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Author: Zac “Redhands” Shull

If you want to learn how to hustle do your homework on Paul Wall. He started promoting No Limit and Def Jam while he was in middle school. That’s right, while most of us were riding bikes and playing outside Paul was on his grind. It is no surprise to see now that he has a clothing company, watch line, a grill line, and his own jewelry store. Of course Paul only works 23 hours 6 days a week. He needs time to watch The Rock wrestle the Hulk and he has to apply as the Astor’s water boy.

Paul Wall is not just a rapper, he has established himself as a brand. He started from the bottom doing promotions and worked his way up to super star rapper. If you are reading this and you are in college Paul can be an inspiration for you. After reading this interview you will see why college is important to your music career. Making it as a rapper is like making it in the NBA. Study Paul’s moves and maybe you can make it passed college and get into the pros.

Redhands: Is Paul Wall your real name?

Nah Paul is Wall is a nickname.

Redhands: Where does the wall come from?

My homeboy gave me the name when I was 16. I was always rapping, freestyling, having fun and some reason he called me Paul Wall. I didn’t like it at first, but for some reason it just stuck. Everywhere we went he introduced me to everyone as Paul Wall. It just stuck with me.

Redhands: What was your life like growing up in Houston?

I came from a single parent household my mother raised us and she took care of us. Then she remarried and my step dad actually adopted me. He really taught me how to be a man and take care of business stuff like that. Materialistically we didn’t have much but my family loved me, and that’s all that mattered to me.

Redhands: When did you know you wanted to be a rapper?

I just always liked music and liked making music. I saw how much of a stress relief it was for people and that made me really happy. I did it for fun you know on the school bus, at the lunchroom just having fun. I guess I took it more serious then everyone else, because I wasn’t better then anyone else I just had the right opportunities. A lot of my friends rapped, but they pursued athletics and I wasn’t good at sports. I stuck with the rapping while they stuck with sports. I took advantage of opportunities and was a hard worker and hooked up with Michael Watts. Michael Watts really took me to the next level, because I was doing promotions for Def Jam, and No Limit. I worked with a regional rep on the street team putting up stickers putting up flyers handing stuff out in the clubs. It taught me the other aspect of music, because I didn’t know that side. I didn’t know how things worked or how artist got promoted. I didn’t know there was a difference between talented cats and people with successful albums.

Redhands: So do you think that is why you are so successful today? You are more like a brand your not just Paul Wall the rapper.

When I was promoting record labels the artist that came to town they would treat us like shit. I was like I am working my ass off for dude and he either doesn’t notice or he doesn’t care. Then when I would get paid it didn’t pay the bill or anything I did it for the love. It was a stepping-stone it didn’t support me financially, I did it for the love. I always told myself when I make it I am going to treat everyone the way I want to be treated. I am not going to be an asshole like some of the rappers that I met. That helped me be the peoples champ and helped my career last the way it has. Doing promotions opened my eyes up more then anything. It opened a lot of doors, because people know me from when I did promotions. They see how I started at the bottom and now I am at the top. It helped me learn first hand, because I didn’t read any books I just learned from experiences. I made mistakes on the way, but I learned my lessons and will never forget those times.

Redhands: So you went to college during all this?

I started off doing promotions for Swisha House, because they use to DJ a lot of parties. As I promoted labels, I promoted parties too handing out flyers telling boppers and the streets what’s going down. When Swisha House mixtapes came out I’d be on different Texas College campuses selling tapes to students. Swisha House had a decent following where I can make money just selling mixtapes. That helped me familiarize myself with Swisha House fan base. People knew me before I started rapping because I was selling them tapes. First time they heard me rapping they already knew Paul Wall. As I grew with Swisha a lot of people felt like they were growing with me, because they saw me grinding.

Redhands: I am in that situation being in college and doing music. Was it hard for you to go to college knowing you wanted to be a rapper?

I went to college, because I didn’t know what else I was going to do with my life. I went to college for communications and radio broadcasting. I wanted to work at a radio station, but then I found out people that worked there half the time they didn’t have any degrees. I learned it’s about whom you know not what you know. What I learned in college was life lessons like meeting new people from different areas. I never traveled as a kid so I met a lot of kids in college from different areas. I met a lot of people from different places around the country. That gave me a connection to different areas and I would go to other people’s cities. I would go to Dallas and promote my shit and meet people and do the same thing at other schools. They would introduce me as Paul Wall and I would network and meet people and little by little I built up a strong network. That’s what I got out of college what I learned in the classroom is how to cheat. The classroom didn’t teach me much what does chemistry has to do with a rap career. If I didn’t go to college I probably would be Djing or doing something with music. Not a lot of rappers in college today are making it so thank God I made it.

Redhands: That was my next question if you weren’t doing music what would you be doing

Yea something in music or something in baseball. I really like sports, especially baseball. I am still trying to get a job with the Astros and see if they will pick me up.

Redhands: O yea? Are you a pitcher or an outfielder or something?

Nah I am the water boy, the coldest water boy they would ever get.

Redhands: They got to drink the water right? All your ice could keep the water cold right?

Ha-Ha yea, but nah I am not athletic I wish I was.

Redhands: So are you a fan of wrestling at all?

Yea Wrestle mania was just in Houston the other day. Ya’ll should have went, I couldn’t go I was out of town. I wish I could have gone.

Redhands: I wanted to ask, you are you and the Rock real tight? Is that where you got the peoples champ nickname from?

I like the Rock and loved when him and the Hulk wrestled. Actually it was the nickname my homeboy gave me, because I am a people person. I treat people with respect I don’t walk around with an ego. He was just like Paul you are the peoples champ man. He told everyone that and the nickname stuck.

Redhands: That’s a good nick name to have people can relate

The peoples champ might not sell the most, but he’s the people’s favorite.

Redhands: Did you catch any slack or people were bias against a white dude in Houston rapping?

Not really maybe a little bit here and there. Not really man, maybe I didn’t come off as that most of the time. Clearly I am white no doubt about that.

Redhands: I always thought you were really light skin.

I don’t know I never got any shit for that especially in Houston. I don’t know why though.

Redhands: They probably saw you were real with it and you weren’t faking it, I can tell from this interview.

I’m not trying to be a super thug I am just being me.

Redhands: “Still Tipping” was a huge hit, that song was everywhere how did the song come together?

It was a song they recorded for a compilation called “The Day Hell Broke Loose.” Originally Mike Watts was going to put it out and it was a different track with Mike Jones, Chamillionare, and Slim Thug. I signed with Swisha House as an artist and they started putting me on songs. The way I got on was my boy T-Farris who was an A&R at the time he gave me 8 tracks on a cd. He said anyone I am feeling I should write to it, but I was so hungry I wrote to all of them. I wrote to every track some two verses some three verses or a chorus. I wanted to be on every song, because you never know which one will be a hit. “Still Tippin” was the last track and I wasn’t really feeling it. Originally it was a real simple track with violins and some drums. The hook wasn’t there with the samples and it was kind of boring. T- Farris said just freestyle to it, because he liked it a lot I don’t know why. That song no one else would write or rap to it and I was the only one. Then they switched up the beat, because the producer had a fall out with the label. Then they had two tracks they were going to use and they couldn’t decide which beat to use. Farris just felt real strong about the “Still Tippin” beat and he just had a vision for it. No one else liked it except Farris, but they still used that one. People said it was to slow and all types of stuff, but it blew up. Luckily my verse matched the song and Chamillionaire wasn’t signed to Swisha House and I was so they wanted to promote me over him. By grace of God I got on that track and I was talking about same topic as everyone else and it worked out for me.

Redhands: That song was huge it was everywhere. Even on there you called yourself the Peoples Champ.

Yea and that song changed my life over night.

Redhands: What businesses are you involved in?

I got my grills and my jewelry stores and you can check them out online www.grillsbypaulwall.com we do all jewelry not just grills. We got a watch line and all types of costume jewelry. I got a clothing line called Expensive Taste the website for that is www.igotexpensivetaste.com.

Redhands: What about Famous clothing line?

Nah Travis Barker owns that, but me Travis and my boy Rob started Expensive Taste.

Redhands: How is Paul Wall doing in a recession?

It’s a recession across the board, but I just keep grinding and God blesses those who grind hard. It hasn’t affected me that much, because I am always on the road. When we are on tour we bring our prices down on cds and shirts and stuff. We bring prices down to help the people out.

Redhands: I know you tour a lot of small clubs like “Croc Roc” in Allentown. Do you make any crazy or funny demands?

We just want them to handle their business, like get paid on time make the sound and the mics right. We still don’t get what we ask for (lol) but we make it work. Put some liquor on there and some chips or some food to eat. It don’t matter it’s what ever.

Redhands: From what I understand about grills back in the day a lot of hardcore guys wore them or more thugs.

The way it started was dudes from the hood couldn’t afford to see the dentist. If you don’t go to dentist for years your teeth start to rot. When that happens they put the gold caps on so it wasn’t done by choice. Naturally when you see the dope boys and hustler and g’s wearing them everyone wants them. The younger generation looks up to these people so they want the gold teeth too. First time I heard about it in their raps was like Lil Keke and Fat Pat talked about diamonds in their mouth. This was like ‘92 and ‘93 and those diamonds weren’t as advance as today. The jewelers and the doctors didn’t have the tools that we have today. The Hot Boyz and Master P took the grills to another level and they explained their jewelry. They sparked the fad of having grills, because before that people had gold teeth.

Redhands: The new album is called “The Fast Life”. What was the process like for the album was it different then your other album?

We worked on this album for almost two years. T- Farris and I worked on it we went to California a lot and worked with Travis Barker. We stacked songs until we thought we were ready. When we were ready to go we put the album together.

Redhands: So all that time you were out of the spot light you weren’t relaxing you were actually working?

Yea I been on the road and I been grinding. It is hard to record on the road, because you’re always doing something. So I needed to take time off the road to start recording again. I got the grove down and found the sound that I wanted.

Redhands: Do you have a favorite artist or producer you like working with?

Lil KeKe is definitely my favorite and I like Z-Ro too. Production wise there are so many people in Houston’s especially these new guys Beans and Cornbread. My boy Happy Perez and Gridiron are all talented. As long as I have T-Farris I am good he has a hella vision for music. He sees more then a song he has a whole vision passed the chorus and the beat.

Redhands: I am going to name 5 people from Texas and I want you to rank them 1 being the most important, 5 being the least important.

We got:
Stone Cold Steve Austin, George W. Bush, UGK, Patrick Swayze and Willie Nelson.

UGK is definitely number 1, Willie has to be number 2. I actually recorded at his studio and it was a crazy feeling. He told me how he smoked on the roof of the White House. If I ever get there I definitely have to do that. I’ll probably get thrown out, but well see.

Redhands: I heard Obama say he smoked before so I don’t see why it would be a problem.

I love the wrestling so Stone Cold is going to be number 3. Patrick Swayze I am not too familiar with.

Redhands: So would you put him over Bush though?

I don’t know man Bush is crazy he came in and changed the world. I don’t like what he did, but he held his nuts and ran with it.

Redhands: All these rappers say how gangster they are, I think Bush is the biggest gangster out.

I put Bush at number 4 and Swayze at number 5. You should’ve put Hank Hill in there even though he isn’t real. I would of put him in number 2 or 3.

Redhands: Anything else you want to promote?

www.igotexpensivetaste.com and www.grillsbypaulwall.com

Filed under: Interviews