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7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Are you guys hearing the same album?, April 5, 2007
I'm a big fan of Paul Wall. In 2005, when he released The People's Champ, he released one of the best albums of the year. In my opinion, People's Champ was in the same class as the year's best hip-hop albums(GZA's GrandMasters, Bun B's Trill, DANGERDOOM's The Mouse & The Mask, Kanye's Late Registration, Chamillionaire's The Sound of Revenge, Lil Wayne's Tha Carter II), but this follow up lacks that same energy found on his debut. While Paul Wall was a punchline monster on People's Champ, and was backed up by some of the best production found on any album in '05, the sophomore slump has definitely hit him with Get Money, Stay True.
It's not that I'm upset with the subject matter. When you listen to a dude who titles his album "Get Money, Stay True", has a diamond grill in his mouth, and is signed to Houston powerhouse label, Swishahouse, you don't expect a dude to come through with revolutionary topics, and challenge the Bush administration, or some ****. I love listening to dudes swangin' on candy red slabs with wood grain wheels as much as the next Southern rap fan, so nothing on this album, lyrically, offended me. In fact, Paul Wall, in my opinion, is one of the better Southern emcees in terms of the actual definition; while he may not be as well-rounded as Ludacris, as creative as Weezy, as hypnotizing as Chamillionaire, or as profound as T.I., he is the most believable pimp in the Southern hip-hop game; which is ironic, considering he's taken over Bubba Sparxxx's spot as the staple white boy in that sub-genre. His ballerific ways are as entertaining as can be, and his metaphores are some of the most creative in the game.
In fact, since The People's Champ, I'd actually go out on a limb and say that Paul has IMPROVED as a rapper. The flow's tighter, and the punchlines are sharper. The problem with this entire album - and where the mediocrity really lies - is in the production. While the lead single, "Break 'Em Off," is one of the hottest tracks heard in the first quarter of 2007, the rest of the album is rather poor musically. Unfortunately, with the poor selection of beats, Paul lacks the same inspiration, and motivation to really burn up the tracks like he did on People's Champ. Make no doubt about it, while Break 'Em Off is dope, there's no Sittin' Sidewayz, They Don't Know, or Sip-N-Get High on Get Money, Stay True.
I've heard Paul is considering retiring if this album doesn't fair well commercially, which is a real shame; an emcee of his talent needs to leave on a far better note than Get Money, Stay True. With the lack of promotion this album and its first single has gotten, and the severe decline in popularity of Houston rap, and hip-hop sales in general, this album would be very lucky to even go gold; it won't come close to exceeding his debut's platinum status. Despite this average sophomore slump, I'm not going to give up on dude; he's still a fly rapper with ill metaphores, and more charisma than a dozen other rappers put together. I just hope he sticks around, and comes much tighter on the next release.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Wall To Wall!, June 26, 2007
When you think of respected white rappers, you immediately think of Eminem and Paul Wall. Although not as flamboyant a rapper as Slim Shady, Paul Wall has made a name for himself without huge airplay or ridiculously high promotional budgets. He's still reppin' for the Dirty South and for Swishahouse with his latest album Get Money, Stay True. The album pretty much crept out with little attention from the industry or the Hip-Hop community as a whole, leaving Paul Wall to resort to word of mouth publicity only. And based on the selections on this album, the conversations should be favorable. The lead-off single "I'm Throwed" features Jermaine Dupri behind the boards as well as the hook man and comes off average at best for Paul Wall. Snoop Dogg pops up for "Everybody Know Me" while Freeway rises from the proverbial grave with the standout album track "On The Grind." Lil Keke pairs up with Paul for the Dirty South anthem of 2007 with "Break Em Off." Swishahouse labelmate Yung Redd holds his own on songs like "Get Your Paper" and "Call Me What U Want." Other well-chosen guest appearances include the raunchy female rapper Trina on "That Fire", R&B crooner Jon B on "Tonight", and Juelz Santana with a supremely good verse for "I'm Real, What Are You." With only a few missteps like the closing tracks "I Ain't Hard To Find" and "Slidin' On That Oil" featuring Expensive Taste, Get Money, Stay True is a suitable follow-up for Paul Wall. Now we can only hope that he'll get some money from the sale of this album so he can stay true in the future and not have to conform to the pressures of the industry to make a buck.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Worth the wait!, April 3, 2007
Paul Wall may not be the best lyricist in the world, but that hardly matters in this CD. The Production is off the chain. I don't even know where to start. Of course there's the usual whip talk, candy paint, etc. But I still love it, I don't even care. Not to mention, Paul Wall doesn't curse that much which is refreshing. He's not talking bad about women or anything like that. I just love, love, love this CD! The standout track on this CD has to be Bangin' Screw. Just..listen. You'll see for yourself why this CD was worth the wait. All other Southern MC's need to pay heed to this. This is how it's done.
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