S. Samuel
Three 6 Mafia's DJ Paul recently chopped it up with SOHH to talk about recruiting up-and-coming West Coast rapper Kokoe and why he decided to push boundaries by signing a Mexican-American artist.
Although Three 6 Mafia are known for having Memphis roots, Paul said working out of Los Angeles drew him into meeting Kokoe.
“The relationship started mainly from us having out through some mutual friends,” Paul told SOHH. “I met Kokoe out in the streets of Los Angeles. We were talking about hooking up but never got a chance. … We got spots in Memphis and Los Angeles. I’ve been in Los Angeles a lot, not scouting for talent or nothing like that but trying to take advantage of what they got to offer. There’s a lot of sh*t in L.A. that’s not out in Memphis. Especially with us having the Oscar in our hands, we can just fit in there real easily. It’s just work, man, another place to work at. I’ve worked in Memphis for twenty years and I had to move on and make money on the other side as well.” (SOHH)
Paul also described what he saw in Kokoe which made him want to form a bond.
“He was crunk like we was,” Paul added. “When I saw his YouTube videos, I saw he had that edge. It’s about having that edge in there. It was perfect for me to do something with him. Three 6 Mafia also has a pretty big Mexican fan base so you know, it’s great to have Mexican artist on the team. It’ll help our fans become fans of his really fast. … If there’s anyone who wants to collaborate with him, they can reach out. Features are a great way to get your buzz up. You can’t always wait for your buzz to get up before you start working and moving around. First we’ve got to make sure it’s the right record for him to be on because if it’s some bullsh*t, it might hurt him. If it’s the right record and want to collaborate, hit us up on Twitter.” (SOHH)
Just last month, they released their new “Wildn” music video.
Three 6 Mafia’s DJ Paul and Kokoe just premiered the video for WILDIN, a street banger off of DJ Paul’s “FOR I HAVE SINNED” mix tape. Coast music is back full force and Kokoe is leading the way for Mexican rappers. A West Los Angeles native, Kokoe is signed with DJ Paul of Three 6 Mafia and Steve Lobe¹s A2Z Entertainment. Upon discovery of Kokoe, both executives quickly recognized that he embodied what was needed to properly represent his Mexican culture. Kokoe¹s music is a mixture of down South beats with a distinct West Coast flavor. Over the last few months, Kokoe and DJ Paul have been working on music and releasing videos. (Migrate Music News)
Outside of music, Paul recently discussed his Lemon Basket Los Angeles restaurant closing.
“We closed it down because the location wasn’t right,” DJ Paul explained to The Juice. The location was smack-dab in the heart of Hollywood nightlife, on L.A.’s famed Sunset Blvd. “West Hollywood wouldn’t give us valet parking. Everybody had to go down the street to park and the building was upstairs, it was too much. Anybody that knows about Sunset Blvd. [knows that] it’s $20 to park on the weekends, so we’re not going to [make customers] do that. It was too much for us. We’re looking for a new location right now.” (Billboard)
Check out “Wildn” below:
