Rapper Paul Wall Visits the Studio

Howard had Paul Wall, the white rapper who sounds black in the clip from MTV Howard has been playing recently, into the studio. Howard told Paul that when he first heard the clip, he was sure he was listening to a black guy. He added that not even Eminem has mastered the black dialect the way Paul has.

Paul mentioned that he is from Houston and that he was exposed to so many different types of people growing up that he always talked this way. Paul also claimed that he is not trying to sound black and that he couldn’t talk differently unless he really tried to fake it. Despite his argument, Howard suggested that Paul would learn how to talk white really quickly if he ever had to go to court.

Staying True to His Beliefs

Paul mentioned that he was introduced to rap at a young age, when he and his friends would freestyle in school or while playing basketball. Although Paul has four albums on independent labels, his fist major-label offering, “The People’s Champ,” recently debuted at number one on the pop album chart. Howard wanted to know if Paul uses the n-word in his rhymes and he responded that he doesn’t.

Paul explained that even if he was black he wouldn’t say such a word in his raps because of the negative connotations it has. Paul added that he also doesn’t “embrace the beef” like a lot of other rappers do. Howard warned Paul that although he was talking about feuds between rappers when he said the word, other people might take “beef” to mean something else.

A Winning Smile

Paul brought up that besides rapping, his other claim to fame is the grills he makes and then sells from his jewelry store. Paul explained that grills are pieces of jewelry encrusted with gold and diamonds that people wear in their mouths to make their teeth shine. Paul went on to say that he has designed grills for some of the biggest names in hip hop, and that the pieces can cost as much as $30,000 each. He promised Howard that the next time he appeared on the show he would make a set designed especially for him.

Getting High, Houston Style

Paul mentioned that he doesn’t smoke weed, but that he does occasionally consume “syrup.” He informed Howard that people in Houston mix cough medicine with soda and then drink it like a regular cocktail. Robin then asked Paul why he wouldn’t just drink if he wanted to get buzzed. Paul responded that drinking cough syrup and soda creates a different kind of high than alcohol, so that is why he prefers it. Howard pointed out that drinking cough syrup and soda sounds like the kind of concoction that would make people as comatose as Fred.

Don’t Listen to the Man

Howard played one of Paul’s current hits, “Sittin’ Sidewayz.” When Howard asked what some of the lines in the song about tinted windows meant, Paul informed him that there is a certain darkness tinted windows can be by law, and that it is illegal to make them any darker. Given this, he explained that the rapper in the song was bragging that his windows were darker than the law allowed. Howard pointed out that breaking the law was good because it gave him “street cred.” Artie noted that it was a good idea for Paul to keep his windows as dark as possible in case there was a cough-syrup deal going down in the backseat of his car.