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Paul Wall might save the world. I believe this because of the same core reason that Stephen Hawking impresses the sweet fancy Mariah out of me on a regular basis. Not because of the whole fundamental grasp of the universe thing. Rather, I’m absolutely amazed by the concepts Hawking doesn’t touch with a ten-foot pole, specifically, his paralysis, the most immediately noticeable thing about him. The man is more concerned with what he believes in than who he is. Sacrificing self-perception to devote one’s self more deeply to the things that move you is damn near godly.

This is why I believe Paul Wall might save the world. Paul Wall is a hugely normal Texas rapper, at least, as normal as these dudes can be. Paul’s glossily muted singles have been dominating the sound of black music for the past six months or so. What makes him all the more remarkable than his counterparts is the fact that Paul is a white dude. In hip-hop, this is the equivalent of having a scarlet letter tattooed on your forehead.

But the reason he might be able to save the world is that he never brings up his race, one way or the other.

No self-deprecation, no over-compensation, he’s an utterly normal rapper. Same uniforms, same tendencies, same instincts as everyone else you see in Swishahouse videos.

He could be the most financially successful rapper in history, Eminem with street credibility, Vanilla Ice with the proper validating relationships, the suburban hip-hop fan’s ultimate trump card.

That said, the dude has never made it an issue. His choice to not exploit his whiteness for financial gain can only come from one place; that place being the fact that he honestly doesn’t care about how he’s seen, only about his own ideas, how he perceives himself, which is one talented mushmouthed false tooth salesman. No more, no less. Stephen Hawking is unlocking the secrets of the galaxy from his wheelchair. Paul Wall is bursting boundaries from the box of a generations thick cultural context, because the shine of his rhymes were brighter than all these walls.[[In-content Ad]]

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