At first glance, people may think all Paul Wall is about is Grills and Cadillacs. After talking to the man, I see he is intelligent and a dedicated family man. I had a chance to talk to him about how he got started, His new album and his thoughts on Hip Hop.

Paul Wall’s new album, “Get Money, Stay True,” is in stores now.

Cingular Paul Wall contest, winner wins Roundtrip airfare for two to the June 10th Honda Civic Tour featuring Paul Wall and Fallout Boy, in Chicago. Plus hotel accommodations, concert tickets, VIP meet-and-greet with Paul Wall, and transportation to and from the show. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY.

Paul Wall: Don’t Judge A Man By His Grills
by Nigel Degraff

RealTalkNY: What first sparked your interest in rap?

Paul Wall: It was something everybody in my area did. In the school bus and at the lunch table. We did it as a hobby. We freestyled, me and my boys Lil Keke & Fat Pat. Lil Keke and Fat Pat rapping made me want to rap because I always idolized them and looked up to them.

RealTalkNY: What moves did you make to take things to the next level?

Paul Wall: At first it was a hobby, nothing I took serious. I just did it for fun, I started making demo tapes and coming up with song concepts. People started liking it, so me and my friends made a group. I use to do street promotion for Def Jam and No Limit. That introduced me to a lot of different people. I just climbed the ladder over time. My boy Michael Watts 5000, who use to do mixtapes around my neighborhood, took me under his wings. He showed me how to make a living out of my hobby.

RealTalkNY: How did your life change after the first album dropped?

Paul Wall: The first CD I dropped was called, “Get Your Mind Correct.” My life changed a lot, it was the first time I had a song on the radio. The CD sold phenomenally, locally and regionally. It was proof to me and my team that we were doing what we needed to be doing. We had a strong fan base following us, it was proof to the world we were the real deal and were not playing games. We ended up putting out quite a few more albums. The first national releases was , “People’s Champ,” with Atlantic Records. It was the most successful CD I ever been apart of. I was just grateful, it was a blessing. It was great seeing how well it did but at the same time I know I was trying to build a career off of Hip Hop. Having a great song and album is great, buts it’s about consistency and not just having one hot album.

RealTalkNY: Where did the alias, “People’s Champ,” originate from?

Paul Wall: It was a name my friend gave me. He called me that because no matter how much success I achieved, I’m the same person. Success hasn’t changed me one bit, I never acted like I was better than anybody else. I treat people with the same respect they give me. From a CEO to a busboy, it doesn’t matter who you are, I treat you with the same level of respect.

RealTalkNY: What were your first big purchases?

Paul Wall: I bought a house, a couple of cars. Some jewelry, I made my own jewelry, so I always been able to have what I wanted in terms of jewelry. I bought a Benz, then upgraded to a Bentley. At the end of the day I ended up getting rid of the Benz and Bentley. I got all Cadillacs now, since I’m so into them.

RealTalkNY: How is the grills business doing?

Paul Wall: Grills are doing phenomenal. My website, “GrillsByPaulWall,” is getting a lot of customers ordering grills. We have grills, grills for kids, Paul Wall bobble heads, Famous Stars & Straps clothing, mixtapes and all kind of stuff.

RealTalkNY: How is family life going for you?

Paul Wall: It’s great, that’s the ultimate success right there. That’s what I worked hard for, to have a wife, to have a son and a family that supports me no matter what. A family that has my back is the ultimate joy.

RealTalkNY: Does being famous interfere with your family life?

Paul Wall: Sometimes  I can’t spend time with them the way I would like to. We go out sometimes and get harassed and it kinds of ruin the moment. We find places to go and find ways to make it happen. It’s something that comes along with success, so we deal with it.

RealTalkNY: How was your experience on the VH1 show Bling’d?

Paul Wall: Oh man, it was incredible. It took me to a whole other world. It allowed me to experience something I had never seen before. The time there made me take responsibility as a jeweler and entertainer. Particularly as a jeweler, it made me take action and ask where the jewelry comes from. It made me think about what I can do to make a difference in the lives of the people there.

RealTalkNY: Can you tell us about the new album, “Get Money, Stay True.”

Paul Wall: It’s in stores now. Guest include, Trina, Snoop Dogg, Juelz Santana, Freeway, John B, Lil Keke and Jermaine Dupri. Also a new record from my group, “Expensive Taste.’ I’m really excited about it, we recorded like 40 something songs, and we chose the best 14.

RealTalkNY: How did, “Expensive Taste,” get together?

Paul Wall: Expensive Taste is me, Travis Barker and Skinhead Rob Aston. They were in a group called Transplants, but they broke up for whatever reason. We were all friends and decided to make a group. We wanted to see how it would sound and it came out nice. We created a lot of songs, next thing you know we have 35-40 tracks. We ended up putting out a mixape.

RealTalkNY: CNN did a poll asking whether Hip Hop was art or poison, what are your thought on it?

Paul Wall: It’s definitely an art. If you over indulge in it or get into it for the wrong reason any art can become a poison. For me it is an art, something I love to do. I love music, I love being a musician. I love being able to express myself through music. At the same time, if people get into it for the wrong reasons, they get corrupted by money, women and stuff like that, it can become an poison.

RealTalkNY: With Hip Hop sales on the decline, do you think it is key for rappers to invest in  businesses and diversify their hustle?

Paul Wall: Definitely, but I don’t see Hip Hop sales going down, I see it as hip Hop evolving. There are more artist out and every new artist won’t sell 10 million records. But at the same time Hip Hop has evolved. You have groups like the Black Eyed Peas who are selling a lot of records. You have Justin Timberlake, who was at one time a teen pop icon, now representing Hip Hop. All his production is from Timbaland, he beat boxes and he dances. His dances are choreographed, but heavily influenced by break dancing. He got 3 6 Mafia, T.I. & Timbaland on songs. You can’t knock him out the box and say he’s not Hip Hop. He is just a different form of Hip Hop. Hip Hop is the number 1 influence globally in entertainment and life period. Every country around the world has some form of Hip Hop. I don’t see it as sales declining, but as Hip Hop evolving.

This entry was posted on Monday, April 16th, 2007 at 12:46 am and is filed under Interviews.