SaulPaul

Last updated
SaulPaul
Born Houston, Texas,
United States
GenresRap, acoustic hip hop
Occupation(s)Rapper, singer-songwriter
Instrument(s)Guitar
Years active2002–present
Website saulpaul.com

SaulPaul is an American artist and rapper from Houston, Texas. He has garnered much attention with his freestyles. SaulPaul's music has been considered unique, in comparison to mainstream rappers. [Television 1]

Contents

He is most recognized for his "recap raps" that were featured weekly on ESPN Radio. [1]

South by Southwest also taped SaulPaul for their annual SXSW conference and festivals, and his participation as the recap rapper for the SXSW keynotes for 2010, to the present. [2]

Early life

Hailing from Houston, Texas, SaulPaul grew up without a mother and father. His mother died when he was 3 years old, and he was raised by his grandmother in the ghetto of Houston. Later on in his life, he moved from house to house, living with different relatives. [Television 1]

Although he made it to college, by the second semester, he was kicked out due to bad grades. Shortly thereafter, he went to the streets. SaulPaul committed an undisclosed crime, and was incarcerated at the Texas State Penitentiary. After serving two years, SaulPaul was readmitted to the University of Texas at Austin, and went on to graduate with honors. [Television 1]

Personal life

SaulPaul's career in music production began when he placed a flyer, promoting his services in exchange for guitar or keyboard lessons. A storyteller at heart, SaulPaul shares his story as a musician, filmmaker, and author, with the goal of changing peoples lives positively. [3]

He is a film producer and motivational speaker who has traveled across the United States, sharing his story of inspiration, and the message of his autobiographical film, Tower to Tower. The film traces his "journey from prison, where he ended up after flunking out of college, and then back to UT, where he eventually graduated with a degree in Radio-Television-Film in 2002." [4]

Since graduation in 2002, "He traveled to Texas schools to inspire kids with similar backgrounds to stay out of trouble and go to college." [5]

By 2010, SaulPaul's career was looking promising. He had made a successful transition from a hip hop artist and producer, to a multi-faceted musician, and full service music publisher. His music had been featured in commercials, film trailers, and movies, as well as on numerous websites. [6]

SaulPaul has gained notoriety in various avenues, including the Austin South by Southwest Festival. He was featured as a rapper during the interactive session, and was recruited to "rap songs that recap keynotes." [7]

In 2011, he moved to Atlanta, and was featured in various media outlets. His stylistic blend of hip-hop, street cred, and guitar strumming offer common ground between him and much of the youth, but prison and music are just a handful of the experiences behind his casual demeanor. He has authored a book, starred in an independent film, and in the process carved a unique career path – somewhere between “executive director” and “street tuff.” [8]

As of the present, SaulPaul is getting paid to do what he loves, after growing up in an environment where it was just about getting paid. He continues to play the acoustic guitar, while rapping and singing. He is known for his on-the-spot freestyles for an ESPN affiliate. While dropping three albums, he has started and developed his own multimedia company, ReRoute Productions. [9]

Music career

Albums and Singles

Music videos

Collaborations and Features

SXSW Keynote Recap Raps

Production Portfolio

Film: Star of the autobiographical film Tower to Tower "Tower to Tower paints a textured picture of the 'hood' in which Neal grew up that was rich with pathos and struggle. The 35-minute-long film is not a typical documentary, but more of an MTV reality show." [41]

Book: Author of Tower to Tower: Dream in 3-D SaulPaul was a featured speaker at the African American Book Festival in Austin, Texas during their "Black Men Writers Inspiring Change," themed conference. He held a workshop and shared how people can turn their passion into their profession. [42] [43]

Television: Star in #TourLife: Reality TV series that aired on AmericanED TV in 2014 documenting SaulPaul's summer tour during which he performed at the most notable music festivals of the season. [44]

Mobile Gaming App: Main character in "SaulPaul: Dream in 3D," and educational game made for urban youth available on iPhone and Android. [45]

Conference: Founder and host of Music Career Expo, a day of music industry professionals talking to middle school students about the career opportunities available outside of being a musician. [46]

Awards and recognition

Notable Appearances

YearEventLocation
2015
Texas on Tour at Union Square [54] San Francisco, CA
Ohio State Fair [55] Columbus, OH
Atlanta Hawks, Philips Arena [56] Atlanta, GA
San Diego County Fair [57] San Diego, CA
Core DJ Conference [58] Atlanta, GA
NFL Draft Sports Career Expo [59] Chicago, IL
Austin City Hall, SXSW Arts +SocialGood [60] Austin, TX
Hollywood and Highland Center [61] Los Angeles, CA
NFL Super Bowl XLIX Sports Career Expo [62] Phoenix, AZ
SXSW United Nations Foundation Panel - How Art can Motivate Social Change [63] Austin, TX
2014
Moms +SocialGood [64] New York City, NY
NFL PREP Super Bowl XLVIII Sports Career Expo [65] New York City, NY
TEDxYouth@Austin [66] Austin, TX
TED xAustinWomen [67] Austin, TX
Multnomah County City Hall [68] Portland, OR
2013
Music Career Expo [69] Austin, TX
Houston Fringe Festival [70] Houston, TX
Shop.org Annual Summit [71] Chicago, IL
Cutting Edge Music Festival [72] New Orleans, LA
Chicago Navy Pier - Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau's #ATXAirstream Tour [73] Chicago, IL
Arts Edge Summit at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts Washington D.C.
NFL PREP Super Bowl XLVII Sports Career Expo [74] New Orleans, LA
Rachel Ray Feedback Party at Stubb's [75] Austin, TX
Making Money AND a Difference with Mobile Game Apps [76] Austin, TX

Related Research Articles

<i>Austin City Limits</i> American television music program

Austin City Limits is an American live music television program recorded and produced by Austin PBS. The show helped Austin become widely known in the United States as the "Live Music Capital of the World", and is the only television show to receive the National Medal of Arts, which it was awarded in 2003. It also won a rare institutional Peabody Award in 2011 "for its more than three decades of presenting and preserving eclectic American musical genres". Austin City Limits is produced by Austin PBS under the Capital of Texas Public Telecommunications Council. The show was created in 1974 by Bill Arhos, Bruce Scafe, and Paul Bosner.

South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas, United States. It began in 1987 and has continued growing in both scope and size every year. In 2017, the conference lasted for 10 days with the interactive track lasting for five days, music for seven days, and film for nine days. There was no in-person event in 2020 and 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in Austin, Texas; in both years there was a smaller online event instead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ghostland Observatory</span> Austin, Texas-based electronic duo

Ghostland Observatory is an American music duo based in Austin, Texas, United States. Their music has been described as a combination of electro, rock and funk by Allmusic, and "electro-dance soul rock" by Gothamist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Surfer Blood</span> American indie rock band

Surfer Blood is an American indie rock band from West Palm Beach, Florida, United States, currently signed to Kanine Records, formerly signed to Joyful Noise Recordings and Warner Bros. Records. The band currently consists of four members: John Paul Pitts, Tyler Schwarz (drums), Mike McCleary, and Lindsey Mills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">35 Denton</span>

35 Denton was an annual 3-day music festival that took place in the burgeoning arts corridor of downtown Denton, Texas. The festival was programmed each March the week prior to the music portion of SXSW in Austin, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kydd (rapper)</span> American rapper

Randell Obrain Jones, known by his stage name Kydd, is an American rapper, producer, and singer from Austin, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Bright Light Social Hour</span> Rock band from Texas

The Bright Light Social Hour is an American psychedelic rock band from Austin, Texas. The band is composed of Jackie O'Brien on bass and vocals, Curtis Roush on guitar and vocals, Zac Catanzaro on drums, Mia Carruthers on keys and vocals, and Juan Alfredo Ríos on percussion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christeene Vale</span> American rapper

Christeene Vale, known mononymously as Christeene, is the stage name of Paul Soileau, an American drag queen, performance artist, singer-songwriter and rapper. Christeene is noted for untraditional, "terrorist drag," which features her wearing torn-up clothing, stringy matted black wigs, and heavy and smeared makeup with aims to expose hypocrisy and intolerance.

Tai Charles Carr, better known by his stage name Doughbeezy, is an American rapper from Houston, Texas. Active since 2010, he has released a number of mixtapes and collaborated with musicians such as Killa Kyleon, Bun B, Slim Thug, Devin The Dude, and Paul Wall. Doughbeezy won the “Best Rapper In Texas” competition three times, and in 2013 MTV Hive named him one of the "top 5 underground artists in Houston." A frequent live performer, he has toured with rappers such as Dom Kennedy, and is co-CEO of the music company Headwreckas Worldwide, along with company founder Al Hughes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dawn and Hawkes</span>

Dawn and Hawkes are an indie folk duo from Austin, Texas consisting of singer-songwriters Miranda Dawn and Chris Hawkes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Worldwide (rapper)</span> American rapper

Michael Parker, better known by the stage name Worldwide, is an independent rapper, emcee, music producer & hip hop artist from San Antonio, Texas.

Geoff Marslett is an American film director, writer, producer, animator and actor. His early career started with the animated short Monkey vs. Robot which was distributed internationally by Spike and Mike's Classic Festival of Animation on video and Spike and Mike's Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation in theatres. More recently he directed several successful narrative feature films including MARS, as well as producing and acting in the experimental documentary Yakona. He appears onscreen in Josephine Decker's Thou Wast Mild and Lovely which was released theatrically in 2014. He currently resides in Austin, Texas and splits his time between filmmaking and teaching at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Korea Spotlight</span> Annual music concert in Austin, Texas

Korea Spotlight, originally named K-Pop Night Out at SXSW (KPNO), is an annual concert of South Korean artists held in the United States, organized by Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA). It started in 2013, and is a music showcase of the annual SXSW music festival in Austin, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Nightowls</span>

The Nightowls are an American musical group from Austin, Texas, whose debut album Good As Gold was named Top 10 of the 2014 Austin Music Awards Albums of the Year. Their sound combines R&B, Funk and soul music. Lead singer and multi-instrumentalist Ryan Harkrider formed The Nightowls in 2011. His song "Nobody Ever Wants to Leave" was commissioned in 2009 by The Austin Convention and Visitor's Bureau as Austin's official theme song. The Nightowls have released three full-length albums and two EP's. Two of which were recorded at the iconic Soul/R&B studios - FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama and Royal Studios in Memphis, Tennessee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dead Earth Politics</span> American heavy metal rock band

Dead Earth Politics was an American heavy metal rock band formed in Austin, Texas in 2005. The band's final line up consisted of Ven Scott, Tim Driscoll, Lennis Hayes and Aaron Canady. Well known for its blend of old and new school metal influences that some have coined as “Progressive Power Thrash” has been described as a cross between Iron Maiden and Lamb of God. The group rose to prominence in the mid late 2000s with their engaging live performances. With one full-length LP and three EPs, the latest release was on March 14, 2015, with their Men Become God’s EP.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doreen Lorenzo</span> American writer

Doreen Lorenzo is an American thought leader on design and innovation. She has previously served as president of the companies Frog Design Inc. and Quirky and was the marketing director for Power Computing, manufacturer of "Mac Clones" based in Round Rock, Texas.

Paul Qui is a Texas-based Top Chef winner and James Beard award recipient. He operates restaurants East Side King (Austin), Thai Kun (Austin) and Pao (Miami).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlie Belle</span> American indie pop duo

Charlie Belle is an American indie pop duo from Austin, Texas composed of siblings Jendayi and Gyasi Bonds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Japan Nite</span> Annual music event in North America

Japan Nite is an annual music event in North America which began in 1996, featuring Japanese rock, pop, and alternative music artists. Originally centered around South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, the event expanded in later years to include multi-city tours of the United States, and has often been the first US performance for the participating artists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Mignano</span> Co-founder of podcasting platform Anchor

Michael Mignano is an American entrepreneur and venture capitalist. He is a venture capitalist at Lightspeed, the co-founder of the podcasting platform Anchor, and former head of Spotify's talk audio business. In 2019, Mignano was regarded by Fortune Magazine as one of the most influential young people in business in their annual "40 under 40" list. Mignano studied Computer Science at the University of Delaware.

References

  1. "Who Da Kang? He Da Kang!". Rapzilla. Retrieved 2012-04-14.
  2. "Listen and Learn: SXSW Keynote Rap Recaps From SaulPaul". sxsw.com. 2011-03-23. Retrieved 2012-04-14.
  3. "From Saul to Paul: Austin rapper-speaker-filmmaker talks about his own road to Damascus". Austin360.com. 2011-08-24. Retrieved 2012-04-14.
  4. "Naked City - News". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 2012-04-14.
  5. "Naked City - News". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 2012-04-14.
  6. "Listen and Learn: SXSW Keynote Rap Recaps From SaulPaul". sxsw.com. 2011-03-23. Retrieved 2012-04-14.
  7. "A Recap Of The Daniel Ek SXSW Spotify Keynote — In Rap Form". TechCrunch. 2010-03-26. Retrieved 2012-04-14.
  8. "From Gang Prevention to Life Skills: "Musician with a Message" Reaches Out to At-Risk Youth". JJIE.org. 2011-06-06. Retrieved 2012-04-14.
  9. "Behind Bars: The SaulPaul Story | cooldelamagazine". Cooldelamagazine.tumblr.com. Retrieved 2012-04-14.
  10. "Dream In 3D". iTunes. 2015-06-29. Retrieved 2016-01-13.
  11. "SaulPaul's latest album, Dream in 3D, up for Grammy nomination consideration". SaulPaul.com. 2015-11-17. Retrieved 2016-01-13.
  12. "Mama". iTunes. 2014-05-11. Retrieved 2016-01-13.
  13. "I Can Only Be Me". iTunes. 2013-01-03. Retrieved 2016-01-13.
  14. "Rise". iTunes. 2013-09-24. Retrieved 2016-01-13.
  15. "iTunes Store". Itunes.com. Retrieved 2012-04-14.
  16. "iTunes Store". Itunes.com. Retrieved 2012-04-14.
  17. "SaulPaul's Do That Hula Hoop with Rachael Lust". Hooping.org. 2015-02-25. Retrieved 2016-01-13.
  18. "SaulPaul – Ima Tell The Truth". YouTube. Retrieved 2016-01-13.
  19. "SaulPaul – Rise (Acoustic Hip Hop Version) as featured on MTV and Vevo". SaulPaul.com. Retrieved 2016-01-13.
  20. "Hip Hop Hooray". Austin Music Video Festival. 2015-09-17. Retrieved 2016-01-13.
  21. "SaulPaul - #ShineRightNow (Acoustic Hip Hop)". YouTube. 2011-12-10. Retrieved 2016-01-13.
  22. "SaulPaul Produces Music for Johnson and Johnson Gateway to Health Initiative". SaulPaul.com. 2016-01-05. Retrieved 2016-01-13.
  23. "SaulPaul Produces Music for and STARS IN Honey Bunches of Oats COMMERCIAL". ReRoute Music Group. 2015-06-24. Retrieved 2016-01-13.
  24. "SaulPaul's Music, "Welcome to Austin," Featured on CNN «  SaulPaul". saulpaul.com. Retrieved 2016-01-21.
  25. "Theme Songs, Tattoos, and #Action2015". Plus Social Good. AustinPlusSocialGood.
  26. "Touch of the King Official video". YouTube. 2014-04-01. Retrieved 2016-01-13.
  27. "Smilebooth Rap by SaulPaul". Vimeo. 2013-01-24. Retrieved 2016-01-13.
  28. "Listen to Rap Recaps of Interactive Keynotes by SaulPaul". SXSW. 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2016-01-13.
  29. "Listen to Rap Recaps of Interactive Keynotes by SaulPaul". SXSW. 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2016-01-13.
  30. "Listen to Rap Recaps of Interactive Keynotes by SaulPaul". SXSW. 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2016-01-13.
  31. "Social Good Rocks at SXSW: Chelsea Clinton Keynote Rap Recap From SaulPaul". SXSW. 2014-03-12. Retrieved 2016-01-13.
  32. "Art, Science and Rhythm: Adam Savage Keynote Rap Recap From SaulPaul". SXSW. 2014-03-10. Retrieved 2016-01-13.
  33. "23 Beats and Me: Anne Wojocicki Keynote Rap Recap From SaulPaul". SXSW. 2014-03-10. Retrieved 2016-01-13.
  34. "Neil deGrasse Tyson Keynote Rap Recap From SaulPaul". SXSW. 2014-03-09. Retrieved 2016-01-13.
  35. "Austin Kleon Keynote Rap Recap From SaulPaul". SXSW. 2014-03-07. Retrieved 2016-01-13.
  36. "Elon Musk SXSW Recap Rap by SaulPaul". YouTube. 2013-03-09. Retrieved 2016-01-13.
  37. "Tina Roth Eisenberg SXSW Recap Rap by SaulPaul". YouTube. 2013-03-10. Retrieved 2016-01-13.
  38. "Day Four – Julie Uhrman & Joshua Topolsky Community Recap". SXSW. 2013-03-12. Retrieved 2016-01-13.
  39. "Day Five – Matthew Inman Keynote Community Recap". SXSW. 2013-03-14. Retrieved 2016-01-13.
  40. "Dave Grohl SXSW 2013 Recap Rap by SaulPaul". YouTube. 2013-03-14. Retrieved 2016-01-13.
  41. "Neal a public service announcement for teens / Filmmaker set to improve youths' perspectives 11/04/2004 | Archives | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle". Chron.com. Retrieved 2012-04-14.
  42. Magazine, Ujima (2010-05-20). "African American Book Festival". Ujimamagazine.com. Retrieved 2012-04-14.
  43. "Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Leonard Pitts stresses the importance of fatherhood at book fest". Statesman.com. 2011-08-24. Retrieved 2012-04-14.
  44. "SaulPaul's series #TourLife debuts on AmericanEd TV". SaulPaul.com. 2014-09-12. Retrieved 2016-01-13.
  45. "SaulPaul: Dream In 3d". WeDreamIn3d.com. Retrieved 2016-01-13.
  46. "SaulPaul hosts the 3rd Annual Music Career Expo in Austin, Texas". SaulPaul.com. Retrieved 2016-01-14.
  47. Gravois, Daniel. "5 role models honored for their work with kids". KXAN.com. Retrieved 2016-01-14.
  48. "Regular Meeting of the Austin City Council June 12, 2014 Closed Captioning Transcript". City of Austin. 2014-06-12. Retrieved 2016-01-13.
  49. "Creative Ambassador: SaulPaul". City of Austin, Austin Creates. 2014-06-09. Retrieved 2016-01-13.
  50. "SaulPaul Press Release – Spring 2015 «  SaulPaul". saulpaul.com. Retrieved 2016-01-14.
  51. "Creative Ambassador: SaulPaul". City of Austin, Austin Creates. 2014-06-09. Retrieved 2016-01-13.
  52. "Saul Paul to receive the Young Alumni Award from UT". The Austin Times. 2014-06-09. Retrieved 2012-11-06.
  53. "Past Winners". Austin Under 40 Awards Gala. Retrieved 2020-01-08.
  54. "Texas on Tour: Saul Paul's Soulful Hip Hop & Free Swag | Union Square".
  55. "From the West Coast to the Midwest: SaulPaul's Summer Touring and Festival Performances «  SaulPaul". saulpaul.com. Retrieved 2016-01-19.
  56. "SaulPaul Night with The Atlanta Hawks «  SaulPaul". saulpaul.com. Retrieved 2016-01-19.
  57. "Austin's Airstream Visiting San Diego County Fair With Special Performance". San Diego Magazine.
  58. Interview with Saul Paul at Core DJ's event in ATL, 2015-06-29, retrieved 2016-01-19
  59. "SaulPaul - Facebook". 2015-04-28. Retrieved 2016-01-19.
  60. "SXSW - Austin+SocialGood". Austin+SocialGood. Retrieved 2016-01-20.
  61. "Upcoming Events". ReRoute Music Group. Retrieved 2016-01-20.
  62. Moss, Austin. "Super Bowl XLIX Sports Career Expo Recap". www.nflplayerengagement.com. NFL. Retrieved 2016-01-19.
  63. "United Nations Foundation — Blogs, Pictures, and more on WordPress". en.wordpress.com. Retrieved 2016-01-14.
  64. "Motherhood 101: Unconditional Love and How it Saved My Life". New York City, NY: Plus Social Good. 2014.
  65. Moss, Austin. "2014 NFL Sports Career Expo".
  66. "Re:Start Your Life". Austin, TX: TEDxYouth. 2014.
  67. "SaulPaul at TEDx Austin Women". Austin, TX: TEDx Talks. 2014.
  68. "SaulPaul Visits the Northwest to Deliver Inspirational Message to Youth". Portland, OR: The Skanner. 2013.
  69. "SaulPaul- Music Career Expo". Austin, TX: Ujima Magazine. 2013.
  70. "Houston Fringe Festival Archive 2013". Houston, TX: Houston Fringe Festival. 2013.
  71. "SHOP.ORG ANNUAL SUMMIT RECAP: 4 TAKEAWAYS FOR 2013". Chicago, IL: National Retail Federation. 2013.
  72. "Past Programming and Activities". Austin, TX: Capital View Arts. 2013.
  73. "Local Austin musician SaulPaul live from the #ATXairstream". Chicago, IL: Austin Airstream. 2013.
  74. Moss, Austin. "NFL PREP Super Bowl XLVII Sports Career Expo".
  75. "Rachel Ray Feedback Party with SaulPaul and the Eastside Panther Band". Austin, TX: WeDreamIn3D. 2013.
  76. "Making Money AND a Difference with Mobile Game Apps". Austin, TX: Blacks in Tech, SXSWi. 2013.
  1. 1 2 3 News 8 Austin Staff (19 December 2008). "SaulPaul uses improv rap skills to inspire children". Austin, Texas: Channel 8 Your News Now Network. Retrieved 15 July 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)