DJ Paul

Paul Duane Beauregard (born January 12, 1977), better known by his stage name DJ Paul, is an American DJ, record producer, and rapper.

He is a founding member of hip hop group Three 6 Mafia and the half-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.

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.

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 nephew 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.

Juicy J 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 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.

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.

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, 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.

Their 2000 album, When the Smoke Clears: Sixty 6, Sixty 1, debuted at number six on the Billboard 200 chart and was certified platinum.

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.

Later followed by Da Unbreakables in 2003 and Most Known Unknown in 2005, both of which were commercially successful.

In 2006, DJ Paul, Juicy J, Crunchy Black, and Frayser Boy won an Academy Award for Best Original Song 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's fifth studio album, Scorpion.

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.