Meet Coogi Doogi: A Chattanoogan Gem
The story of award-winning local hip-hop artist Coogi Doogi.
In the late 1990s, William Jones-Odom was just a boy living with his mom in Boone Heights when he discovered what would become his life’s passion. For Christmas, his mom had gifted him a karaoke machine, and William used the machine to rap, though curious what the raps he wrote would sound like in the machine. Now nearly 25 years later, William is known not just across Chattanooga but all over the country for his music under the name of Coogi Doogi.
At the root of Coogi Doogi’s success is his unique musical style. He always makes an effort to carry himself and his music in a way that separates him from other local hip-hop artists. Coogi Doogi makes a constant effort to make sure that his music is modern and has an uptempo style with a unique flair that can not be replicated.
“I’m way different than any other local artists,” Coogi Doogi said. “I’m a Gemini Artist, and I make sure that all of my music has a whole different feel than anyone else you can name.”
Two events that greatly helped to expand the fame of Coogi Doogi beyond Chattanooga were his performances at the Mad Decent Block Party in 2014 in Nashville and the 2019 FreakNik Festival in Lakewood, Georgia. Being involved in these events helped to boost his popularity and opened the door for Coogi to meet and work with other famous hip-hop artists.
What has really set Coogi Doogi apart from others, though, is his commitment to his community. Since 2014, Coogi Doogi has been organizing community events like Easter egg hunts in Chattanooga. He also hosts a track meet at Howard High School every year in honor of his mom Valencia Jones who was a track star at the school.
In 2020, PBS partnered with Coogi Doogi to be a part of two separate panels to tell his story and help in inspiring locals. He has worked with the city as well and been given numerous awards as the first artist from Chattanooga to have a song make the digital diamond and for his work at the AVA Art Gallery.
Coogi Doogi will soon be releasing the album Hood Famous 2 with Project Pat, OG Loud, and Savo Rotchie. He is also focusing heavily on promoting his fashion brand Audi Boyz. Coogi has hinted that he has begun work with DJ Paul of the Three Six Mafia and local producer T-Rollin, but he is saving more information on this project for later this year. He also breeds puppies!
Make sure to follow Coogi Doogi on Instagram and to check out Hood Famous here!