Michael “mr. collipark” crooms is a vet.

As one of the architects of Southern hip-hop before “crunk” became part of the mainstream repertoire, his work can be heard on albums including his own Dead Crunk (1998), featuring Ludacris and Lil Jon, as well as the Ying Yang Twins’ Thug Walkin’ (2000), Alley...Return of the Ying Yang Twins (2002), and the platinum-selling Me & My Brother (2003).

The producer formerly known as DJ Smurf, formerly known as Beat-In-Azz, now known as Mr. Collipark, began DJing in 1987 as part of King Edward J’s “J Team,” then the only mixtape crew in Atlanta. “When I was in the eighth grade,” Collipark explains, “I was over at this guy’s house who had the neighborhood turntables. The Smurfs [cartoon] was popular and I was short like I am now,” he laughs. “They made a crack like, ‘He look like a DJ Smurf.’ It was funny, but dope. So I kept it.” In 1998, Smurf met D-Roc and Kane, changed his name to Beat-In-Azz, and created Collipark Music. Platinum success brought on a new name and a fresh sound that’s obvious on the YYT’s “Wait.”

At press time, the single was easing up the Billboard charts with recent additions to MTV2. “It’s intimate club music,” explains the College Park, Georgia, native. “We passed the raps about shake your ass, drop it to the floor, and all that. This is about focusing on one female. [It’s about] if you could get at her directly, what would you say?” joycelyn a. wilson
















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