DJ Paul, one-half of the rap collective Three 6 Mafia, has some sonic surprises in store for his forthcoming third solo album, A Person of Interest. The Memphis, Tenn., native gave insight on the effort, which won't stray too far from the Oscar Award-winning entertainer's usual material.

"A Person of Interest, you know, it's dope man," he tells The BoomBox. "It's catered to the Three 6 Mafia core fan base, so you know it's the hard... gangsta music. I just made it for the core fans."

However, he did add a few special effects to his production style, after being influenced by genres that are currently catching his ear.

"I added a little dubstep here and there because I'm a big fan and I put a lot more DJ effects on it versus just a regular song that just plays out," Paul reveals. "I mixed it kind of like some E.D.M., electronic dance music. So it got a lot of the DJ stutters and cuts and stuff like that, cause I'm a DJ before anything."

Fans can expect to hear "family" on A Person of Interest, with expected collaborators Juicy J, Project Pat, Gucci Mane and Lil Wyte on a track called "I'm Sprung." There's also a new song with a fellow southern rhymer.

"I got a song called 'W.I.L.L. (What I Look Like?),' Gucci Mane's on the remix," he shares. "I'm dropping [that] this week. I got one I'm finna put out called 'I Can't Take It.' It's just talking 'bout that I'm not a fan of some of the new stuff that's going on in hip-hop. Just my opinion."

He goes further into his personal theories on today's hip-hop. "I liked when hip-hop was more hardcore," the 34-year-old admits. "I don't like it just so watered down. But you know that's just me."

While A Person of Interest is Paul's solo effort, he's working with Three 6 Mafia member Juicy J on a joint track. "We got a couple lined up so I really haven't decided which one I'm going to put out," he says of the new song. "So we gone do it this weekend and figure out which one is best."

Laws of Power, the group's 10th album, which was initially set to debut last year, still has no set release date. Yet, Paul says a group LP is on its way. Though Three 6 Mafia mixtapes won't play a part in holding fans over until that opus arrives. "We wanted to make 'em, you know, wait for the real album but we just keeping our names out there with the solo stuff," Paul explains. "We'll probably bring something out next year."

A Person of Interest is due Oct. 23.

Watch Three 6 Mafia's "Stay Fly"


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