Paul Wall is Houston royalty. Along with Chamillionaire, the rapper dominated the mixtape scene in the late ’90s and early 2000s. He rose to prominence as a commercial force in the mid-2000s and has been a regular fixture on the stage ever since. However, Paul Wall recently shocked fans with an account of his youth and growing up in Texas. He told The Breakfast Club that he grew up in a very diverse community and therefore didn’t know his race for years.
Paul Wall told the broadcast team he didn’t know he was white until he was in middle school. “I didn’t know I was white until white people told me I was white,” the rapper said. “They’re like, ‘You’re white. Why do you talk and act like that? You’re white. I’m like, what do you mean?'” Wall thinks the confusion is a result of playing with kids from different groups. Before going to school. “I mean, all my friends are black, Mexican or Asian,” he asserts. “I live in a very diverse community. There are white people there, but there are also Mexicans, blacks, Vietnamese, Indians… all kinds of people.”
Paul Wall never looked to white rappers as role models
Paul Wall cited his relationship with Chamillionaire as evidence. He noted that the “Ridin” rapper’s father is Nigerian, something he learned when the two went to high school together. Wall did reveal, however, that his mother took a DNA test to determine the family’s exact genealogy. She found out she was 3% African American, which led Wall to make a joke about what she could and couldn’t do. “I know she can’t say the N-word, but that’s not enough for her to say the N-word,” he quipped.
Paul Wall discussed the “white rapper” label in a 2020 interview with Complex. He told the media that he never tried to imitate the style of other white rappers, but instead listened to music by black artists such as Big Pokey, Big Moe and Mr. Scarface. “It never occurred to me that this was something I shouldn’t do,” he said. “Because even when white rappers were out, I didn’t follow them. No disrespect meant, I just didn’t go that route, I went this way.” Paul Wall’s iconic status in the game proves his The right decision was made.
About the author
Elias Andrews is the music and entertainment writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH in 2024 as chief night writer, which means he covers new releases every week. In the year since joining, Elias has covered some of the biggest, most tumultuous stories in music. He’s been covering Drake and Kendrick Lamar’s battle on the fly, especially with the release of topics like “Family Matters” and “Meet the Grahams.” He also detailed a list of ongoing allegations and criminal charges against Diddy. Elias’ favorite artists are Andre 3000, MF Doom, pre-808s Kanye West and Tyler, The Creator. He likes L.A. hip-hop, but not L.A. sports teams. The first album he bought was Will Smith’s “Big Willie Style,” which he thinks still sounds great.
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