Despite repping Houston through and through, Paul Wall always seems to find himself being lumped in with other white rappers he has little in common with (aside from the obvious, of course) such as Eminem, Macklemore and the late Mac Miller.
This year alone, the Houston hard-hitter has twice become a trending topic on Twitter as the age-old white rapper debate has resurfaced online. One of those discussions was sparked when a Twitter user boldly claimed Mac Miller is the only caucasian MC to have not bitten Marshall Mathers. Needless to say, that had the internet going nuts.
But what does the People’s Champ make of these lazy comparisons? During a recent interview with the Houston Chronicle‘s arts and entertainment section Preview, Paul Wall shared his thoughts on being compared to other white rappers.
“Every time I see it, it’s always, like, amazing to me, just cuz I kind of stay relatively out of the limelight,” he said. “To be honest, when I see that, the criticism is still valid. It’s kind of like a Hip Hop audit — and it’s not even just for Hip Hop. It’s just in general, in entertainment and just across the globe.”
However, for every person questioning his place in Hip Hop, Paul Wall seems to have just as many fans willing to ride for him.
As the recent Twitter debates have reminded folks, the Ice Man occupies rare space as a white MC: he is entrenched in the culture, supports racial causes while being aware of his white privilege, and has earned the respect of Hip Hop fans and peers of all shades — just ask Bun B, Kanye West or Raekwon.
“I’m grateful for it, even, sometimes, when it’s something maybe negative and, then, people come to defend me,” he said of fans’ support. “Everybody is entitled to their opinion.”
He added, “People always tell me I’m an anomaly or an outlier. I’m just me. I just try to live my life as who I am.”
Paul Wall Didn't Think A Rap Career Was Possible — Then He Sold A Million Albums
Elsewhere during the interview, Paul Wall talked about his recently-released collaboration with Slim Thug and Lil Keke, “Still Sippin,” the sequel to his classic 2005 hit “Still Tippin.” The single is taken from Paul’s upcoming album Hall of Fame Hustler.
“We had the beat, which was produced by Platinum Hands, and it just reminded me of Salih Williams, who made ‘Still Tippin,’ ‘Sittin’ Sidewayz,’ ‘Back Then’ and a bunch of other Houston classics from the Wreckshop Records era,” he explained. “It’s really just, like, a freestyle. There’s no hook on it. We just went back to back to back on it — me, Keke and Slim Thug.”
I think at this point in the game we should be over all that “white rapper” shit and that “vanilla ice” shit. Its 2021, cant we just call them all “rappers” now ? Yall always talkung about racial equality and equity, so time for the industry to cough up some of that for white rappers. Or is there a double standard ? Adam Calhoun was right when he said white rappers have to dance and entertain the black man to be accepted.
Shut up whiteboy. Stop appropriating black culture with names like real talk. You ain’t OG at anything. Does your moms know you’re on the internet?
Fuck you kid grow up. Yeah im white and what ? Got a problem with it, get off your phone go outside and get up in any white persons face with that bullshit. Cultural appropriation is made up fiction. Just because you started something, doesnt mean you own it. White men invented basketball, do we accuse Lebron of cultural appropriation ? (Ouch) Real Talk isnt a color, its words you dumb fuck. Words got no color. Music got no color its a fucking sound. When you hear airplane or a lawn mower is that a black sound or a white sound ? Fucking moron
He right though, lots of em white boys is super weak. Few is cool but most I seen/met aint really bout none. You might be one of the ones with the sht but thats why they gonna clown you for being white if they dont know you, atleast on the internet. It is what it is.
LOL most black rappers these days are super wack, so what’s your point?
Eenie menie minie moe
I’m Eminem Toe Schmoe Blow Go Row Dough
Go
Cat rat bat mat slat
Is that real talk? Cause that’s all I’ve heard for the last 20 years. lol
Shouldn’t even entertain that clown Real Talk. Dude is probably a bit sowing division
There is no black culture
Black people aint a monolith that all talk and act the same
A way of speaking dont belong to black people
How you talk about where you from, not race
But donda is still the boggeat ratchet of all time. Kimye a cuckold who is upset because his trophy wife was with half of the industry b4 he got married to her. This atrogant, narcissistic, self absorbed egomanic who proclaims himself to be a genius with his artistic vision that the regular man can’t understand is still upset because his morning breath smells like Ray J genitals.
HE’S NOTHING LIKE THOSE DUDES.
Yep. They make romper room hip-hop.
Yeah, Paul is an honorary POC. Has been for 2 decades. I don’t think anyone in their right mind considers this dude white. LOL. I kicked it with him for a few days while working on a TV show YEARS ago. It was basically like hanging out with Terrance Howard’s character on Hustle and Flow. The nicest guy you’ll ever meet. Dude was an original member of Swisha House for gods sake.
Paul Wall is and always has been extremely lyrical, charismatic, clever, and original on the mic. Not to mention he is extremely humble and takes time out to talk to fans and show love. Listen to Get Your Mind Correct and People’s Champ, not to mention all the Swisha House freestyles.. And while we are on this topic of white rappers, let me educate you people for a second… The Beastie Boys did their thing way bigger than most of these rappers and rap groups (present and past), and in turn saved Def Jam records when the ship was going down which enables you to listen to the new talented artists on the label today.
Get your facts straight that’s a lie
Yeah, look
If I were to rap about the crap that’s out
That’s the route you probably want me to take
‘Cause you’re just dyin’ to know what I think
Hear my take on some other rappers
If I was to say somethin’ about Paul Wall
You’d probably crap in your pants, ‘cause I’m white and he’s white
So he’s like my competition, I mean, right?
Nope! Paul Wall is dope, and so is Bubba
So b-b-b-b-b-b, but I don’t compete with nobody
I just go hard, do the rope-a-dope Ali shuffle….. Eminem – My Darling
That shit gave me a headache just reading it. GD what were people thinking?
Speaking as a rapper who is white, yeah you always get grouped with every other white rapper the person can think of at the time, based on complexion alone. Even if the few they can think of all sound totally different.
Its just a lack of knowledge on the person’s part is all. An individual ignorance thing as opposed to all fans cos there’s plenty fans do know their shit. Unfortunately for every one like that there’s 10 who know like 4 white rappers and that’s it lol
Indeed. And 3 of the 4 are Beastie Boys.
Who lied to this man, his vocabulary is limited, I’m from Houston
Dumpster juice
Right, because hip-hop has ALWAYS been about using a thesaurus to write songs.
Oh wait, that’s not hip-hop, that’s Dr. Seuss. You must be in the Logic and Eminem defending their whiteness by attacking black culture. lol
There is no black culture
Black people arent a monolith
So let me pay homage to my fellow
White competitors almost in the same way
See, you hardly ever do hear anyone
Even bringing up that Paul Wall’s white
Cause lyrically he doesn’t pose a
Threat to anyone, see, he’s just aight
And Bubba Sparxxx, he just won’t write
Because he’s so caught up in that snow white
That Timbaland can’t even get him in the studio
He’s so gone off that coke, right
And it’s so sad, cause he’s dope, right
America’s next great white hope, right
So now they feel like they gotta come up
With some corny ass white rapper show, right
And which I’m still havin’ mixed feelings about
They said it’d be real, I’m just spillin’ it out
There’s somethin’ about a white boy talking black
And runnin’ around with a damn grill in his mouth
Eminem
Long as you talking English you talking white.long as you in a capitalistic America you appropriating white culture…don’t get mad cause white folks run the world..sucka
When I hear people outside of Texas talk about Paul Wall, I laugh at y’all. The thing is we really never talk about Paul being white in Houston. We talk him about as being a HTown artist, just like Slim, Face, Bun and Pimp C(Port Arthur, Tx), Keke, Tobe, etc… Paul is really a part of the HTown Hip-hop culture. He’s entrenched in the city that he’s from and reps. And people know this already. I can’t say that about those other white rappers that were mentioned.
Paul Wall and his work is nice, not white.
I put this dude same category as Eminem
Hard to make it as a white rapper for a lot of reasons. Not the best occupation for a young dude unless you have a natural gift for freestyling like Eminem. Most white guys that are serious about rap end up producing like Alchemist.
That’s the biggest lie I ever heard that fact you white and rap will get you a deal faster than anyone else now. The only way blacks can get deals is only if we talk about drugs,killing each other, and disrespecting females. Y’all rather play 6ixnine garbage music but don’t support Big KRIT or an unsigned artist like PrinceRoc.
Im not white. I know rap pretty well. Unfortunately know many very talented yet unsuccessful (as solo artists) white rappers. It’s my experience that many white hip hop producers started as rappers and can flow which is why I brought up Alchemist probably the most famous example. Definitely seems like they have room for one or two white rappers at a time not much more than that. The main rap audience labels sell to IS WHITE. NOT BLACK. Whites don’t like white rappers. And they don’t like too much bars either unless it’s street nonsense. So I hear you. Be well
I funks with Paul Wall, Bubba Sparx, Caskey, Nyck Caution, YelaWolf Aura Da Prophet, Bones & Em!
Can El-P get some love?
Paul Wall is not in the same group with Eminem and Mac Miller. Paul Wall is way better than the other two.
That’s just dumb lmao