You
been working hard as usual?Yeah, I'm going to the studio and finish a couple of tracks for my new album. We're working on it already. My current album called Get Money, Stay True is already out. It's going to be the same old and staying on my grind.
Tell me a bit about Get Money, Stay True.
We've got Snoop Dogg, Travis Baker, Jermaine Dupri and a lot of great production too. Jermaine and I had a great time working on this album. He cleared his schedule for me and we managed to do this.
Do you think this album is previous to others you've recorded?
We didn't have as many songs on the last album as on this one. For Get Money, Stay True we recorded like forty songs so had a bigger selection for the final cut. The whole concept of this album is getting money and staying on your grind but at the same time staying true to who you are. That's what the songs are about.
How do you manage to stay true on a major label?
There are still a lot of great street singles that have been put out on YouTube and places like that. Atlantic didn't really want to push the street singles, they wanted to push the material with Jermaine Dupri instead but that's just a bit of compromise. It's about making the music you want to make and staying true to who you are. I'm just being me.
Do you think you would be in the same position if you were doing this independently?
Nah, I don't think so. We've had so much help from Atlantic and have taken us to another level. I don't think it would have been possible without them.
A lot of people are saying the success that rappers from the South are having is just a phase and a mainstream thing. What would you say to that?
I don't believe that those statements are true at all. I'm just doing my thing and have had quite a successful career doing what I do and have had a few albums out already. I'm making music and selling my CDs.
Are you still making mix tapes?
Yes I am, I actually released one recently. My new group Expensive Taste has one out that you can download for free on our Myspace page www.myspace.com/expensivetaste. I'm still doing mix tapes full time.
How do mix tapes help hip hop artists?
It's a big part of getting hip hop to the street. Mix tapes are breaking new artists all the time. Artists put the best of the best of the tracks they have on mix tapes so you hear fresh music and that's where you hear it first. I don't plan on stopping being a part of mix tapes.
Is there anyone you'd really like to work with?
Oh yeah, there are a lot of talented artists out there. I've been working with Lil KeKe who is a legendary Texan artist that started the whole Screwed Up movement in music. We've been coming up with a lot of music between our Expensive Tastes group as well. I love doing what I'm doing.
Is there anyone that you wouldn't like to work with?
People that I don't respect or don't respect me. I ain't gonna call out any names but respect is very important to me.
How do you go about chopping and screwing a track?
A guy called DJ Screw used to cut tracks and blend them together on a mix tape while slowing down the pitch. He used a lot of blending, scratching and mixing techniques to create a whole new sound. Then he would cut out different words and put them somewhere else which is called 'chopping.' I've done some chopping and screwing myself before and have always been a huge fan of DJ Screw.
Something I have to ask you is how is your grill business going?
It's off the chain. We've been selling grills like crazy! I just got a call from Chris Rock so I'm going to hook him up. We get calls from all sorts of people all over the world. I gotta get somebody to translate so I know what kind they want.
What kind of grills would you make for someone like Mariah Carey?
Oh man, I'm the biggest fan of Mariah Carey! I would design something petite and classy for her. The popular style at the moment is pink sapphire with rose gold.
I spoke to Mike Jones a while ago and asked him 'Who is Mike Jones.' I'm going to ask you who is Paul Wall?
I make music for the people and that's what I do. Music is my life and lifestyle. I'm the people's champ!
www.myspace.com/paulwall
www.grillsbypaulwall.com
By Rashmi Shastri - Apr 2007