All the way from Memphis

On Thursday at 10 p.m., MTV will premiere a series about some Southern folks who strike it rich, load up their vehicle and move into a huge L.A. mansion to live the good life.

No, it’s not another version of “The Beverly Hillbillies.” But it could be called “The Bel-Air Blingbillies.”

The actual title is “Adventures in HollyHood,” and it’s an unscripted series about Three 6 Mafia, the rap group that scored an Academy Award in 2006 for the hip-hop anthem “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp,” from the film “Hustle & Flow.”

The show follows the group’s members as they travel from their Memphis, Tenn., home to Los Angeles (rolling in a Rolls-Royce, no less) to capitalize on their Oscar momentum and become Hollywood players.

It may be “hard out here for a pimp,” but it’s also not easy for a group that is trying to move beyond one-hit-wonder status. Three 6 Mafia is near royalty in Memphis, but in Hollywood it’s just another act trying to climb to the next level.

In the first episode, the rappers are recruited to come up with a song for “Jackass Number Two,” a project that will definitely not earn them a second Oscar. In a future episode, they pitch their idea for a movie, “Streets of Memphis,” which gets a less-than-warm reception from “Die Hard” producer Larry Gordon. Meanwhile, their record company is pressuring them to put out an album.

Still, the emphasis is on comedy, as the group tries to put “the hood” into Hollywood, and the show at times seems like an amped-up version of HBO’s “Entourage.” Juicy J and DJ Paul, the creative core of the group, are one of music’s oddest partnerships, and their posse, including personal assistant Big Treice, Internet consultant Computer and protege Project Pat, form an offbeat ensemble.

“Their perspective is key, and they are very endearing and charming,” said Rod Aissa, senior vice president of talent development for MTV and an executive producer of the series.

“They live such a different lifestyle that is so at odds with life out here in Los Angeles. They have this urban-Memphis Southern style, and they’re natural comedians.”

-- Greg Braxton