The Peoples Champ

Last updated
The Peoples Champ
The peoples champ cover.jpg
Studio album by
Paul Wall
ReleasedSeptember 13, 2005 [1]
Genre Hip hop, southern hip hop
Length
  • 69:56
  • 74:38 (screwed and chopped)
Label
Producer
Paul Wall chronology
Chick Magnet
(2004)		The Peoples Champ
(2005)		 Get Money, Stay True
(2007)
Singles from The Peoples Champ
  1. "Sittin' Sidewayz"
    Released: August 20, 2005
  2. "They Don't Know"
    Released: August 29, 2005
  3. "Girl"
    Released: September 29, 2005
  4. "Drive Slow"
    Released: June 6, 2006

The Peoples Champ is the commercial debut and second studio album by American rapper Paul Wall. It was released on September 13, 2005, by Atlantic Records, Asylum Records, and Swishahouse. The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, selling 176,000 copies in its first week. [2] This serves as his first number one in two solo studio releases after Chick Magnet (2004). The album was supported by four singles: "Sittin' Sidewayz" (featuring Big Pokey), "They Don't Know", "Girl", and "Drive Slow" (Kanye West featuring Paul Wall and GLC). Both "Sittin' Sidewayz" and "Girl" became a certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling 500,000 copies each in the United States. [3]

Contents

The limited edition of The Peoples Champ features two CDs: disc one contains the original album, while disc two contains the "screwed and chopped" version by DJ Michael "5000" Watts. The Watts mix was released as a stand-alone CD the following week. [4]

The song "They Don't Know" (featuring Mike Jones) also appeared on his debut studio album Chick Magnet

and the song "Drive Slow" also appeared on Kanye West's album Late Registration

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [5]
Blender Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [6]
HipHopDX Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [7]
Okayplayer Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [8]
Pitchfork 7.9/10 [9]
RapReviews8/10 [10]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [11]
The Situation3/5 [12]

The Peoples Champ received generally positive reviews from music critics. Pitchfork writer Tom Breihan credited newcomer producer Grid Iron for providing some consistent beats throughout the album and Wall for being an above-average rapper saying, "So Wall is a good rapper, but not a great one. But then, this is 2005, and all a rapper needs to make a good album is enough great, complementary beats and guest appearances to keep the whole thing interesting all the way through." [9] AllMusic's Andy Kellman also praised Wall as a rapper, saying his flow is something that "always fits into the fabric of the track." [5] Jonah Weiner of Blender lauded Wall's ability to lace crafty wordplay about the typical hip-hop tropes, saying that "This is materialism at its most mesmerizing." [6] K. B. Tindal of HipHopDX praised the album for its party tracks but was looking for some substance throughout it, saying that "After actually listening to the project it was worth the wait but still could have been a little more introspective with more heartfelt tracks. [...] For the most part it is what it is; shit-talking made to sound good." [7] Usman Sajjad of The Situation praised the album for its production and catchy party tracks, concluding that "With new hustles like his grills and various endorsements with Reebok and other companies, Paul Wall gives evidence with his debut 'The People’s Champ', that Houston still flows strongly through his blood, whilst moving one foot into mainstream Hip Hop." [12]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."I'm a Playa" (featuring Three 6 Mafia)
4:25
2."They Don't Know" (featuring Mike Jones)
Grid Iron3:43
3."Ridin' Dirty" (featuring Trey Songz)
Grid Iron4:27
4."State to State" (featuring Freeway)
Sanchez Holmes4:12
5."So Many Diamonds" (featuring T.I.)
Khao3:58
6."Smooth Operator"
 Kojack 3:15
7."Sittin' Sidewayz" (featuring Big Pokey)
S. Williams3:52
8."Internet Going Nutz"
 KLC 4:43
9."Trill" (featuring B.G. and Bun B)
Grid Iron4:08
10."Sippin' Tha Barre"
 Mr. Lee 4:39
11."Drive Slow" (performed by Kanye West featuring Paul Wall and GLC)
West4:33
12."March N Step" (featuring Grit Boys and Lil Wayne)
Grid Iron3:47
13."Got Plex" (featuring Archie Lee and Cootabang)
  • Slayton
  • Archie "Lee" Tatmon
  • Speez
  • Continuous
3:45
14."Girl"
  • Speez
  • Continuous
4:38
15."Big Ballin'"
  • Slayton
  • Earl
  • Berry
Grid Iron4:01
16."Sip-N-Get High" (featuring Aqualeo)
  • Slayton
  • Acie "Aqualeo" High
  • Alan Sampson
  • Clinton Ray
  • Eric Mitchell
Sampson3:45
17."Just Paul Wall"
  • Slayton
  • Earl
  • Berry
Grid Iron4:11
Total length:69:56
Screwed & Chopped by DJ Michael "5000" Watts
No.TitleLength
1."Intro" 
2."Sittin' Sidewayz" (featuring Big Pokey) 
3."Big Ballin'" 
4."March N Step" (featuring Grit Boys and Lil Wayne) 
5."State to State" (featuring Freeway) 
6."Trill" (featuring B.G. and Bun B) 
7."Girl" 
8."Just Paul Wall" 
9."So Many Diamonds" (featuring T.I.) 
10."Smooth Operator" 
11."Got Plex" (featuring Archie Lee and Cootabang) 
12."They Don't Know" (featuring Bun B) 
13."Ridin' Dirty" (featuring Trey Songz) 
14."Internet Going Nutz" 
15."I'm a Playa" (featuring Three 6 Mafia) 
16."Sip-N-Get High" (featuring Aqualeo) 
17."Drive Slow" (performed by Kanye West featuring Paul Wall and GLC) 
18."Outro" 
Sample credits

Charts and certifications

See also

Related Research Articles

Southern hip hop, also known as Southern rap, South Coast hip hop, or dirty south, is a blanket term for a regional genre of American hip hop music that emerged in the Southern United States, especially in Georgia, Texas, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Florida—often titled “The Big 5,” five states which constitute the "Southern Network" in rap music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UGK</span> American hip hop duo

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Swishahouse is an independent Southern hip hop record label and collective based in Houston, Texas, founded by Michael "5000" Watts and OG Ron C in 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pimp C</span> American rapper (1973–2007)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Wall</span> American rapper from Texas

Paul Michael Slayton, better known by his stage name Paul Wall, is an American rapper and DJ. He has spent much of his career affiliated with Swishahouse, and has released several albums under the label and collaborated with numerous other rappers signed to the label. He began his career performing alongside fellow Houstonian Chamillionaire, with whom he released several albums, including 2002's independently released Get Ya Mind Correct. By 2005, he was signed to Atlantic Records and became successful with his major label debut The Peoples Champ, which was followed up by Get Money, Stay True released in 2007. He has been nominated for one Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance as a Duo or Group for the song "Grillz", his collaboration with rapper Nelly.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Pokey</span> American rapper (1974–2023)

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References

  1. ↑ "The People's Champ by Paul Wall". Amazon.
  2. ↑ "Wall Emerges As Billboard 200 'Champ'". Billboard . Retrieved 2016-09-01.
  3. ↑ "Gold & Platinum - RIAA". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved 2016-09-01.
  4. ↑ "Paul Wall - The Peoples Champ (Screwed & Chopped)". Discogs. Retrieved 2016-09-01.
  5. 1 2 Kellman, Andy. "The Peoples Champ - Paul Wall". AllMusic . Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  6. 1 2 Weiner, Jonah. "Paul Wall - The People's Champ". Blender . Alpha Media Group. Archived from the original on November 28, 2005. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
  7. 1 2 Tindal, K. B. (September 26, 2005). "Paul Wall - The People's Champ". HipHopDX . Cheri Media Group. Archived from the original on July 27, 2010. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  8. ↑ Ruhi, Adrian (September 2005). "Paul Wall - The People's Champ". Okayplayer . Archived from the original on October 17, 2006. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
  9. 1 2 Breihan, Tom (October 6, 2005). "Paul Wall: The People's Champ". Pitchfork . Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  10. ↑ Juon, Steve 'Flash' (September 13, 2005). "RapReviews.com Feature for September 13, 2005". RapReviews. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  11. ↑ "Paul Wall - The People's Champ". Archived from the original on January 14, 2009. Retrieved 2007-04-08.{{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  12. 1 2 Sajjad, Usman. "Paul Wall - The People's Champ". The Situation. Archived from the original on November 25, 2005. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Paul Wall Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Paul Wall Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  15. ↑ "Year-End Charts: Billboard 200 Albums - 2005". Billboard. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  16. ↑ "Year-End Charts: R&B/Hip-Hop Albums - 2005". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 8, 2016. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  17. ↑ "Year-End Charts: Billboard 200 Albums - 2006". Billboard. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  18. ↑ "Year-End Charts: R&B/Hip-Hop Albums - 2006". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 10, 2016. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  19. ↑ "American album certifications – Paul Wall". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved September 22, 2014.
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