Paul Wall

Paul Wall, the stage name of Paul Michael Slayton, came up through Houston's mixtape circuit as both rapper and DJ, and that background still shapes his records. He was an early signee of the Houston label Swishahouse in the late 1990s, where he met Chamillionaire, and his mixtapes show a clear grounding in chopped and screwed, the style pioneered by DJ Screw. Listeners who know the scene can hear that lineage in his work, which gives his releases a distinct place within southern rap.

His major label debut, The Peoples Champ, arrived on Atlantic in 2005 and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. "Girl" became its most successful single, reaching number 35 on the Hot 100. That same year he appeared on Nelly's "Grillz", which went to number one on the Hot 100 and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the 2007 ceremony. Get Money, Stay True followed in 2007 and peaked within the top ten. Later work has been more varied, including a 2008 tour with Tech N9ne, a verse on Limp Bizkit's "Middle Finger" from Gold Cobra, and CheckSeason, released independently in December 2013 through his Paul Wall Music imprint.