Southern hip-hop musicians
Three 6 Mafia members
Underground rappers
Year of birth missing (living people)