If the song “Sittin’ Sidewayz” rings a bell, you should know it was done by Paul Wall that is if you didn’t know this already. The rapper has been in the game for a long time with chart-topping albums to complement his impressive career. He has been an associated act with Chamillionaire. Here are more interesting details about him.
Paul Wall Biography
Paul Wall whose real name is Paul Michael Slayton was born on the 11th of March, 1981 in Houston, Texas. He was a student at Jersey Village High School after which he moved on to study mass communication at the University of Houston for three years. But this course he was studying had to do mainly with mass speaking with little connection with what he was more passionate about which was music. After thinking long and hard, he decided to quit the university to pursue his dreams. At the start of his career, Paul Wall formed a group with his friends Skinhead Rob (Transplants) and Travis Barker. The name of the group was “Expensive Taste,” but it is now defunct.
After the group died down, he proposed to do promotions for Michael “5000” Watts’ company, Swishahouse. This was around the same time he met Chamillionaire. He and Chamillionaire went to Watts’ studio, KBXX, and convinced him to let them feature on his show by rapping. They suggested doing verses on one of his mixtapes which was titled Choppin Em Up Part 2. This is a song that was released to critical acclaim in 1992.
Fortunately, they were able to convince Watts and they jumped on the song, and luckily for them, the freestyle became quite popular in the streets resulting in Paul Wall and Chamillionaire becoming regular staples on Houston’s mixtape circuit. They became permanent members of Swishahouse and featured on a good number of Watts’ mixtapes.
New Group
Following the exit of a fellow member from the Swishahouse label, Paul and Chamillionaire left the label as well and launched their own group “The Color Changin’ Click.” It was in this group that they released some songs for promoting labels like Cash Money, Def Jam Records, and No Limit Records.
However, this group was dissolved by the duo in 2005 citing creative differences. While Chamillionaire released records independently, Paul Wall returned to the Swishahouse label. This would later prove to be a good move for Paul as it first allowed him to appear on Mike Jones’ first commercially distributed single, Still Tippin, from his first major-label album Who Is Mike Jones?.
Paul Wall released his first album, The Peoples Champ, in 2005 and it debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. Sittin’ Sidewayz was his first single which featured Big Pokey. The second single, They Don’t Know, featured Bun B of UGK, and the video version featured Mike Jones. The third single “Girl,” received massive radio airplay and peaked at #35 on the Billboard Hot 100.
He became fascinated with film and thus made his acting debut in the 2006 film Furnance. He would also get a role in movies like I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell amongst a few other movies.
His second album Get Money, Stay True, was released in 2007, and it peaked at the number 1 spot on the Billboard Chart Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Off this album singles such as I’m Thrown featuring and produced by Jermaine Dupri as well as Break ‘Em Off featuring Lil Keke. In the same year, he featured on reggae artist Collie Buddz’s self-titled debut album. He also appeared alongside prominent celebrities in the Nickle Back music video “Rockstar.”
In December 2016, Paul Wall in collaboration with Baby Bash was caught in a drug raid. Though this was initially considered to be a rumor, notwithstanding, it was later admitted by Paul himself.
Paul Wall Net Worth
Paul has indeed done well for himself from the days of dropping verses on mixtapes, releasing his own albums, and even some acting roles. From all these endeavors, his net worth is now estimated to be between $12.5 – 14 million. This estimated net worth is poised to grow in the coming years as he embarks on several planned tours throughout the country.
Wife And Kids
Paul Wall met Crystal during their college days. They began dating and grew closer to each other. This relationship developed and got them to the altar. They got married on the 22nd of October 2005 and have been together till date. The couple has admitted that apart from the fact that love is the major reason they got married, their passion for music keeps them going stronger. Interestingly, Crystal happens to be an artistic person herself as she is an incredible country singer.
As a couple they are is blessed with two adorable kids, a son “William Patrick” and a daughter “Noelle” (born two years after their son).
Weight Loss
Paul Was seriously addicted to Codeine like most rappers in the industry and this caused series of problems to his health and the most notable was weight gain. through the intake of Codeine, he gained an alarming 320 pounds in weight. He, however, underwent a gastric sleeve surgery which enabled him to lose over 130 pounds of weight.
His wife also lost a considerable amount of weight but she achieved this through a program called Zumba. Interestingly, she is now a Zumba instructor herself and the couple now leads a healthier lifestyle. They have also encouraged their kids to do the same to the point of subjecting them to disciplined exercised rudiments. They also do well to share their weight struggles and days of depression and anxiety during the excessive weight gain on websites such as FeelRich.com
