Friday

There is a version of Texas that lives entirely in the drawl of a chopped and screwed hook, and Paul Wall has spent two decades as one of its chief architects. The Houston rapper built his name inside Michael "5000" Watts' Swishahouse operation, talking his way from promotions work into the booth itself.

Rising out of Seguin, he built his reputation the old-fashioned way: reading rooms, blending genres on the fly, and mastering the art of keeping a crowd moving.

Rising out of Seguin, he built his reputation the old-fashioned way: reading rooms, blending genres on the fly, and mastering the art of keeping a crowd moving.