As one of the leaders of Houston’s hip-hop movement, Grammy-nominated and platinum selling artist Paul Wall isn’t  just leaning back in the cut and “sittin’ sidewayz.” 

The rapper is still heavily promoting his sophomore release Get Money, Stay True, and recently took time out to speak on everything including: working with his wife, his new rock/hip-hop group, Expensive Taste, his recent trip to Africa, and of course, bling-bling. 

The title of the album Get Money, Stay True reads as a counter statement to 50 Cent’s Get Rich or Die Trying.  Why did you choose that title for the album?

We came up on the grind and struggled with our record label, Swishahouse.  We were doing mixtapes, selling CD’s out of our trunks, and we were on the grind getting money.

At the same time we’re staying true to who we are, we’re staying true to our music and our fans, and staying loyal to the team.

So the money hasn’t changed you?

 Same champ, baby!

What was the creative process for your sophomore album like? 

I was on my grind with it [album].  I went in the lab and came up with 40-something songs and I put my all into it.  It was a team effort and we came up with a hell of an al bum.  It’s the best fourteen songs out of all the songs we created.

Your wife, Crys Wall, sings on two tracks from this album, "On the Grind", and "How Gangstas Roll".  Could we have a new hip-hop power couple alongside Beyonce and Jay-Z?

 [Laughs] I don’t know we’ll see, but she did her thing on the songs.  We work great together.  She’s very talented and creative.  Even when I’m doing my own thing she contributes and comes up with ideas.  She’s my inspiration and motivation.

So no arguments in the bedroom as a result of working together?

[Laughs] We don’t always agree.  I might like a chicken sandwich and she might like hamburger.  But whatever we feel is the best decision for us to make we just roll with it.

Earlier this year you toured with rock acts such as +44 and Fall Out Boy.  Why did you decide to tour with rock acts instead of a hip-hop line-up?

I wanted to do something different and reach out to my other fans.  I have a group with Travis Barker [+44] and Skinhead Rob [The Transplants] called, Expensive Taste.  Since I have been kicking it with them I realized that we share a lot of the same fans.  So for me to go on tour with a line-up of great rock acts allowed me to perform for some of the fans that might not have ever seen me perform before.  Plus, I got another tour that is strictly rap music.  So I get to knock out two birds with one stone.

 I know that there have been some delays with the group’s album due to tight work schedules.  Can we expect the debut album soon?

Hopefully pretty soon.  We just did a mixtape with DJ Skee.  It’s available for free download at www.myspace.com/expensivetaste  It’s all original music and production by Travis Barker.  So we’re doing our thing.

Let’s take it back to hip-hop for a moment.  In the beginning of hip-hop there were four main elements: the DJ, the MC, graffiti, and break dancing.  However now it seems like bling is another element.  As the master of bling, how do you think bling has influenced hip-hop culture?

Bling allows you the opportunity to be yourself and show what you like and what you don’t like.  For example, one of my homeboys got Stewie from, Family Guy, iced out.  I got a white cuff iced out with some purple diamonds on the inside.  So bling allows you to be yourself and show who you are.

Do you ever worry that the obsession with bling has gone too far since there is such a heavy focus on bling and materialism in mainstream hip-hop music and culture?

Sometimes, but only when people allow bling to take control.  Bling doesn’t make you, but if you get caught up in it, then the bling can make you.

Earlier this year you were part of the VH1 documentary, Bling: A Planet Rock which looked at the blood diamond situation in Africa.  What did you gain from your experience visiting Africa?  

It inspired me to want to be a part of something and make a change.  When we went to Sierra Leone there were children affected by war and orphanages were getting shut down.  So we’re trying to get the orphanages back up and running.  They also didn’t have any public waste system.  There was a dump right on the water and everybody would just dump their trash there, so we’re trying to clean all that up too. 

We’re going to turn that area into a soccer field and give the kids somewhere to play.  I’m also donating 100% of all profits from grills containing red stones to humanitarian efforts in Africa.  You can order grills online at: www.grillsbypaulwall.com 

I read the most random trivia fact about you online; it stated that you hold the record for having the most doo-rags owned by a white rapper, beating out Eminem and Kevin Federline.  Is that true?

No, I don’t even own any doo-rags. 

So, what’s up next for you?

I’m just going to keep grinding.  Travis Barker, Skinhead Rob, and I got the Expensive Taste clothing line.  I’m going to keep doing my thing with www.grillsbypaulwall.com   I also have the Paul Wall bobble heads.  Plus, I teamed up with Zenetti, and I have my own line of wheels called, Masquerade.The wheels have iced out rims, a removable face plate, and the front-end grills are iced out. 

Besides the jewelry store, my boy Eddie and I own a car restoration shop called, Third Coast Customs.  People bring us their nightmares and we turn it into a fantasy.  So, I’m just trying to do my thing anyway that I can.