The Peoples Champ

The Peoples Champ
Studio album by Paul Wall
Released September 27, 2005
Recorded 2004–2005
Genre Hip hop, Southern hip hop
Length 70:18
Label Swishahouse, Atlantic, Asylum
Producer Paul Wall, DJ Paul & Juicy J, Michael 5000 Watts, Grid Iron, Sanchez Holmes, Khao, Kojack, Salih Williams, KLC, Mr Lee (producer), Kanye West, Speez, A. Sampson
Paul Wall chronology

The Chick Magnet
(2004)		 The Peoples Champ
(2005)		 Get Money, Stay True
(2007)

The Peoples Champ is the second studio album by rapper Paul Wall. The album debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling 176,000 copies its first week.[1] This is his second album overall and the first to top the Billboard 200. This album is also available in a Chopped and Screwed version by DJ Michael "5000" Watts. There is a special 2-disc edition available with an alternative album cover and a bonus disc. The five singles from the album are "Sittin' Sidewayz", "They Don't Know", "Internet Goin Nutz", "Girl" and Kanye West's Drive Slow featuring Paul Wall & GLC, which was released on West's Late Registration prior to this album.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic [2]
HipHopDX [3]
Pitchfork Media (7.9/10)[4]
RapReviews [5]
Rolling Stone [6]

The Peoples Champ received generally positive reviews from music critics who found him better than fellow Houston rapper Mike Jones. Tom Breihan of Pitchfork Media 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, complimentary beats and guest appearances to keep the whole thing interesting all the way through."[4] Andy Kellman of AllMusic also praised Wall as a rapper, saying his flow is something that "always fits into the fabric of the track."[2] K. B. Tindal of HipHopDX praised the album for its party tracks but was looking for some substance throughout it saying "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."[3]

Track listing

# Title Featured Guest(s) Producer(s) Time
1 "I'm a Playa" Three 6 Mafia DJ Paul, Juicy J 4:25
2 "They Don't Know" Mike Jones GridIron Glow-Ree 3:43
3 "Ridin' Dirty" Trey Songz GridIron Glow-Ree 4:27
4 "State to State" Freeway Sanchez Holmes 4:12
5 "So Many Diamonds" T.I. Khao 3:58
6 "Smooth Operator" Kool Kojak 3:15
7 "Sittin' Sidewayz" Big Pokey of the S.U.C. Salih Williams 3:52
8 "Internet Going Nutz" KLC 4:43
9 "Trill" B.G. & Bun B GridIron Glow-Ree, Mike Dean, Medicine Man & TicToc 4:08
10 "Sippin' tha Barre" Mr Lee (producer) 4:39
11 "Drive Slow" Kanye West & GLC Kanye West 4:33
12 "March 'n' Step" GridIron Glow-Ree Unique & Lil Wayne 3:47
13 "Got Plex" Archie Lee & Cootabang Speez 3:45
14 "Girl" Speez 4:38
15 "Big Ballin'" GridIron Glow-Ree 4:01
16 "Sip-N-Get High" Aqualeo Alan Sampson 3:45
17 "Just Paul Wall" GridIron Glow-Ree 4:11
18 "They Don't Know" Bun B GridIron Glow-Ree 3:43

Chopped and Screwed version

  1. Intro
  2. Sittin' Sidewayz (Featuring Big Pokey)
  3. Big Ballin'
  4. March N' Step (Featuring Unique & Lil Wayne)
  5. State to State (Featuring Freeway)
  6. Trill (Featuring BG 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 (Kanye West featuring Paul Wall and GLC)
  18. Outro

Samples

Charts

Chart (2005) Peak
position[7]
U.S. Billboard 200 1
U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums 1
Preceded by
Late Registration by Kanye West		 Billboard 200 number-one album
September 25, 2005 - October 1, 2005 		Succeeded by
Ten Thousand Fists by Disturbed

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
United States (RIAA)[8] Platinum 1,000,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
xunspecified figures based on certification alone

References

  1. ↑ http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1510011/kanye-west-falls-champ-paul-wall.jhtml
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Kellman, Andy. "The Peoples Champ - Paul Wall". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Tindal, K. B. (September 26, 2005). "Paul Wall - The People's Champ". HipHopDX. Cheri Media Group. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Breihan, Tom (October 6, 2005). "Paul Wall: The People's Champ". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  5. ↑ Juon, Steve 'Flash' (September 13, 2005). "RapReviews.com Feature for September 13, 2005". RapReviews. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  6. ↑ Paul Wall - The People's Champ at the Wayback Machine (archived January 14, 2009)
  7. ↑ allmusic ((( The Peoples Champ > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))
  8. ↑ "American album certifications – Paul Wall". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 22, 2014. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH