The Paper Route Gangstaz are polite Southern gentlemen who regularly roll from hood to hood to spread awareness about their music and product. Despite their kind mannerisms and likeable swag, however, there are certain times when the rap crew could be flat-out rude to consumers.

“If somebody calls my phone saying, ‘Yo, got some of that OG Kush?,’ [then] I’m hanging up the phone because shit – I don’t even know what that is, as far as I’m concerned,” explains group member, Mata. “But if my dude hits me up and be like, ‘What up, man? Is Keyshia over there?’ [Then I’ll say] ‘Yeah, she over here. Come on over. Come get you a CD.’ That’s good trap etiquette.”

The Hip Hop quartet (also comprised of Dawgy Baggz, Jhi-Ali and Gunt) is referencing “Keyshia Cole,” the hypnotic single from their EP Rocket Fuel that both praises the R&B superstar and serves as slang for marijuana. While that song is carrying the group into the mainstream, they’ve been patiently waiting for that jetpack over nine years.

Originally launched in 2000 as a collaboration between prominent artists in the Huntsville music scene, they settled on the name Paper Route Gangstaz and put a grimy spin on a popular job description.

“It’s like the paperboy. He deals his route every morning throwing out papers [and] he goes back to collect his money. That’s what we were doing,” Dawgy Baggz says, convincingly. “We were on our paper route, throwing out our inventory, came back and got our pay.”

While they achieved underground success with “Lacs & Prices” featuring a pre-superstar T.I. in 2001, the PRGz would spend the next seven years re-configuring their lineup, releasing music through Dawgy’s Paper Route Recordz, and selling inventory out of the trunk.

But when they released their DJ Benzi and Diplo crafted mixtape Fear & Loathing In Hunts Vegas, their trunk became empty rather quickly. That led to a deal with E1 Entertainment.

“We just got too big for ourselves, for real. We had places we couldn’t even supply. The demand was getting real major, so we had to take it national,” Mata says. Dawgy Baggz continues, “I think any artist that is trying to do their thing needs a bigger machine in order to reach different parts of the country.”

Now the energetic four-piece wrecking machine is prepping the release of Rocket Fuel, a six-track offering that boasts bangers including the kid-friendly car delight “Woodgrain,” the hometown anthem “Bama Getting Money” and of course, the infamous “Keyshia Cole.” And unlike other collections on the market, the Paper Route Gangstaz heavily emphasize their hardnosed lifestyle.

“It ain’t like nobody else is speaking on,” Mata says. “We go more in-depth on the subject. You just can’t just look at a trap nigga and then find out all that stuff. You gotta actually be up on that thing.”

The Paper Route Gangstaz are honest men. Just don’t ask them for any OG Kush.

Words by Bear Frazer
Photo by Chris Dowdell

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