Paul Wall came up during a time in hip-hop where regionalism reigned supreme. Diehard fan bases would be cultivated based on where you were from. Southern rappers had distinctly Southern fans, ditto for the West Coast and the East Coast. Moreover, artists sometimes wouldn’t get nearly as much love when they traveled to different parts of the world. Nowadays, the internet washes away that division because everyone is operating on the same playing field. But back then, going out of your region felt like an away game in sports.
This was something Paul Wall learned early on from Bun B. He experienced the difference in cultures when he was cutting his teeth with Pimp C in UGK. Consequently, he advised the fellow Houston MC not to puff his chest out too much when going to perform in New York. In a 2021 interview with Passion of The Weiss, Wall recalled the nerves he felt preparing to perform in the birthplace of hip-hop.
“It’s very intimidating because it’s New York, the mecca and origin of hip-hop. So you can’t half step with nothing when you’re doing anything hip-hop related in New York,” Paul Wall told the outlet.
“They go there with their chest out, and it’s a wake-up call for them a lot of times. Bun would tell us, ‘When you go to New York, it’s a little different. It’s a lot different. Don’t expect everyone to be coming up to you and being fans of you. They might like you and have love for you. But they’re not necessarily gonna d**k ride or show it or any of that. You better be at your best.’”
Paul Wall Recalls The Insane Pressure of Performing in New York For The First Time
Then, the “Sittin’ Sidewayz” rapper jokingly asked if Nas might get booed out of the building if he didn’t come correct. “In terms of preparation for everything, you’ve gotta come with it. Come elite with every step, or else you might mess around and get booed. You could be Nas… well, I don’t know if they’d boo Nas, but if you f**k up or you’re up there doing a show and you don’t care, then they’ll let you know that they don’t care either. They could still love you and still boo you,” Paul Wall explained.
Rapping over East Coast-style production was something Wall wanted to do for years. He remembered watching the difference in how New York fans treated T.I.’s “Bring Em Out” versus his other hits. Similarly, Jay-Z connected more with Southern fans when he rapped alongside UGK on “Big Pimpin”. As a result, Paul Wall desperately wanted to try his hand at production with legends like Pete Rock and connect with the essence of hip-hop.
“I always wanted to have that connection of doing something with one of those highly, heavily respected hip-hop producers who could bring those elements out of me,” he said. “Maybe I can’t get [that] brought out of me if I’m rapping on a screwed and chopped type of track. That brings a different element out of me.
The post Paul Wall Recalls Crucial Warning He Received Before Performing in New York City for the First Time: ‘It’s a Wake-Up Call’ appeared first on VICE.
