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Paul Wall Says Hip-Hop Artists Need To Work Harder
February 18th, 2009
After watching the Grammys, it was great to see Lil’ Wayne come home with awards. To see hip-hop win these awards, it’s a great thing. Hip-hop is the #1 form of entertainment. Every other form of entertainment takes something from hip-hop, whether it’s movies, sports, wrestling. Hip-hop just stays growing bigger and bigger. But in America, we take it for granted. Overseas, they study hip-hop and love hip-hop, and they know it like we know sports. In sports, we know the play by play, the scores of all the games, and that’s how these kids overseas know us here in hip-hop. They really study hip-hop, and that makes me feel like we take it for granted. To us, it’s just music and entertainment.
When I see hip-hop up there collaborating with all the other genres of music, I think it’s a little bit of a give and take. Everybody’s benefitting. When T.I. and Justin Timberlake perform together, I don’t think T.I. has to comprise who he is to do a song with a Justin Timberlake. I think it’s a hell of a song. And I think T.I. is gettin’ a lot of exposure to Justin Timberlake’s fans as well as Justin being exposed to T.I. fans. JT is stepping out of that bubblegum pop role. He’s a hip-hop artist. He’s hip-hop and R&B, not the same N’Sync artist anymore. In hip-hop, as a rapper, I’ve been on tours and been on the road with rappers, but when I went on the road with Fall Out Boy, it was a completely different working atmosphere. The way they handled their merch, you don’t see that on a lot of hip-hop tours. Like, when I went on tour with Tech 9, I learned a lot. As a whole, we need to step it up and get that merch money. Sometimes you have a hit song, but you got to cultivate those fans in order to turn hip-hop into a career. A lot of hip-hop artists get conceited and get a big head. When I was with Fall Out Boy, I saw how they really just cultivated their fans. We got to step it up with our merchandising. When’s the last time you went to a hip-hop show and you bought bobbleheads and Frisbees? I think when you out of sight, you out of mind. You gotta stay relevant in fan’s life. Even if you don’t have a song out. Snoop don’t have a song out right now, but he got one of the most watched shows on TV.
I think with hip-hop there’s so much stereotypes that we put out on ourselves. We have an image that we have to live up to. We should just go out and be ourselves and just try to grind and make it to the top, ’cause everybody is taking from hip-hop. When was the last time we had a president that listened to hip-hop?? I think sometimes friendly competition is good, but we get so caught up with competing with each other, we fail to realize this really ain’t a competition. In the end, that’s gonna lead to your downfall. You don’t sell records by being better than the next person. Some artists do feed off their competition and it helps them to become better. But me, personally, I don’t thrive off competition, that will distract me more than anything. My mind is on getting paid, putting out good music, and keeping my fans happy.
TO ME HIP HOP ITS OK BUT THEY JUSY CUSS TO MUCH, GUESS THAT’S THERE WAY OF MAKING MUSIC FOR THE YOUNG PEOPLE TO BY THEM. THEN YOU HAVE YOUNG PEOPLE DRESSING JUST LIKE THEM, PANTS HANING OFF THERE BUTT.
hip hip to me is great i like it and it influences other youngsters.
I PERSONALLY THINK HIP HOP IS GREAT BUT LIKE SWEETMARIE SAID IT INFLUENCES YOUNGSTERS TO COPY THEIR DRESS SENCE LIKE THEIR TROUSERS.
I love hip hop!! but studio gangsters got to go!! they are like a disease in the hip hop game. phuckin disgrace!! ie… officer rickeyyyyyyyyyyy (rick ross) & Konvict Music CEO Akon. Get the phuck outta here!!
we need to take it back to the PAC days of hip hop n them days that was good music. the biggies and pacs arent around ay more the closest thing we have is wayne, hova and the list stops there. thank god 4 them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
what if america had a rapper that spoke of similar topics as 2pac and Biggie?
i dont see you doing anything paul wall
i think hip hop is okay but who is paul wall to tellsomeone that they need some work he need worl he came out wit only 1 hit song…so he need to go some were and sit his butt down some were…
I know what he means being as though I’m in the industry…
http://www.myspace.com/amandathedutchess2
hip hop vs. america?, mane hip hop is america
Right… Artists really need to work hard on there Album and Grills …. LOL!!
Hip hop is not just American if you look outside America then you would see how much the genre has grown. I think the hip hop needs other influence outside the state to grow.
Hiphop is taken everywhere?? No, Rock and classic rock is taken everywhere son. Hiphop takes stuff from rock and classic rock so Paul wall you are saddly mistaken. The Doors, The Beatles, The Rolling Stone, Aerosmith, Pink Floyd, etc. are all taken by hiphop and the rock and classic rock artist dont get recognition for it. Look I like hiphop but only up to 1998, after that hiphop became all about the money and flashy cars and how many women you can get or how big your posse is. Hiphop is no longer political or talking about civil rights or making something of yourself with school or education. Thats what hiphop needs to be, non of this lil wayne or t-pain crap or artist who have no talent but more like KRS-One, Nas, The Roots, Common, Mos-Def, Talib Kwali, artis with talent and a good and clear message for people. But Rock will always have the influence of hiphop no matter what, just give those band recognition and please buy clothes that fit dont were XXXXXL when your clearly a Large, plus give those dimond teeth to charity not your mouth.
TRUTH BE TOLD – MOST OF THE REAL HIP-HOP ARTIST ARE UNDERGROUND NOW IN DAYS… RADIO ONLY PLAYS THE CANDY COATED WATERED DOWN HIP-HOP WHICH IS BRAINLESS AND SAD… I HAVEN’T HEARD ANY MOS DEF, KWEKIB, NAS, KRS-1, RAKIM, RAS KAS FOR EXAMPLE TO NAME A FEW IN YEARS ON THE RADIO AND GUESS WHAT?… THEY STILL MAKE MUSIC!!! SPECIAL SHOUT OF TO ARTIST LIKE TRAE THE TRUTH, ABN, AZ AND ATTITUDE FROM B’HAM WHO HOLD IT DOWN DESPITE NO RADIO PLAY
~ONE~
ummmm paul wall….dawg 4 real though…..whens the last time yo but came out wit summm… im just sayin!!! try being in the game long enough to have an opinion like that…..i mean what you do a song miss new booty and oh now you think you can talk….NO….sit there and shut up…..and came wit sum a lil better than that!!!!