Posted on 09/13/2005

 

Something interesting happened this summer. Houston rap hit the mainstream hard. REAL hard. “Still Tipping” and its low budget video immediately pushed Mike Jones, Slim Thug, and Paul Wall into the hip-hop spotlight, whether they were ready for it or not. Mike Jones struck first, garnering much success with Who Is Mike Jones?. Slim Thug was less lucky, receiving a lukewarm reception with Already Platinum. This leaves only Paul Wall. Does The People’s Champ live up to its expectations?

It doesn't. If one is looking for innovation in hip hop, one should look elsewhere. But that isn’t to say The People’s Champ is without highlights. Part of the Houston rap scene for years (originally a duo with Chamillionaire), Paul Wall was known for his distinctive look, slow southern drawl, and his distinctive grills (gold and platinum teeth, for those not up on the lingo). On The People's Champ, Wall sticks to the look-drawl-grill formula. It's worked well thus far.

Following the success of Mike Jones’ “Back Then”, Wall chooses to incorporate lines from his verse on “Still Tipping” into the choruses of People's Champ songs—generating mixed results. The hard-hitting southern anthem “I’m A Playa” with Tennessee’s Three 6 Mafia serves as an excellent, trunk-rattling intro. But the atrocious “Internet Goin’ Nutz”, rehashing Wall’s most quotable lyric, is so bad that one thinks it must have been a joke. Sadly, it probably isn’t.



everal Houston rappers appear on the album, producing poor results. Mike Jones appears on “They Don’t Know”, a bland and repetitive attempt at making an epic club-banger. Likewise, UGK legend Bun B delivers lyrically over the otherwise boring “Trill”. The album's most successful when Wall collaborates with non-Texas artists. “So Many

iamonds” with T.I. features a head-nod-inducing beat and inspired verses by both artists. Meanwhile the Kanye West produced and assisted “Drive Slow”, originally featured on West’s Late Registration, is the high-point of the album, which speaks volumes about the quality of music (or lack thereof).



t’s undeniable that Paul Wall has character. His silky-smooth flow is often the highlight of songs he’s featured on. But an entire album’s worth of chopped-and-screwed choruses, and jewelry and car talk prove too tedious for this listener.