When you look at the roots of Memphis Rap, you can’t ignore the impact of DJ Sound and his legendary crew, Frayser Click. Before the world knew about them, two young talents—Carlos “DJ Sound” Perry and Player 1 (aka Priest McCullough)—were already making noise in the late ’80s.
It all began in 1987 at Trezvant High School in North Memphis. That year, Sound and Player 1 entered and won the school talent show. DJ Sound, known then as Soundmaster C and later Trans Sound C, showed off his beatboxing skills, while Player 1—going by M.C. Ice—rapped and performed his signature Gangsta-Walk. A rare audio recording of this moment still exists, later released by Player 1 on cassette in the 2000s. It’s a time capsule of a moment before Memphis Rap even had a name.
The Rise of DJ Sound and the Birth of Frayser Click
By 1990-1991, Sound had transitioned into DJing, inspired by pioneers like DJ Spanish Fly. His love for scratching records led him to start producing his own tracks after acquiring a Dr. Rhythm DR-660. Around the same time, DJ Paul, Juicy J, and DJ Squeeky were creating their first tapes, helping to shape a new underground scene.
In 1992, DJ Sound began releasing his own mixtapes, blending local flavor with popular tracks. By 1994, he officially formed the Frayser Click, named after his North Memphis neighborhood. The crew included close friends and family—cousins like Dirty Red, Lil Bay, and D Tha Unknown, as well as longtime collaborator Player 1, who was now in a duo with Bloody Bones aka Player 2.
As the Frayser Click grew, Sound added more talent:
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MC Money & Gangsta Gold
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Mad Maine & KeeWee
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D.O.N. & Full Clip
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Lil Yo & G.B.
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LV & Lil Rob
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Dirty Red & Lil Bay
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Player 1 & Player 2
By the time Volume 3 dropped, DJ Sound had partnered with DJ Livewire, who helped him master beat programming. From there, it was a run of iconic underground tapes—each one raw, eerie, and unmistakably Memphis.
The Sudden Silence and What Happened Next
By 1996, DJ Sound released his final official tape: Volume 11 – Broken Halo. Not long after, life took over. He moved out of his mother’s house, picked up new responsibilities, and had plans to release Volume 12. But things didn’t go as expected.
He lent out his equipment to friends, only to never get it back. His cousin Dirty Red had also left the group, using inheritance money to build a new studio. Unfortunately, Dirty Red didn’t let anyone else use it—he was focused on pushing his own group, Luciano Crime Family. Between losing his gear and his core crew splitting up, DJ Sound quietly stepped away from music.
The Resurrection (and the Drama) Begins
For many artists, this would’ve been the end. But Player 1, always a hustler, had different plans.
Around 2003, he reunited with DJ Sound and proposed a digital revival. The idea was simple: rip the original DJ Sound tapes, digitize them, and re-release the catalog under a new label, Litegreen Records. Sound agreed and handed over much of his archive—including unreleased material.
What happened next is one of Memphis Rap’s wildest behind-the-scenes stories.
The Bootleg Takeover
Once in control of the catalog, Player 1 essentially took over the entire DJ Sound Productions brand. By 2005, he launched a Frayser Click website, which not only re-released Sound’s original catalog, but also pushed out new music from unrelated artists like Tango and Lil Peaches.
He started creating entirely new albums from decade-old songs. He bootlegged DJ Sound’s unreleased Volume 12, releasing it in 2012 with a custom album cover. Then he kept going—Vol. 13 through Vol. 18, all unofficial. Player 1 even impersonated DJ Sound online, answering YouTube comments as if he were him. Despite the questionable ethics, this move kept the name DJ Sound alive during a time when Memphis Rap was fading into obscurity.
The hustle slowed around 2021, when the website was finally taken down—likely due to unpaid hosting fees.
The Truth Comes Out
In 2019, the truth finally surfaced. DJ Sound gave his first public interview on Mr. Zee’s YouTube channel, sitting down with Z-Dogg and DJ Zirk. In it, Sound cleared the air:
“The last official tape I ever dropped was Broken Halo, Volume 11, in 1996.”
He called out Player 1 for misrepresenting him and the Frayser Click brand. Despite all that, you can’t deny Player 1’s role in preserving and spreading the Memphis underground sound online. For better or worse, he kept the movement alive through bootlegs, rerips, and his underground website—just as YouTube and Discogs started exploding with Memphis content.
Legacy Still Intact
Today, DJ Sound is still respected as an underground legend. He’s hinted at re-releasing his old catalog and even producing new material for up-and-coming artists. Whether he drops again or chooses to stay retired, his influence is cemented.
As for Player 1, you might still catch him online every now and then. I even copped a few of his last tapes off Etsy in 2022. Whatever your thoughts on the man, he played a unique role in keeping one of Memphis’s most important underground legacies alive.