“I really didn't think it was possible because there was really no one from my neighborhood that I knew or saw that made it successfully as a professional rapper. So it was like, OK, I don't know if its even possible.'”

American rapper and DJ

Paul Michael Slayton, known as Paul Wall, is an American rapper and DJ. Born in 1981, he came up in Houston and emerged in the late 1990s with the Swishahouse label. He is best known for his work in Southern hip-hop and for helping bring Houston rap wider attention. Wall released several albums, including the collaboration Get Ya Mind Correct with Chamillionaire in 2002. His major label debut, The Peoples Champ, reached number one on the Billboard 200 in 2005, and Get Money, Stay True followed in 2007 and reached the top ten. He also appeared on Nelly's 2005 single "Grillz," which became his biggest commercial hit and was nominated for a Grammy.