What do you get when you combine an up-and-coming Latin trap and R&B artist with a legendary Memphis artist who helped shape the sound of Southern rap, crunk and trap?
3…2…1… Wait for it. You get the explosive new single and video “Countdown” by Colombian-born rapper Oplus aka Osmar Escobar and the Oscar-winning “King of Memphis,” DJ Paul of Three 6 Mafia.
“I used to listen to Three 6 back in Colombia,” says Oplus, who began creating music at the age of 8 and moved to the U.S. when he was 13. “The whole Three 6 movement was crazy. This record is a big blessing.”
For DJ Paul, working with Latinx artists is nothing new. He first jumped on reggaetonero Voltio’s remix of “Chulin Culin Chunfly (The Rattlesnake Song),” which also featured Residente of Calle 13, back in 2005. He also worked and mentored West Coast rapper Kokoe for almost 10 years before his tragic death in 2018.
“After Kokoe passed away I wasn’t going to get back in the Latino market because he was special to me,” DJ Paul said. “But as soon as I met Oplus, we started vibing and the next thing we knew we were producing a record for him and he asked me if I wanted to do a verse.”
“Countdown,” is an anthem that seamlessly moves from DJ Paul’s signature trap high hats to a throbbing dembow riddim and back again. It’s a call to unity between the non-Black Latinx and Black communities during these tumultuous times.
“We wanted to bring both cultures together, it’s the perfect time to show unity between the African-American culture and the Latino culture with a record that will make you feel good,” said Oplus. “The video starts off showing the news, vaccines all the bad things and then you see us just dancing and turning up. That’s how we’re showing that even though we are living through rough times, we want to bring a good vibe. Let’s blow all of that (negativity) off and focus on this. We’re all together in this fight against racism.”
At the end of the day, whether this is the countdown to Armageddon or just the countdown to a good time, DJ Paul and Oplus are here for it.
“Strip clubs are opening up soon, bro, so now might be a perfect time!” says Oplus.