Hey Paul Wall!
Wassup what’s going down?
I’m doing fine how are you?
Ah man I’m cool I’m right here in the States right now just kicking it.
Paul Wall introduce yourself!
It’s Paul Wall baby “The People’s Champ” getting money and staying true, breaking all the haters off real bad!
Tell us where about in Houston are you from and what was it like growing up there?
I’m from the North West side of Houston but I really grew up all around the city, like all sides. It was like a different world to what I saw on TV you know what I’m saying? In Houston we got our own style so the things I saw on TV and even the music I heard on the radio wasn’t what I saw around me on a day to day basis.
Do you mean that musically on the TV there was mostly West Coast or East Coast Rap?
Yeah well you know on the radio they played mostly West Coast music and on MTV or BET they’d play East Coast music so when we listened to our own music it was mostly on the Screw tapes, the mixtapes that was how we heard our local Texas music and that’s what I grew up listening to.
What particular artists influenced you and made you want to start rapping?
Definitely UGK influenced me a lot and also my boy Lil Keke he's a real big influence on me.
Over the last year and a half you’ve been touring throughout the States and Europe with acts like Fall Out Boy, Tech N9ne, Ill Bill and now Marz on your Fast Life tour, while visiting these cities what has been the most memorable show for you so far?
It’s kind of like everywhere we go they show us a lot of love. Right now we’re in Columbus Ohio they’ve shown us a lot of love, we were in Indianapolis last night. I can’t really say which one was the most memorable, probably when I went to Italy just cause it was a different kind of place for me over there, it was memorable because it was somewhere I’ve never been before.
When you do a show in Europe do you find that the crowd response the same as a US crowd?
It’s a little bit different. Wherever Americans are living out there they always show up at your shows and come out and represent. We get a lot of Military too they come through and put it down with me. Wherever we go the local people always show us a lot of love, but yes it’s a little bit different. I think in the States we take Hip Hop for granted when I come to Europe I see they are real fans of Hip Hop but in America like I said we take it for granted.
Do you find the time to write when you’re on tour?
Yeah a little bit usually I write when I got to the studio but yeah I get the itch to write a little bit when I’m on tour.
You’ve got a new album coming out called “The Fast Life” when will that be coming out?
It’s comes out February 24th 2009.
You’ve got Akon on there and Chamillionaire, Lil Keke who else features on there?
Also on the album we got Yung Joc, Gorilla Zoe I got a new song with my boy Webbie called, “Bizzy Body” we’ve been pumpin’ it real hard and getting a lot of love from that.
Will you doing a video for that track?
Nah not yet we probably will end up doing one though.
What can we expect to hear on this album?
I got a lot of production with my homeboy Travis Braker he jumped down and did a lot of production with me we had a lot of fun in the studio. Also Beanz and Cornbread they’re some local guys form Houston they did a lot of production on there too. Other than that it’s the same raw parkin’ lot rap that I stick to you know? It’s straight hood stuff, we got some different stuff too that I haven’t done before. We had a lot of fun and I know people are gonna like it when they hear it.
For the people out here that may not know much about you, can you tell us how you got in the rap game?
I just grew up listening to rap music it was something that I was into growing up. I really liked listening to it and thought, “Hey I can do this too.” I’d see other people do it for fun and I’d be like I can do a little better than them let me see what I got.
You were in Colour Changing Click with Chamillionaire would you ever get back together as Colour Changing Click or do an album together as just Paul Wall and Chamillionaire?
Yeah I hope to do that that would be nice. I hope to do that one day.
So if you weren’t a rapper what do you think you’d be doing now?
I think I’d be a DJ because I love music so much.
And would you be a regular speed DJ as well as a Chop and Screw DJ?
Yeah fa sho and I’m a fool with it too especially when it comes to clubs I set the club off and get the club jumping!
As well as being a Rapper, Jeweller and DJ you also chop and screw music what equipment do you use to do that CDJ’s, Technics?
I use the CDJ’s I got the Technics 1200, I got the 1210’s I got the Serato jumping too so I stay active in what’s going on, whatever’s out I got to get with it.
What format do you find the easiest CD’s, Viynl or MP3’s?
Me personally I prefer the vinyl, old skool style. I guess maybe that’s just cause of how I was raised. My boy Ron C taught me how to DJ and that’s how I learned to DJ so that’s just what I prefer.
Was Chopping and Screwing something you wanted to do or was it because Ron C showed you how to do it and you just picked up on that?
It was just something I wanted to do I had a love for it and I wanted to try it out and figure out how to do it. Me and him were cool, so I kind of just picked up on it. Then after a while you know, me hanging around and picking up on little things here and there he just sat me down and just started teaching me little by little.
So what do you think makes a good Chop and Screw DJ?
Well you got to speak through the music you’ve got to let the music speak through you. I think that’s one of the main things. But other than that you just got to get in there and do your thing you know? Try and do the same old thing but at the same time maybe try and come up with something different, something new.
Texas is home of the SLAB! Or cars to my UK peeps! What Slabs have you got?
Yeah I got a few of ‘em all Cadillac’s of cause. I got a 91, a 77 Cadillac, I got a 76, I got a 71 and a 75. I got a couple of new ones too I got a new Escalade and a new GTS but all Cadillac’s I love Cadillac’s! That’s what I stay ridin’ that’s what I stay pushing. If you see me ridin’ in something it’s got to be a Cadillac baby!
Wow so what colours are they are they all Candy Painted?
Yeah all of them Candy. I got Brandy Wine over Grey, I got a Cobalt Blue over Gold you know we always try and come with some new colours every now and then. I got California Gold that one is off the chain! I just try and stay ahead of the game a little bit with the paint, make sure I got something fresh and something new that somebody else ain’t got.
Do you change the colours every so often?
Every now and then but I go through so many cars. I fix them up and I end up selling them to one of my homeboys. We do so many car shows I just end up selling them! So I go through them like crazy just from finding old beat up ones and fixing them up and turning them into masterpieces. Once I turn them into masterpieces I get tired of them and get rid of them and move onto something new!
So you take them to Car Shows and show them off?
Yeah fa sho! I got a couple of trophies too, first, second place trophies. I got a few of them just from different car shows that I put it in.
So, Paul which car is your favourite and why?
Ahh I think my favourite one is my 1976 Eldorado Convertible Cadillac it’s the one I have on my album cover “Get Money Stay True.” I think it’s my favourite one cause it’s one of the first ones I put together, it was a masterpiece from the start.
A new year is just around the corner what are your plans for next year after the release of “Fast Life”?
Same old routine for me just getting money staying true, hustling, grinding getting out there and stacking up paper how ever I can get it! I got my new album coming out February 24th I thinks that’s probably the main thing that I got going on next year. I got a clothing line too called “Expensive Taste” you can check the website http://www.igotexpensivetaste.com/ and that’s about it that’s what I got planned out for next year.
Have you dropped an Expensive Taste album yet with Travis Barker and Skinhead Rob?
We did a mixtape but we haven’t done an album yet. You can get the mixtape from http://www.skeetv.com/ it’s a free download.
Will you be dropping an album at all?
Nah not that I know of maybe when my contract is up with my record label right now but not till then.
Do you want to shout out your website addresses?
http://www.grillzbypaulwall.com/ for your Grillz for your Ice we ship out to Europe all the time so anybody out there trying to get a Grill and get Iced up holla at me we’ll take care of you, know what I’m talkin’ bout! Also I got http://www.igotexpensivetaste.com/ you can check that out and make sure you got to www.myspace.com/paulwall and check that out cause we got that in full effect.
Paul Wall thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule to do this interview any last words or shout outs?
Yeah thank you for the love.
Interview by Jai Boo
Wassup what’s going down?
I’m doing fine how are you?
Ah man I’m cool I’m right here in the States right now just kicking it.
Paul Wall introduce yourself!
It’s Paul Wall baby “The People’s Champ” getting money and staying true, breaking all the haters off real bad!
Tell us where about in Houston are you from and what was it like growing up there?
I’m from the North West side of Houston but I really grew up all around the city, like all sides. It was like a different world to what I saw on TV you know what I’m saying? In Houston we got our own style so the things I saw on TV and even the music I heard on the radio wasn’t what I saw around me on a day to day basis.
Do you mean that musically on the TV there was mostly West Coast or East Coast Rap?
Yeah well you know on the radio they played mostly West Coast music and on MTV or BET they’d play East Coast music so when we listened to our own music it was mostly on the Screw tapes, the mixtapes that was how we heard our local Texas music and that’s what I grew up listening to.
What particular artists influenced you and made you want to start rapping?
Definitely UGK influenced me a lot and also my boy Lil Keke he's a real big influence on me.
Over the last year and a half you’ve been touring throughout the States and Europe with acts like Fall Out Boy, Tech N9ne, Ill Bill and now Marz on your Fast Life tour, while visiting these cities what has been the most memorable show for you so far?
It’s kind of like everywhere we go they show us a lot of love. Right now we’re in Columbus Ohio they’ve shown us a lot of love, we were in Indianapolis last night. I can’t really say which one was the most memorable, probably when I went to Italy just cause it was a different kind of place for me over there, it was memorable because it was somewhere I’ve never been before.
When you do a show in Europe do you find that the crowd response the same as a US crowd?
It’s a little bit different. Wherever Americans are living out there they always show up at your shows and come out and represent. We get a lot of Military too they come through and put it down with me. Wherever we go the local people always show us a lot of love, but yes it’s a little bit different. I think in the States we take Hip Hop for granted when I come to Europe I see they are real fans of Hip Hop but in America like I said we take it for granted.
Do you find the time to write when you’re on tour?
Yeah a little bit usually I write when I got to the studio but yeah I get the itch to write a little bit when I’m on tour.
You’ve got a new album coming out called “The Fast Life” when will that be coming out?
It’s comes out February 24th 2009.
You’ve got Akon on there and Chamillionaire, Lil Keke who else features on there?
Also on the album we got Yung Joc, Gorilla Zoe I got a new song with my boy Webbie called, “Bizzy Body” we’ve been pumpin’ it real hard and getting a lot of love from that.
Will you doing a video for that track?
Nah not yet we probably will end up doing one though.
What can we expect to hear on this album?
I got a lot of production with my homeboy Travis Braker he jumped down and did a lot of production with me we had a lot of fun in the studio. Also Beanz and Cornbread they’re some local guys form Houston they did a lot of production on there too. Other than that it’s the same raw parkin’ lot rap that I stick to you know? It’s straight hood stuff, we got some different stuff too that I haven’t done before. We had a lot of fun and I know people are gonna like it when they hear it.
For the people out here that may not know much about you, can you tell us how you got in the rap game?
I just grew up listening to rap music it was something that I was into growing up. I really liked listening to it and thought, “Hey I can do this too.” I’d see other people do it for fun and I’d be like I can do a little better than them let me see what I got.
You were in Colour Changing Click with Chamillionaire would you ever get back together as Colour Changing Click or do an album together as just Paul Wall and Chamillionaire?
Yeah I hope to do that that would be nice. I hope to do that one day.
So if you weren’t a rapper what do you think you’d be doing now?
I think I’d be a DJ because I love music so much.
And would you be a regular speed DJ as well as a Chop and Screw DJ?
Yeah fa sho and I’m a fool with it too especially when it comes to clubs I set the club off and get the club jumping!
As well as being a Rapper, Jeweller and DJ you also chop and screw music what equipment do you use to do that CDJ’s, Technics?
I use the CDJ’s I got the Technics 1200, I got the 1210’s I got the Serato jumping too so I stay active in what’s going on, whatever’s out I got to get with it.
What format do you find the easiest CD’s, Viynl or MP3’s?
Me personally I prefer the vinyl, old skool style. I guess maybe that’s just cause of how I was raised. My boy Ron C taught me how to DJ and that’s how I learned to DJ so that’s just what I prefer.
Was Chopping and Screwing something you wanted to do or was it because Ron C showed you how to do it and you just picked up on that?
It was just something I wanted to do I had a love for it and I wanted to try it out and figure out how to do it. Me and him were cool, so I kind of just picked up on it. Then after a while you know, me hanging around and picking up on little things here and there he just sat me down and just started teaching me little by little.
So what do you think makes a good Chop and Screw DJ?
Well you got to speak through the music you’ve got to let the music speak through you. I think that’s one of the main things. But other than that you just got to get in there and do your thing you know? Try and do the same old thing but at the same time maybe try and come up with something different, something new.
Texas is home of the SLAB! Or cars to my UK peeps! What Slabs have you got?
Yeah I got a few of ‘em all Cadillac’s of cause. I got a 91, a 77 Cadillac, I got a 76, I got a 71 and a 75. I got a couple of new ones too I got a new Escalade and a new GTS but all Cadillac’s I love Cadillac’s! That’s what I stay ridin’ that’s what I stay pushing. If you see me ridin’ in something it’s got to be a Cadillac baby!
Wow so what colours are they are they all Candy Painted?
Yeah all of them Candy. I got Brandy Wine over Grey, I got a Cobalt Blue over Gold you know we always try and come with some new colours every now and then. I got California Gold that one is off the chain! I just try and stay ahead of the game a little bit with the paint, make sure I got something fresh and something new that somebody else ain’t got.
Do you change the colours every so often?
Every now and then but I go through so many cars. I fix them up and I end up selling them to one of my homeboys. We do so many car shows I just end up selling them! So I go through them like crazy just from finding old beat up ones and fixing them up and turning them into masterpieces. Once I turn them into masterpieces I get tired of them and get rid of them and move onto something new!
So you take them to Car Shows and show them off?
Yeah fa sho! I got a couple of trophies too, first, second place trophies. I got a few of them just from different car shows that I put it in.
So, Paul which car is your favourite and why?
Ahh I think my favourite one is my 1976 Eldorado Convertible Cadillac it’s the one I have on my album cover “Get Money Stay True.” I think it’s my favourite one cause it’s one of the first ones I put together, it was a masterpiece from the start.
A new year is just around the corner what are your plans for next year after the release of “Fast Life”?
Same old routine for me just getting money staying true, hustling, grinding getting out there and stacking up paper how ever I can get it! I got my new album coming out February 24th I thinks that’s probably the main thing that I got going on next year. I got a clothing line too called “Expensive Taste” you can check the website http://www.igotexpensivetaste.com/ and that’s about it that’s what I got planned out for next year.
Have you dropped an Expensive Taste album yet with Travis Barker and Skinhead Rob?
We did a mixtape but we haven’t done an album yet. You can get the mixtape from http://www.skeetv.com/ it’s a free download.
Will you be dropping an album at all?
Nah not that I know of maybe when my contract is up with my record label right now but not till then.
Do you want to shout out your website addresses?
http://www.grillzbypaulwall.com/ for your Grillz for your Ice we ship out to Europe all the time so anybody out there trying to get a Grill and get Iced up holla at me we’ll take care of you, know what I’m talkin’ bout! Also I got http://www.igotexpensivetaste.com/ you can check that out and make sure you got to www.myspace.com/paulwall and check that out cause we got that in full effect.
Paul Wall thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule to do this interview any last words or shout outs?
Yeah thank you for the love.
Interview by Jai Boo
