Koopsta Knicca
Background information
Birth nameRobert Cooper Phillips
Born(1975-04-27)April 27, 1975
Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
DiedOctober 9, 2015(2015-10-09) (aged 40)
Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)Rapper
Years active1994–2015

Robert Cooper Phillips (April 27, 1975 – October 9, 2015), better known by his stage name Koopsta Knicca or simply Koopsta, was an American rapper. He was best known as one of the members of the Memphis rap group Three 6 Mafia and its related Hypnotize Camp Posse and Prophet Posse. He was also a member of the subgroup collective Da Mafia 6ix.

Phillips released a solo album produced by DJ Paul, Da Devil's Playground in 1994. The album was later mostly re-recorded as well as remastered in 1999 featuring an alternate tracklist.

Unable to make shows, videos, and photo shoots due to legal issues, he left Three 6 Mafia in 2000. He is noticeably edited onto the cover of 1996’s Chapter 1: The End, and absent from the album covers of 1997’s Chapter 2: World Domination and 2000’s When the Smoke Clears: Sixty 6, Sixty 1 despite being a full member of the group at the time of the respective album releases because of this. After departing Three 6 Mafia, he continued his solo work with albums Da K Project, De Inevitable, and The Mind of Robert Cooper. Beginning in 2012, Phillips started work on his latest studio album entitled Da Devil's Playground 2 and also a mixtape entitled Skrewged. He had also released A Murda 'N Room 8 EP (2010) and Decepticons – Return Of The Gods (2012).

Phillips frequently collaborated with former Three 6 Mafia associate Lord Infamous and later they reconnected with DJ Paul, Crunchy Black and Gangsta Boo to form Da Mafia 6ix. After Lord Infamous's death and Boo's departure from Da Mafia 6ix, Him, Paul and Crunchy formed a new supergroup with Insane Clown Posse called The Killjoy Club and released an album titled "Reindeer Games".

Career

Phillips joined the Memphis rap group Three 6 Mafia in 1991. According to Lord Infamous, he went to the same high school as DJ Paul and later Juicy J. He was featured on numerous Three 6 Mafia albums including the platinum-selling When the Smoke Clears: Sixty 6, Sixty 1. He left the group after the release of the album in 2000 due to his incarceration, which made him unable to make shows and videos in addition to breaching his contract with Sony. DJ Paul issued a statement regarding Phillips' death and mentioned that they were in the process of starting what would have been his 11th solo album, Da Devil's Playground 2, shortly before his death.[1]

Death

On October 6, 2015, Phillips suffered a stroke and was put on life support. At around 1:00 am on October 9, Phillips was removed from life support.[2][3]

Discography

Solo
With Three 6 Mafia

* despite not being a member of Three 6 Mafia at the time, Koopsta's verses were still featured on the album.

With Da Mafia 6ix
With The Killjoy Club
With Prophet Posse/Hypnotize Camp Posse

Collaborations

References

  1. ^ "DJ Paul Statement on Koops Death". HipHopDX. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
  2. ^ "Koopsta Knicca Of Three 6 Mafia Dies Following Stroke". Hotnewhiphop.com. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
  3. ^ Kreps, Daniel. "Koopsta Knicca, Three 6 Mafia Rapper, Dead at 40". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 9, 2015. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
  4. ^ "Koopsta Knicca – Da Devil's Playground / Underground Solo -". Amazon. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
  5. ^ "Koopsta Knicca – Da K Project". Amazon. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
  6. ^ "Koopsta Knicca Presents – Undaground Muzic 1". Amazon. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
  7. ^ "Koopsta Knicca – De Inevitable". Amazon. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
  8. ^ "Koopsta Knicca – Mind of Robert Cooper". Amazon. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
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