Playya 1000

Fred Frierson, performing under the name Playya 1000, launched his recording path in Tulsa as a member of the local hip-hop outfit DC Boys alongside frequent production partner and co-credited collaborator Darrell Davis, who records as the Deeksta. The 1991 debut Reality, issued on the Tulsa imprint Small Town Recordings, defined his sonic approach, drawing heavily from the rising West Coast gangsta rap strain known as G-funk. Tracks marked by laid-back funk grooves and socially conscious rhymes drew parallels to 2Pac and Dr. Dre, while the follow-up Blame It on Society? from 1993 earned modest national attention. The 1994 release Mo' Drama included the regional radio success “Sunday Afternoon.” For several subsequent years Frierson and Davis focused on behind-the-scenes production for area acts including Ghetto Kaos and Big Bur-Na. The 1997 fourth album Foe-Da-$Mill$-Ticket failed to match prior commercial results, prompting both men to pause their music activities and attend to private matters. Over time the duo’s catalog attracted a growing international cult audience, spurring a 2007 return that opened with the full-length 20/20 Vision on their newly formed 20/20 Entertainment label. The pair resumed regular live appearances and began delivering motivational talks at schools and youth organizations. Numerous digital singles followed before the 2011 album Cover Me I'm Going In and the 2014 set Keep It 1000.