DJ Paul was born Paul Beauregard in Memphis, Tennessee, over thirty years ago today (Jan 12th).
DJ Paul was born Paul Beauregard in Memphis, Tennessee, over thirty years ago today (Jan 12th). Not only is DJ Paul celebrating his birthday but he is also celebrating the joys of fame that came with Three 6 Mafia winning an Academy Award for Best Song for “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp” from the Memphis movie Hustle & Flow. One being Three 6 Mafia’s new comedic-reality TV series, “Adventures In HollyHood” premiering on MTV this upcoming March 14th.
After winning the Oscar, DJ Paul has even been caught on tape ‘macking on’ the likes of celebrities such as Paris Hilton, seen here in this video caught by paparazzi.
By now, many know that DJ Paul is one of the producers (along with Juicy J) of Memphis rap group Three 6 Mafia and collective Hypnotize Minds but what many don’t know is that DJ Paul started out as a skinny little teenager throwing house parties dating back to his high school days of both Fairley High and Hillcrest Highschool, both in the neighborhood of Whitehaven, located in the northern-parts of South Memphis, TN. Also, many may not know that Three 6 Mafia, maybe once one of the largest collective of talented rap artists in history, started out with former members such as Crunchy Black, Gangsta Boo, Koopsta Knicca, Playa Fly, KamiKaze Inc, Indo G, Nicky Scarfo, M-Child, T-Rock and many many others, some of which according to DJ Paul may be surprise guests on Three 6 Mafia’s upcoming album “Last 2 Walk” of over a decade of other albums including DJ Paul’s own underground solo releases dating from the early 90’s with Vol. 1 all the way up to DJ Paul’s Underground Vol. 16: For Da Summa.
DJ Paul, of Three 6 Mafia; there is no denying this man is one of the hardest working, longest running, and still (over a decade of releases later) presently accomplishing people out of the South!
In related news, today (January 12th) also lands on another Memphis rap legend’s birthday, one less known nationwide, but even more known (than Paul) locally, DJ Spanish Fly. DJ Spanish Fly is a musical veteran and pioneer, well known throughout the Memphis area, and the Mid-South as one of the founding fathers of hip-hop music and culture in the region.
In early 1984, radio station ‘Magic 101.1 FM’ would broadcast his sets live from the club for the Budweiser-sponsored ‘Club No Name Hotmix’ where Fly would uniquely blend, scratch, and break all the new songs of the day : Run-DMC, Cold Crush Brothers, The Show Boys (Trigga-Man), Dana Dane, Ghetto Boys, World Class Wrekin’ Cru, Ice T, NWA, Rodney-O and Joe Cooley and countless other groups who were then unknown artists.
“DJ Spanish Fly and another guy by the name of Sonny D were like the Memphis pioneers of rap music. I looked at them as mentors. They did their own music and put their mix tapes out. Especially Spanish Fly, he used to rap on his own tapes and put his own songs out in the clubs. He made his own stuff hot. We followed in the footsteps of those guys.”- Juicy J (Three Six Mafia).
So, Happy Birthday also to DJ Spanish Fly, most slept on DJ of the decade.
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