Soopafly
Soopafly | |
|---|---|
| Born | Priest Joseph Brooks December 8, 1972 Long Beach, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Hip hop artist, producer |
| Years active | 1990s–present |
| Known for | Member of D.P.G.C., solo albums, member of Westurn Union/Dubb Union |
Priest Joseph Brooks (born December 8, 1972), professionally recognized as Soopafly, is an American hip hop artist and producer originating from Long Beach, California. He is affiliated with the group D.P.G.C..
Early life
As the eldest sibling among three, Brooks was raised in Long Beach and honed his keyboard abilities from a young age, drawing inspiration from musicians in church settings.
Early career
During his teenage years, Brooks established connections with rappers Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre, which led to his initial production opportunity on the Murder Was The Case soundtrack released by Death Row Records. His keyboard contributions include work on Dr. Dre and Ice Cube's track "Natural Born Killaz" as well as Jodeci's "Come Up To My Room." Additionally, he produced "Who Got Some Gangsta Shit," featuring Snoop Dogg and Tha Dogg Pound. In 1995, he produced "Sooo Much Style" for Tha Dogg Pound's debut album Dogg Food and played keyboards on eight more songs from the same project. The next year, Brooks appeared on the A Thin Line Between Love and Hate soundtrack with the track "I Don't Hang."
Soopafly achieved broader acclaim through his work on Snoop Dogg's sophomore album, Tha Doggfather, where he produced "Freestyle Conversation" and "You Thought," which featured Too Short. Since then, he has collaborated extensively with notable West Coast artists such as Snoop Dogg, Daz Dillinger, Kurupt, Warren G, RBX, Bad Azz, and Tha Eastsidaz. To date, Soopafly has released three albums as a solo artist.
Westurn Union
The rap ensemble Westurn Union was created in July 2006 and included members Soopafly, Damani, and Bad Lucc. Their first appearance was on Snoop Dogg's album Tha Blue Carpet Treatment, followed by the street single "I Don't Think So," which was produced by Rick Rock. In April 2008, they issued the mixtape House Shoe Musik, Vol. 1, hosted by DJ Crazy Toones. After securing contracts with Koch Records and Doggystyle Records, their official debut album titled Snoop Dogg Presents: Dubb Union was released on September 2, 2008. Due to trademark conflicts with the company Western Union, the group changed their name to Dubb Union to prevent expensive legal disputes.
Discography
Studio albums
- Dat Whoopty Woop (2001)
- Bangin West Coast (2007)
- Best Kept Secret (2011)