FEATURED RELEASE: PAUL WALL ‘THE PEOPLE’S CHAMP (20TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION)’

In the mid-to-late 90s, Southern Hip-Hop was bubbling up in Atlanta with Outkast, Rap-A-Lot out of
Houston, Three 6 Mafia out of Memphis, and Master P’s No Limit out of New Orleans. By the early
2000s, Southern Hip-Hop was overtaking East Coast and West Coast acts with national radio and
video play. The Chopped and Screwed style made popular by Houston’s DJ Screw’s mixtapes was
also spreading nationwide. In 2005, another H-Town indie label, Swishahouse, was blowing up with
a deal they had inked with Warner Music Group’s resurrected Asylum label. Founded by Michael
“5000” Watts and OG Ron C, Swishahouse released the single “Still Tippin” on The Day Hell Broke
Loose 2 compilation. The single, which featured Mike Jones, Paul Wall, and Slim Thug, would be
added to Mike Jones’ debut album Who is Mike Jones? leading to the first platinum album under
Swishahouse and would set the stage for Paul Wall’s major label debut. After releasing several
albums and mixtapes with fellow H-Town rapper Chamillionaire, Paul Wall signed a deal with
Atlantic/Asylum/Swishahouse and released the gold-certified single “Sittin Sideways” in the
summer of 2005. The People’s Champ, featuring Paul Wall’s famous platinum and diamond grillz
on the cover, was released on September 13, 2005, debuting at #1 on the Billboard Charts. The
album is an ode to the laid-back Houston culture of hustling, cars, sippin’ on purple drank while
listening to Chopped and Screwed music. The album had the internet goin’ nuts with features from
Texas contemporaries Mike Jones, Big Pokey, Bun B, as well as southern rap stars Three 6 Mafia,
T.I., and Lil Wayne. The album spawned another gold single from the Kanye West-produced track
“Drive Slow” and would push sales to Platinum status. Paul Wall went on to release fourteen more
albums, with his latest, The Tonite Show, this past July.

A1. I’m A Playa (feat. Three 6 Mafia) A2. They Don’t Know (feat. Mike Jones) A3. Ridin’ Dirty (feat. Trey Songz) A4. State To State (feat. Freeway) A5. So Many Diamonds (feat. T.I.)