For years SPM (South Park Mexican) hustled his sounds along the Texas-California axis and his hard work paid off with a measure of regional success that allowed him to bring his whole family out of minimum wage jobs and served as an example of what hard work and determination can do for a drop-out street kid. His rise to fame and fortune gave hope to the South Park homies that a way out of the hood could be found.

SPM - Living the Hard Way

"One of the most successful Texas based rappers." Ramiro Burr

For years SPM (South Park Mexican) hustled his sounds along the Texas-California axis and his hard work paid off with a measure of regional success that allowed him to bring his whole family out of minimum wage jobs and served as an example of what hard work and determination can do for a drop-out street kid. His rise to fame and fortune gave hope to the South Park homies that a way out of the hood could be found.

SPM - Growing up

Carlos Coy was born October 5, 1970 and raised in the largely Hispanic South Park neighborhood of Houston, Texas by his older sister because their mother worked around the clock to keep the family off welfare. He didn't do well in school and dropped out of the ninth grade. After getting a GED Coy enrolled in San Jacinto Junior College but classroom education was not the right environment for the hyperactive young man. A minimum wage job at a chemical plant did not last long and working as a door to door perfume salesman proved to make money only for his boss. Discouraged Coy turned to marketing crack cocaine`. By the time Coy was twenty he didn't want anything more to do with selling drugs and in 1994 he turned his attention to rapping.

Making his way

Adopting the stage name South Park Mexican Coy wrote rhythms and sold his tapes and CD's for $5 apiece anywhere he could. Four years later along with his brother and a close friend he founded his own record label, Dope House Records, and produced his first two albums, Power Moves and Hustle Town, in 1998. Through vigorous touring and aggressive self promotion South Park Mexican established himself as a regional celebrity. 3^rd Wish to Rock the World in 1999 followed by The Purity Album in 2000 brought the boys from Universal to SPM. Time is Money was released later in 2000 and marketed heavily by Universal with disappointing results. The most popular singles from the albums were Mary-go-round, High So High, Peace Pipe and Mexican Radio. When response to his Never Change album which was released a year later was the same Universal decided that SPM's coarse rapping failed to garner a wide enough appeal and they shelved the third album, Reveille Park, created under contract. SPM later released the freestyle Latino flavored Reveille Park on his Dope House Records label in 2002. This was the last album SPM would release until 2006.

Life

SPM rapped about the hard life on the streets. Maintaining street credibility as a rapper required attitude and machismo but many thought he was putting out a good message on the whole. He stated repeatedly he wanted to put out the positive message that a person can beat the streets. At the same time he fathered a child with a thirteen year old girl in 1993 when he was 23 years old. Drinking and smoking pot was a daily routine but it was the charge and following conviction for aggravated sexual assault of a nine year old girl in 2001 that brought the man down. On May 18^th, 2002 Carlos Coy was convicted and sentenced to 45 years in prison. Coy pleaded innocent of the charges and is involved in an appeal while he serves his time at Powledge Prison in Palestine, Texas.

Keepin' goin' on

While behind bars South Park Mexican continues to write and rap. After a four year silence SPM released When Devils Strike, on the Dope House Music label, which did better than any former works when it reached #2 on the Top Independent Albums chart in 2006. Still considered hardcore in style the album does not carry the dirty gangsta attitude. His latest album, The Last Chair Violinist, came out in 2008 and landed the #3 spot on the Top Independent Albums.

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