Rap Basement: So we have been hearing alot about your upcoming cd "The Peoples Champ" what can we expect from it?
Paul Wall: It's a 2 part agenda the first and foremost is to introduce
the rest of the world to Paul Wall that being me and all that.. the second
is to represent this Texas culture yanno to the fullest b/c I feel like the
rest of the world has been oblivious to what we got going on and even
though they might hear a little bit about it they ears never been explained
in detail and that is kinda like what I am tryin to do yanno with the syrup
music, slabs, creasing our jeans, the way we talk, the way we
talk to girls, our slang, everything man, all attitudes everything I just
wanna represent that and introduce that to the rest of the world.
Rap Basement: How did you first hook up with the Swisha House?
Paul Wall: I got with Micheal Walsh back in '97 doin promotions for
him or it acutally might have been before that '96 -'97 somewhere around
there I was doing promotions for him for (his parties he used to throw) and
I used come to all his parties and I wanted to do promotions and get the
parties crunk they're wouldn't be anybody from my highschool who were at the
parties so I would always find out them through my sister that went to a
different school so we didn't acutually hook up and I was real heavy in
street promotions at the time like me passing out flyers, servicing djs for
records, putting up posters, doing retail stock for stores yanno for other
artist and record labels so me and Micheal Walsh hooked up and became
friends but at the same time I kinda offered him some things as opposed to
me asking him for things. I offered him in helping with promotions. So he
took me under his belt and I just me and him got cool. He knew I rapped
and he liked the way I rapped he always liked the way I rapped and he played
my songs and stuff when he was doin parties and stuff he'd just play my
songs and he'd showed me love and it was only a matter of time and one time
I just happened to ask him if "man can I do a freestyle for ya or
somethin.' He was like " you know what come on let's go do it' and we just
did it. And from there yanno I did a couple freestyles. And then from there
is just kinda took off. I think at the time my style of rap was so different
than the rest of the rappers that were on (swisha house) not nessicarily
better but or worse but different that it kinda gave spotlight to me. Of
course it was up to me to step up to the plate. But as you can chronologically see I
definatley stepped up to the plate.
Rap Basement: As a white mc do you feel like you got to try harder to prove yourself?
Paul Wall: Yeah its kinda like the same thing with the swisha house
when I got down with the swisha house yanno it was the same type of aspect
with me being white it shines a spotlight on me and lets me kinda cut the
line yanno to get to the battersbox but at the same time its up to me to
step up to the plate either im gonna strike out or hit a homerun its up to
me on what I do.. Me being white doesnt meen people are gonna like me or dislike me. But what
it is gonna do is draw attention to me you know and its up to me to make
them a fan or turn them into somebody who dont like my music. But one of the
benifits of rapping on the swisha house mix tapes for so long for what I did
I was on the swisha house mix tapes for like four years before I dropped the
album and one of the main benifits of what was that people didnt know I was
white they just heard my music of course by the listening to my voice they
couldnt tell, listening to my slang they couldnt tell not to mention the
fact that the music had slowed down so they definately couldnt tell. So no
one has ever really prejudged me as they would most likely do if they just
would naturally seeing me rap. Be like "oh this white boy is goin off this
white boy can rap as opposed to as this kid could rap" yanno what I'm sayin?
But like I said its definately benifits to be on the mix tapes cause it
kinda eliminated the prejudgement but at the same time when people started
realising it was me that um "man hes white" but yano it started getting
kinda crazy cause it was kinda controversial like "man they aint got nobody
in swisha house with them that's white." It was kinda like in it self just out of the ordinary it was all good like I said I
work to prove myself to people even now I get compared to other rappers, but
I definately dont feel like sound or rap like any other white rapper, but
shit even further I dont think I sound or rap like any rapper at all being
a white, hispanic, black, asian whatever. But coming from Texas being that
we are so far south and so close to Mexico and so close to Lousianna where
in Lousianna its the large creol population. Most people would assume that I
was a hispanic, or assume that I was mixed or would assume that I'm a bright
ass you know cajun. I never tried to be anything or anything that I wasn't I
was always me I would always be me. They ask me, Yeah I'm white aint no
problem with me and I dont have no problem with anybody comparing me to
anybody but the fact that somebody comparing me to somebody because I'm
white if they wanna do that I don't think I sound like any white rapper that
I know like I said I don't sound like any rapper I know..
Rap Basement: What advice can you give to any upcoming rappers?
Paul Wall: They gotta broaden their horizons and open their mind up.
The problem I see with most rappers and entertainers and you see the same
thing with atheletes people see it like the world owes them something and
its the exact opposite yanno you gotta make your way you gotta prove
yourself yanno God blessed you with that talent you know its your
responsibility and obligation to share it with the rest of the world its not
the rest of the worlds obligation to ride your dick. Yanno roll out the red carpet for you for you its
not how its supposed to be you gotta work our motto of the swisha house is
"if you don't work you don't eat" its ...
Rap Basement: You dont grind you dont shine
Paul Wall: Exactly man. So that is just how it is and that is the
only advice I can give people is just work and work and work and work but
they gotta keep the mind to that it might not be meant to be yanno. Because
sometimes it just isn't meant to be. Yanno some people are better CEOs, some
people are better rappers. You got rappers that try to be CEOs but they not
be good CEOs but they might be great rappers but they'd be horrible CEOs
just like you got some CEOs that might try to rap and they might be a GREAT
CEO but they'd be a horrible rapper.
Rap Basement: Alright alot of people don't know that you do alot more
than rap. You're also the gold tooth dentist. How did you get into makin' grills?
Paul Wall: I always wanted one but financially I couldn't get one so
being that I done street promotions the guy who made them was also a rapper.
So I came in with an idea kinda proposal like yanno look Im gonna promote
your album and Im gonna promote your teeth all I want is to hook me up. And
he did, but I brought him so much business and clientel that he was like "
we need to open up a gold tooth shop". So we started doing that and from
there I kinda stopped doing that because the rapping got so big but I seen
monitary opportunities for me in the gold teeth and not just that,
networking opportunities like the celebraties and high profile clients like
Lil Jon like when he came to me for a grill it was because my grill was like
a different type of grill he is used to seeing so you know I looked at it as
if I did lil jons grill that's a hell of a proclamation and I did Lil Johns
grill heh So naturally I started back doin the grills and my boy who I
originally did the gold teeth with my boy ('Crime') he introduced me to the
actual guy who owned the workshop whatever actually made from scratch. All I
would do is design them and sell them and take someones mold. But where the the actual diamonds
got set and where the actual grills got polished yanno what I'm sayin he
introduced me to him and me and him went from there and we opened up our
actual retail store in Houston where we sell not only the grills but
necklaces, peices and chains, watches whatever, bracelets, earrings...
Rap Basement: So how much does it cost?
Paul Wall: Well it depends on the celebraties but ususally anywhere
from like $30,000, T.I spending $30,000 on his
Rap Basement: How much is in yours?
Paul Wall: My mouths got like $20,000
Rap Basement: What other business ventures you got going on right now?
Paul Wall: I also do a lil bit of real-estate here and there I also
own the studio where my boys The Grid Iron, (my boys Mobetta?) they got a production
company where they make alot of productional beats I screw and chop, I dj regular speed along with the screwed and chopped you know, I dj
radio I do clubs just whatever time will allow me to do.
Rap Basement: So what is going on with the underground projects? Like the Bubba Sparxxx colab album or the Mike Jones & Paul Wall - The Future album?
Paul Wall: Well we talked about doing an album with me, Mike Jones,
and Slim Thug, but its realistically you know there ain't no tellin' how the
tables are gonna turn because each one of us is signed to different label.
I'm signed to Atlantic, Mike Jones is Warner Bros., and Slim Thug is with
Interscope, so it kinda conflicts within the record labels you know doing
that type of thing because its always like "Ok who's gonna work the record,
whos album is it gonna come out on, who's record label is it gonna come out
on. But you know that is just where the politics get in the way of making
good music. Other than that you know alot of things like the thing with me and Bubba Sparxx that
was some shit we was gonna do a mix tape together and I was gonna screw and chop his
album too. But due to time we could never really sit down and get it done but that's just
how it is. We out here workin' baby gettin' our money.
Rap Basement: Whats up with the Paul Wall & Chamillionaire Controvery Sells?
Paul Wall: We selling phenominal units on that use on that man that's a great album man you
people need to go buy it as a matter of fact it the screwed and chopped just came out you need to pick that up.
Rap Basement: So you're promoting that too?
Paul Wall: Hell yeah Paid in Full they my family man they gave me opportunies
out of this world. Mad Hatter & Big Cat they gave me an opportunity out of this world man and
make things happen yanno in this music industry and this rap game. You know
they saw that I had a talent and they went out there and they work and
they introduced me to the main stream as opposed to being just an
underground freestyle rapper.
Rap Basement: I gotta ask you whats going on with you and Chamillionaire?
Paul Wall: Shit I don't know what's goin' on with him whats goin on
with me Atlantic is goin' down, I got an album coming out the July 19th,
I just knocked off a new Benz, I bought a new house, shit I bout 2 slabs I got
2 Impalas, see you know what I'm sayin' I dont know whats going on with him
but thats what's goin on with me.
Rap Basement: What is a typical day for you?
Paul Wall: Oh shit just staying on the grind. On the grind. Man I'm up early by 8 O'clock when I'm in
Houston I'm in the studio at like by 9 O'clock everyday and I leave by 10
O'clock at night. Shit just grinding all day all day doin phone call interviews yanno talkin to djs.
With me its definatley benifited but there's people in it like I have
developed relations with different people over the years so it's not just a
dj playin my records it's my homeboy who happens to be a dj playin the
record because he likes the record and I'm his partener.
Rap Basement: Yeah I gotcha.. This is my last question..Whats one thing that your fans dont know boutcha?
Paul Wall: Man as much as I talk about ballin' I really do not give a
fuck about money. That shit doesnt meen much to me in my life. I'm not materialistic
as much as I talk about ballin' and shit my motherfuckahs do not know that
I'm not materialistic and that shit dont phase me at all.
