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Lizzo is glad that she will not be bringing legal worries into the new year. She reveals she was totally blindsided by her former staff’s sexual harassment claims.
As spotted on Variety Magazine the singer received a favorable decision regarding a high profile lawsuit. Back in 2023 her ex stylist and dance troupe made some very damming allegations against her including sexual harassment, body shaming and fostering a toxic work environment. Earlier this month a California federal judge dismissed the case and ruled that her former dancers and stylist had no grounds to sue her (they are still pursuing damages from Lizzo’s touring company and payroll agency).
Naturally the “Truth Hurts” singer said very little about the lawsuit while the case was still open. Now that it is formally behind she is speaking up about the entire ordeal. She recently paid a visit to the This Is Keke Palmer podcast and she made it clearly she was just as surprised by the filing as everyone else was. “The hardest part about all this is that none of these things were true,” she explained. “I was completely surprised. I was very deeply hurt because these were three dancers; that I gave opportunities to. These were people that I liked and appreciated as dancers, respected them as dancers. So I was like, ‘What?!’ But then I heard all the other things, like sexual harassment, and I was like, ‘I don’t know what they’re trying to do,’ but these are the types of things that the media can turn into something that it’s not.”
In the lawsuit the troupe detailed an evening out in Amsterdam’s Red Light District where they claim Lizzo pressured them to interact with nude performers. While Lizzo denied that their account of the evening was factual, Keke responded objectively asking “Do you feel looking back on the situation that maybe your casual personality could have been misconstrued as ‘I got to do this, because this is my boss?’” Lizzo admitted that the experience has taught her how to move more tactfully when it comes to engaging with her staff. “I think that this experience taught me healthy boundaries, but to be real with you, it was such a fun night… I think there’s a time where there’s a difference between having boundaries and professional boundaries… It’s nuanced. It’s a new conversation in this industry.”
You can watch Lizzo discuss this and her upcoming new album below.
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Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis will appeal her disqualification from the election interference case against Donald Trump by the Georgia Court of Appeals.
Hours after the Georgia Court of Appeals announced that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was disqualified from prosecuting the election interference case against President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday (December 19), Willis’ office declared its intent “to petition the Supreme Court of Georgia” to appeal the decision in a motion filed with the court. There has been no further comment from Willis or her office.
Willis’ debarment from the highly intricate case came after the three-judge panel of the Georgia Court of Appeals overturned the trial judge’s decision earlier in the day, by a vote of 2-1. Judge Scott McAfee had ruled in March that Wills could remain on the case despite revelations that she had been in a romantic relationship with the lawyer she brought on to handle the prosecution, Nathan Wade. The defense attorneys in the case seized upon that information, forcing Willis to testify about the relationship in January of this year.
The three judges on the Court of Appeals panel are all Republicans. The Georgia Supreme Court is also predominately composed of Republican judges. Appealing the decision comes with a high risk – if the Georgia Supreme Court upholds the lower court’s decision, it would effectively scuttle the case which is the last standing prosecution against Trump. Sentencing in his “hush money” case in New York City has been delayed, and the Department of Justice opted to drop its cases against the president-elect citing the precedent of not prosecuting a sitting president.
Former Georgia prosecutor Chris Timmons said that “it’s a tough call to say whether the Court of Appeals got it right,” in an interview with the New York Times adding that “their reasoning was that the people lost confidence in the case.” But he also noted that Judge McAfee, who is a conservative, saw enough merit in Willis to continue on the case and cited Willis having “won re-election in a landslide, suggesting that Fulton County at least has confidence in her.”
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The end of 2024 is upon us and that means holiday festivities, gift swapping, and a lot of eating and drinking if we’re lucky. For those of us who indulge in cannabis products, this is a fine time to get gifted or hand out some holiday cheer so let’s get into it.
As my coverage of cannabis continues to take shape, I’m learning more and more about the wide uses for the plant and how it doesn’t always have to end up in a blunt, joint, or bong for me to get the relief and effects I want. I’ll level with readers and say I’m not much into flower but if it’s already rolled, I’ll indulge in a fresh “j” here and there. My preferred method of use is vaporizers, edibles, and concentrates and I’m more of a sativa or sativa-leaning hybrid kind of guy. I find it helps me with my ADHD, joint pain, and general mood.
In this short list, I’m listing brands I’ve tried in my travels across the country along with brands that have select locales but are still worth highlighting. Heck, you might be one of those frequent flight hoppers like myself so this can aid in your search for good products.
I do want to say that before we end this post and lock it down until 2025, please indulge in cannabis safely and observe the rules and laws in your respective hometowns. I hope all of you have an amazing holiday season and we’ll see you at the top of the year.
For now, enjoy this handy cannabis gift guide. Let us know in the comments what some of your faves are.
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1. 22Red
Source:22Red
22Red is the brainchild of Shavo Odadjian, who some might know is a member of System of A Down. The cannabis brand specializes in a wide variety of flower, prerolls, concentrates, infused flower, and vapes.
Learn more here.
2. CAKE She Hits Different
Source:CAKE
CAKE She Hits Different, co-founded by Chloe Kaleiokalani, is dope for the fact we need more women-owned brands in the cannabis space. The brand’s Designer Distillate vaporizers are the first to boast a 1.25 capacity and boosted with terpenes.
Learn more here.
3. Housing Works Cannabis Co x Cartography NYC—Stoner Nameplate Necklace
Source:Cartography NYC
We’ve featured Housing Works Cannabis Co in previous gift guides and love what they’re doing up in New York. They also have a collaboration with Cartography NYC via the Stoner Nameplate Necklace now available for preorder. Peep the other gear in the eShop too!
Learn more here.
4. iGrowcan
Source:iGrowcan
For the novice home grower, iGrowcan is a handy option to help those with an aspiration for having “green” thumbs, if you get our meaning. Salute to the Royal Queen Seeds crew!
Learn more here.
5. Jeeter
Source:jeeter
Jeeter bills itself as the number one preroll brand in the world and they certainly have a wide reach in the game. They also have infused prerolls with TCHA diamonds, live resin concentrates, and more.
Learn more here.
6. Live ORO
Source:Live ORO
Live ORO is billed as a drinkable sleep aid boosted with 10 MGs of THC and 10 MGs of CBD, promising a relaxing night’s sleep in every bottle.
Learn more here.
7. Reefresh
Source:Reefresh
Reefresh is another drinkable cannabis option but without the bubbles. Sometimes, you just want a crushable sip and they have a 10 MG canned option, along with a concentrated 100 MG flavored shot that you can dose at your comfort.
Learn more here.
8. Royal Queen Seeds — TYSON 2.0 Collab Seeds
Source:RQS
For home growers, Royal Queen Seeds is a name most should come to know. And now, they’ve partnered with Mike Tyson, a known cannabis enthusiast with his own Tyson 2.0 seeds.
Learn more here.
9. Voila!
Source:Voila!
I drink quite a bit of sparking mineral water and having an infused, flavored version of the drink is right up my alley. Voila! is a brand that’s new to us but we hope to try them out soon.
Learn more here.
10. WYNK
Source:WYNK
Wynk is actually the first cannabis-infused hard seltzer I tried and I appreciate the fact that it’s a very mild dose that’s perfect for social settings and also for those who want to take a break from alcohol.
Learn more here.
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Last month, it was reported that Wendy Williams’ dementia had left her “cognitively impaired and permanently incapacitated.” Luckily for her son, she was able to make his graduation ceremony earlier this week.
According to TMZ, Wendy Williams made an extremely rare public appearance in Miami this past Thursday (Dec. 19) when her son, Kevin Hunter Jr., graduated from Florida International University. Rocking a black and silver dress while rolling around in a mobility scooter, Williams was joined by a couple of armed guards and her father, Thomas Williams Sr. While our hearts break to see Wendy Williams in such conditions, it is nice to see that she can still enjoy special moments like this with her family when she can.
Per TMZ:
There are also pictures from inside the graduation — showing WW seated to watch the culmination of her son’s college years.
It’s a rare day out for Williams … who it was revealed earlier this year suffers from dementia during a legal battle over the controversial documentary “Where Is Wendy Williams?”
She was photographed earlier this month grinning big from the back of an SUV … though her guardian recently claimed in court filings that the disease has left her “permanently incapacitated.”
Looks like she felt well enough to cheer her son on while he accepted his diploma … making for a happy family memory.
Good for her!
What are your thoughts on Wendy Williams these days? Sound off in the comments section below.
SZA finally dropped Lana, the long-awaited deluxe edition of her blockbuster album SOS, on Friday (Dec. 20) via Top Dawg Entertainment and RCA Records. Earlier this week, she officially announced Lana with an Instagram teaser video starring Ben Stiller and featuring the track “Drive.” She first revealed the Lana title during a concert at New York’s Brooklyn Navy Yard […]
This Billboard Explains episode dives into how Mariah Carey and Brenda Lee compete for No. 1 on the Hot 100 with their Christmas classics “All I Want for Christmas Is You” and “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” respectively, during the holiday season.
Tetris Kelly:It’s the battle between the Christmas queens Mariah versus Brenda. Every holiday season, Mariah Carey and Brenda Lee battle it out for the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100, but how did these two Christmas classics become the top song? And what’s the story behind this holiday competition? This is Billboard Explains: Mariah Carey and Brenda Lee’s Battle for the Christmas Throne.
There are many holiday classics that are in rotation every December — Wham’s “Last Christmas,” Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock” and Burl Ives’ “A Holly Jolly Christmas,” just to name a few. But two songs are always fighting for the No. 1 spot on the Hot 100: Mariah Carey’s “All I want for Christmas Is You” and Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” So how did we get here? Let’s go back to the beginning.
Nearly 14 year old, Brenda Lee released “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” in 1958, and it debuted on the Hot 100 dated Dec. 12, 1960. The song originally peaked at No. 14 two weeks later, but it re-entered the Hot 100 decades later during the 2013-2014 holiday season. It first hit the top 10 during the 2018-2019 holiday, and spent nine weeks at No. 2 during the 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 holidays, right behind Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”
Speaking of Mariah, “All I Want for Christmas Is You” first appeared on the Billboard charts in 1994, and it hit the Hot 100’s top 10 for the first time in December 2017. It reached No. 1 on the Hot 100 for the first time in 2019, and has continued to dominate every holiday season since then, but that all changed in 2023 when Brenda’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” finally reached the No. 1 spot and spent three weeks at the top, while Mariah’s carol led for two weeks last holiday season.
But what is it about these two songs that keeps the battle going every Christmas? With the rise of streaming and curated holiday playlists, these two tracks are always staples on those lists, which helps bring them back to the chart every year. Plus, radio airplay and sales are always strong for both songs, among many other seasonal standards over the holidays.
But the stars play into the fun, too. Mariah has her viral “It’s Time” videos, while Brenda filmed a music video for her classic hit last year, and even joined the world of TikTok to promote the song.
Regardless of why these two songs are the songs of the holiday season, we can’t get enough of these two Christmas queens.
It’s as predictable as the crazed sprint to the mall for that last clutch of gifts on Dec. 23. The annual Billboard chart showdown between the two undisputed queens of Christmas music: Mariah Carey and Brenda Lee.
There a dozens of holiday classics, new and old, to choose from at this time of year, from Wham!’s “Last Christmas” to Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock” and Burl Ives’ “A Holly Jolly Christmas.” But when it comes to the top spot, there are really only two songs that keep jostling for the No. 1 slot on the Hot 100 at this most festive time of year: Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” and Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.”
Since you’ll be hearing a lot of those songs in the next week, let’s look at how we got to this annual tradition.
Lee released her song in 1958 when she was just 14 years old, with the track debuting on the Hot 100 singles chart on Dec. 12, 1960, originally peaking at No. 14 two weeks later, only to re-enter the Hot 100 after several decades during the 2013-2014 holiday season. “Rockin’” didn’t make it into the top 10 until 2018-2019 frame, then spent nine weeks at No. 2 on the singles tally in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 .
What kept the 80-year-old singer out of the top spot? Carey, of course.
“All I Want” — which appeared on Carey’s debut Christmas album, 1994’s Merry Christmas — first hit the Billboard charts in 1994, but didn’t crack the top 10 on the Hot 100 until December 2017. It finally reached the No. 1 spot in 2019 and has absolutely dominated every holiday season since.
Well, except for 2023, when Lee’s “Rockin’” finally shot to No. 1 on the Hot 100, spending three weeks at the apex of the chart, while Carey’s song led for two weeks that year, marking just the third holiday song ever to reach the top of the chart; the other one is “The Chipmunk Song” by the Chipmunks with David Seville, which spent four weeks at No. 1 in December 1958.
So in an era when dozens of new Christmas albums and songs flood the zone in search of classic standing, what explains the strength of Carey and Lee’s anthems? The rise of streaming and curated holiday playlists, as well as strong radio airplay and sales has helped both tracks become annual staples. It also helps that both singers have leaned into the virality of their hits, with Carey filming her popular “it’s time” teaser clips every year and Lee filming a music video for hers last year as well as joining TikTok to promote it.
No matter which one is your favorite, enjoy the season and keep rockin’ around the Christmas tree!
Watch Billboard Explains: Mariah Carey and Brenda Lee’s Battle for the Christmas Throne in the video above.
After the video, catch up on more Billboard Explains videos and learn about Peso Pluma and the Mexican music boom, the role record labels play, origins of hip-hop, how Beyoncé arrived at Renaissance, the evolution of girl groups, BBMAs, NFTs, SXSW, the magic of boy bands, American Music Awards, the Billboard Latin Music Awards, the Hot 100 chart, how R&B/hip-hop became the biggest genre in the U.S., how festivals book their lineups, Billie Eilish’s formula for success, the history of rap battles, nonbinary awareness in music, the Billboard Music Awards, the Free Britney movement, rise of K-pop in the U.S., why Taylor Swift is re-recording her first six albums, the boom of hit all-female collaborations, how Grammy nominees and winners are chosen, why songwriters are selling their publishing catalogs, how the Super Bowl halftime show is booked and more.
“Loser Monologue,” by Sign Crushes Motorist, is 2:56 of uncut, unrequited longing. “If you knew how I felt, I wouldn’t even be writing this s–t,” the singer-songwriter says at one point, pivoting towards self-disgust as a haze of sustained notes swells around him. “I wouldn’t be so lonely.” There is no percussion and little change to the melody, just Sign Crushes Motorist discussing romantic fantasies that he knows “will never happen.”
A drumless dispatch from the perspective of a despondent loner — not usually what people imagine as pop music. Yet “Loser Monologue” has more than 55 million plays on Spotify alone. “People are just drawn to that kind of stuff once in a while,” says Liam McCay, the 19-year-old behind Sign Crushes Motorist. His theory is that, while listening, “you can pretend like you’re not as mature as you are.”
In addition to Sign Crushes Motorist, McCay records under more than a dozen other names, including Take Care, Sweet Boy, Birth Day and more. Across these monikers, his most popular tracks often share some characteristics: leisurely tempos, short lengths, simple guitar melodies but often little else in the way of instrumentation, and vocals that are hushed to the point they can be hard to make out.
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When they’re discernible, though, the lyrics often conjure what McCay describes as “a sense of longing for some kind of a connection.” “You weren’t supposed to leave, and now you’re gone,” he sighs on Sweet Boy’s “I Still Think About You.” Take Care’s “Everything Reminds Me of You” echoes a desperate wish from “Loser Monologue” — “All I want is to hold you” — while “Nothing Happened At All” is so self-effacing that it borders on self-erasing: “I’d do anything for you, I will be anything for you.”
“I was an angsty teenager — I’m starting to grow up a wee bit,” McCay says sheepishly. “I never seemed to have much luck with the women and all that.” Plus, Ireland can be “a depressing place” at times, especially in winter.
All that angst is resonating with a growing audience; McCay recently pulled in 16 million streams a week across his catalog, according to Luminate. “His ability to craft full albums that soundtrack specific moments in your life, even at such a young age, stands out,” says Conor Ambrose, whose company Listen to the Kids serves as McCay’s publisher.
Despite the melancholy and futility that courses through the singer’s most popular tracks — McCay named a Take Care album Agony — he is quick to crack jokes, especially at his own expense. Before touring the U.S. earlier this year, he had to revisit some of the songs he had recorded and released in a frenzied spurt of activity. “I had to actually listen to them again, like, ‘This guy’s just going on about nothing,’” McCay quips.
When performing his records, he continues, “sometimes it’s a wee bit embarrassing having to sing the lyrics.” And in a YouTube interview earlier this year, he cheerfully announced a plan to “lock the doors” and “make some stuff that no one’s really gonna like.”
McCay grew up in Donegal, a pint-sized town in northwest Ireland, and his first foray into music was playing traditional tunes on the fiddle. When he pivoted to guitar and started to try to write songs, “obviously it sounded like s–t” at first. But during COVID-induced lockdown, he began to improve.
In 2021, he concocted a “big two-year plan”: He would put out a pair of EPs followed by a science fiction concept album. “That’s always sometimes been a fault of mine, big ideas,” he cracks. But after working extensively on the first EP, McCay was unsatisfied with the result.
He took a break, temporarily writing other songs “to express something different,” and the resulting music sounded way better. “After that, everything became a side project,” McCay explains. In the summer of 2022, when he released Boyhood (as Birth Day) and i’ll be ok (the first Sign Crushes Motorist album) within two months of each other, some of those side projects started to gain a following.
Major labels have made overtures, but he has rebuffed them. McCay is not completely on an island; he has a manager, plus Ambrose to help with the famously complicated world of publishing.
Ambrose believes McCay “embodies the essence of a modern independent artist,” and the singer seems content to continue operating in this fashion. “Every musician’s goal is to be able to live off their music, and I’m able to do that,” he says. “So I think I’m going to keep going the way I’m going.” (An independent solo artist consistently earning more than 15 million streams a week is making a robust six-figure annual income.) Plus, it’s likely that a major label would interfere with his way of working — spraying out music rapid-fire across a dozen different artist projects — and want him to focus on making a single moniker as big as possible.
Even as McCay stays the course, there is one difference: He has moved to Los Angeles, a world away from Ireland’s cold, dark winters. “I feel a whole lot better now coming out to the sun,” he says. And that means “I just haven’t been really as interested in making sad music as of recently.”
That’s not to say he’s lacking inspiration. His recent tour — 17 dates across U.S. cities, mostly in 500-cap clubs — introduced him to flesh-and-blood fans who had once seemed like a distant mirage. “Numbers on the screen are all well and good,” McCay says. “But to actually meet somebody and hear them talking to you about the music feels really nice.”
He might launch yet another side project, this one named Flesh World, after a magazine he spotted in Twin Peaks. And he also wants to put out a “midwest emo album” that he made a few years ago.
“I think I’m going to make two more albums and try to have four albums out in January,” he says. “Why not?”
New Music Latin is a compilation of the best new Latin songs and albums recommended by Billboard Latin and Billboard Español editors. Check out this week’s picks below.
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Cazzu, “La Cueva” (DALE PLAY Records/Rimas Entertainment)
Cazzu became a first-time mom, went through a very public breakup, returned to the stage, and created new music — all in 2024. She now bids farewell to her rollercoaster of a year with new single “La Cueva,” a notable dedication to her ex-partner and father of her daughter, Christian Nodal, whom she broke up with seven months ago. Produced by Nico Cotton and written by Cazzu (real name: Julieta Cazzucheli), the song is a heart-wrenching ballad backed by weeping guitar and piano melodies, powered by the Argentine artist’s soft, but dulcet and passionate vocals. “Of course I cried, if I adored you/ You turned our story into a parody,” she chants, also singing that even if her ex has all the money in the world, he’ll return to the cave where he’s his own prisoner. In the metaphorical music video, which she also co-directed with Alan Olmedo, Cazzu is walking around a field of dandelions with cowboy boots on, and also performing in front of a burning house. — JESSICA ROIZ
La K’Onga & Carlos Baute, “Ladrón” (Muzikando/ONErpm)
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Venezuelan singer-songwriter Carlos Baute and Argentine trio La K’onga join forces on “Ladrón,” a song that begins as a soft ballad but quickly transforms into a delicious merengue. The track talks about recovering a former lover who left you for somebody else, saying in the passionate chorus: “I’m going to steal from the thief/ Who ripped you out of my life/ I’m going to steal your kisses, your lips/ All the things that I cannot forget.” It is a perfect song to dance away your sorrows this end of the year. — SIGAL RATNER-ARIAS
Fuerza Regida & Grupo Frontera, Mala Mía (Rancho Humilde/Street Mob Records/Grupo Frontera)
The renowned música mexicana bands have joined forces to unveil their five-track EP, Mala Mía, which spotlights Fuerza Regida’s unbridled corridos with Grupo Frontera’s accordion-laced Tex-Mex swagger. Highlights include “Me Jalo,” a jaded corrido that transitions into a buoyant cumbia jam, epitomizing both acts’ signature style. The EP also explores themes of love in tracks like “SOS” and “Coqueta. Yet, “Aurora,” featuring Oscar Maydon and Armenta, captivates with its stunning sierreño melodies, enveloping the listener in a romantic reverie. The vocal interplay between Jesús “JOP” Ortiz Paz and Adelaido “Payo” Solís III enriches the overall experience. — ISABELA RAYGOZA
Zaider & Kapo, “Alma” (Sony Music Colombia)
Colombians Zaider (Zaide Junior Peralta) and Kapo (Juan David Loaiza) join forces on “Alma,” a captivating single that seamlessly blends each artist’s signature sounds: champeta and afrobeats. With an enveloping rhythm and emotionally charged lyrics, the song is an ode to deep connections that go beyond the superficial, highlighting the peace and happiness that an authentic relationship can offer. The musical production and vocal performance of both artists manage to capture the romantic essence of the song, perfectly complementing its relaxed vibe. — LUISA CALLE
Luck Ra & Elvis Crespo, “Suavemente” (Sony Music Latin)
Luck Ra’s viral “Hola Perdida” collaboration with Khea that later counted with a Maluma remix, ultimately got him on the radars of artists such as Chayanne and now, Elvis Crespo. For his latest release, the Argentine newcomer teamed up with Crespo for a revamped version of the 1998 merengue classic “Suavemente.” Recorded live during a Luck Ra concert, the two artists delivered the surprising collab that starts off as a fiery merengue but then transitions into a fast-paced cuarteto or cuartetazo beat (a musical genre born in Córdoba, Argentina similar to merengue). “Che primo, you do it because it suits you best,” Luck Ra says to Crespo at the beginning of the track after kicking off the timeless intro: “Suavemente, besame/que quiero sentir tus labios besandome otra vez.” — J.R.
Grupo Marca Registada feat. Robertito Salas, “Aquí No Acaba El Brillo” (RB Music/Interscope Records)
Sinaloense banda ensemble Grupo Marca Registrada and musician Robertito Salas team up to commemorate a revered figure whose influence endures beyond his time in “Aquí No Acaba el Brillo.” The song captures the essence of a respected man from Culiacán, known for his charisma and brightness, symbolically represented by his Corvette. As the title suggests, the banda track, ichly layered with gripping accordion riffs and robust percussion, asserts that though he is no longer with us, his legacy will never dim. It’s a touching narrative that reassures loved ones never be forgotten. — I.R.
Listen to more editors’ Latin recommendations in the playlist below:
It’s a rainy December afternoon in NYC as rush hour approaches. With traffic mounting, Paul Wall opts to walk from Times Square to 5th Ave. to make it to his Billboard interview on time.
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While the Houston legend has traded his fade for a platinum slicked-over haircut, lost 100-plus pounds thanks to gastric sleeve surgery (he wishes Ozempic was around in 2010) and let the salt and pepper fill his beard, it’s still Paul Wall, baby. His signature grills shine bright peering through his infectious grin lighting up any room he enters.
Two decades after the release of his debut album, the 43-year-old’s love for hip-hop hasn’t waned an inch. Whenever he’s home in Texas, he’s recording every day. These days, PW’s even keeping a Notes app filled with sayings and random words he hears like Incandescent or impermanence that he’s just waiting to turn into a bar.
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“I love making music,” he tells Billboard. “I 100 percent intend on doing this until I’m 80 years old. God willing. Especially in hip-hop, our elders a lot of it is they don’t have the opportunity to make music. I don’t take it for granted. I’m 43, so for the next 37 years, there’s going to be albums all over the place.”
It’s not the era of running around with Swishahouse, but Paul Wall’s enjoyed a bit of a renaissance since debuting his viral silver fox look last year while also being championed as the Hotties’ favorite video vixen with his cameo in Megan Thee Stallion’s “Bigger in Texas” video earlier in 2024.
Multiple Billboard staffers even voiced their frustration of missing out on seeing The People’s Champ during his visit to the office last week. Wall’s also brought a new album with him as the slab music savant’s 12-track Once Upon a Grind hit streaming services last Friday (Dec. 13).
“This is really about the journey,” he adds. “A lot of people see the success or finished product, but they don’t realize what it took to get there.”
Check out our interview below finding Paul Wall looking back at Kanye West’s “Drive Slow,” “Grillz” topping the Billboard Hot 100, Megan Thee Stallion and more.
What are some of your early memories of NYC?
My first time performing [in NYC] I remember performing with Dipset. They took me under their wing. The label I was signed to at that time, a lot of people at Asylum and Atlantic were cool with Cam’ron when they were at Def Jam. They were kinda looking out for me. My boy [Joie Manda] was the main one. He was like, “Ay, I’m gonna link you with Dipset. You f–k with them?” Of course, hell yeah. They gave me that New York love. Me and Juelz would be in the studio non-stop. Go out to the club sometimes, perform with them sometimes. We were just enjoying the moment. We had a hell of a co-sign from Dipset. We got a lot of crossover love.
Take me to the new album, Once Upon a Grind, what do you feel you have left to prove?
I put out an album last year called Great Wall and we kinda kicked off with that one and kept it going. When I’m at home, I’m recording every day. It definitely adds up this way I stay sharp and explore different ideas and avenues I want to go if I want to try something. If I got 500 songs, I got a lot of opportunities. I’m at no loss for bars, I got bars for days. That ain’t it. It’s more how are we gonna deliver the subject matter. P
eople say, “I’ma do this or change this about my life, but I’m gonna start Monday.” Whether it’s saving up for something, working out, starting a diet, I’m not waiting until Monday, I’m starting today. That’s what it’s all about. Set goals and strive to get them. For me, it’s the nonstop grind of working and consistency. I never won a lottery or nothing like that. All I know is the hard work aspect of that.
One thing I heard you say that I do as a writer as well is when you hear a word you don’t know, you’ll write it down.
What, I got a whole list right here. Let me see your list. I got a hell of a list. Some of it’s simple. Incandescent, convoluted, ancillary, cerebral, confound, calamity. Some of these are not too much out there… Impermanence. It will be something I’ll hear on a TV show and be like, “What the hell they say?” Then I’ll say it to Siri. I’ll hit look up the definition and be like, “I gotta find a way to put this in [a bar].” The kiss of ice — I heard of the kiss of death, but I want the kiss of ice. Some of these are just ideas. “Bewildered,” you heard that but you never heard that in a rap. It’s words and random half-bars. “Save the best for first.”
What do you think about how the rap game stands today and how you fit into it compared to when you broke in?
I still feel exactly the same. I’m a fan of it. There’s a lot of it I’m not a fan of, but I’m not mad at it. I just choose no to listen to it. It’s not my cup of tea, but I’m eternally grateful I had a place here. I love that there’s so many different avenues for artists to not just be one monolithic style. When I was coming up, if you were a region or city and you didn’t sound like you were supposed to sound like, it didn’t work. You were wack. Now you can be from anywhere and sound like anybody. The possibilities are really endless.
I’m a fan of that, even though some of the music I’m not [rocking with]. Some of the production style has changed. Some of it I love. I love the musical aspect of it when people incorporate live instruments or the sampling something musical. Some of my favorite beats are just drums, but I like a variety of it. I’m just happy to be representing for my style. Why complain about what someone else is doing? Make the music I want to make.
What do you feel you have left to achieve?
So much of it is the longevity. I’ve seen so many people tap out. Some of the greatest tap out. Some people are a perfectionist and if they’re not meeting that standard, it’s a failure for them. I don’t look at it like that. It’s art. I’ve put so many albums and I’ll work on an album with a set of producers and a group of people will love it while another group of people hate it. Then I’ll do an album that’s another style and the group that hated it will love it now. It lets me know I gotta stop overthinking things and you can’t please everyone with every song. Let me give them a variety. I love making music. Let me be the first person to use this in a rap. I 100 percent intend on doing this until I’m 80 years old. God willing. Especially in hip-hop, our elders a lot of it is they don’t have the opportunity to make music. Being that I self-fund my own music, I own my own studio, all my producers are usually my dogs, we’re in this for the same cause. I don’t take it for granted. I’m 43, so for the next 37 years there’s going to be albums all over the place.
Are you mentoring anyone at all? Do people come up to you and want some game?
Some people I’ll see and I have a lot I want to share with them. I gotta be cautious because everyone might not want my advice. Sometimes people think I got an ulterior motive. That Mexican OT, he’s someone who’s open with what I have to share with him. He listens. I don’t know it all and what worked for me might not work for him. One of the biggest things I learned it is okay to be wrong. I been right about what song’s gonna work — it worked, but it didn’t be work. It’s okay for the label to be right. Even though they wrong, it’s okay for them to be right.
What do you think about the evolution of white rappers? Do white rappers come to you asking about how they can move in this culture tastefully?
A lot of white rappers come to me. Obviously, Eminem is the big dog, as big as it gets. But he’s out of reach. I’m more accessible. You might bump into me at Starbucks. I would get a lot of people who might be fans of me or my grind not even music. I tell people to be themselves. What worked for me might not work for them. For anybody to be inspired by me means a lot. I also know the sensitivity it takes.
Especially when it comes to saying the n-word. You say it in a rap, and it lives forever. It don’t matter if it’s okay in your hood for you to talk like that. When you get outside of your hood, it’s not okay. That lasts forever and some people don’t really get that until it’s too late. I’m somebody who never said the n-word. There are definitely non-Black people who say the n-word and it’s acceptable in their neighborhood. I strongly tell them it’s not worth losing future things over something you’re saying now. You might stop saying it and you blow up and they go back and it could be a huge deal.
What do you remember about the week that “Grillz” went No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100?
I remember we were selling a lot of grills. That was a good week for us. The only time I had did something like that. To be a part of that history moment with Nelly, Jermaine Dupri and Big Gipp. It was huge for me — a huge accolade. One week it was Beyoncé’s “Check On It” with Bun B and Slim Thug, and the next week it’s Nelly with Paul Wall. It’s a proud moment for us to keep representing. I remember Nelly telling me, “It’s gonna be bigger than ‘Air Force Ones.’” I’m like, “Yeah right, he’s just gassing me up.”
[Nelly] did not have to put me on the song. He’s Nelly, he could’ve gave me a shout-out on the song. He didn’t have to mention me at all. The song is still a hit without me. For him to give me that opportunity, he for sure getting free grills for life.
How has the grills industry changed?
The evolution has been one path. The grills are monolithic, and people want something different. I got grills a certain way and you’re like, “Hey, why don’t we do it this way?” Me and Johnny are like, “Why not?” Let’s try that. Also with the machines and technology improving, and a lot of the diamond setters having decades of experience, there’s a lot of things they could do now that they couldn’t back in the days. Some of that is your imagination. Now it’s whatever you want. We can do basically anything now.
The week The People’s Champ went No. 1 [on the Billboard 200] it dethroned Kanye’s Late Registration. You even got “Drive Slow” on your album.
Jay-Z is the president of Def Jam, [I’m thinking] there’s no way he’s gonna let me put that on my album. We’re talking about Kanye West, even though he wasn’t what he is now, he was still a top dog. There’s no way he’s gonna let me put it on my album so it was extremely unbelievable. People made a big deal about me dethroning Kanye, but I didn’t dethrone him — his album just came out before mine. He’s still Kanye. If you look at his album, it sold more than mine. I didn’t dethrone s–t. He really gave me the leg up letting me put that song on my album.
What do you think about “Drive Slow” turning 20 next year?
That’s definitely the song that people ask me most about. Hip-hop fans — not necessarily Paul Wall diehards, but the general public — that’s the No. 1 thing people ask me about. Plain Pat putting it together. He actually tried to sign me to Def Jam but it didn’t work out. He mentored me for a long time. He taught me it’s okay to be wrong.
First I made Kanye some grills and Plain Pat said, “I seen you made Kanye some grills. He say he f–k with your music and he like your music.” He let me know [my verse not make the album] but this was an opportunity and if it works out this is a hell of a look. I’m not gonna tell the whole world I got a song with Kanye West and it never came out. I didn’t think it was gonna make his album. There’s no way he wants a verse from me. He sent me the beat. The “Drive Slow” verse was the first verse I wrote for “Sittin’ Sidewayz.”
I always knew this is gonna be something if Jay-Z want me on a song. This is one of them situations. I do it to the beat and this worked. I sent it into him and Plain Pat said Ye liked it and he wants you to come to L.A. and lay it again with him in person. He’s gonna want you to try some new things. Just work with him, he’s a perfectionist. He’s gonna take what you give him and make something out of it.
We flew out to L.A. and we’re coming down the escalators and two sheriffs come up and I’m immediately thinking I’m being Punk’d because Mike Jones just got Punk’d. When you got Punk’d, you’d pass it on. I told everyone, “If y’all set me up, lose my number. You’re not gonna embarrass me.” Next think you know I’m cussing out these L.A. sheriffs. If they reading this, I apologize. I thought they were actors. I’m going hard in the paint talking crazy to them. They have a notorious reputation… We weren’t doing nothing wrong… They left, so I’m like, where Ashton Kutcher at? I’m also thinking Kanye’s in on this.
We go to the hotel and I got to the studio. This is when you had to Mapquest. The driver says it’s right here and we’re in the far left hand lane. There’s four lanes and we’re at a light and the studio’s right there. So you really had to turn right. The driver broke ’em off. He cuts in front of the traffic to turn right and it just so happened there’s a cop in the far right lane. They couldn’t get me plan A at the airport, and now I know I’m getting Punk’d. I’m like, “Get me to the studio.” I’m like, “Can I go?”
He didn’t care what I was doing, and the driver stayed there and got a ticket. I’m upstairs doing my part with GLC and Nas is downstairs doing his verse for the album. I remember leaving, “I don’t know if I’ma make the album.” I’ll never forget DJ Drama called me, “You on the Kanye West album? I’m here at the listening party. You’re on the album!”
How was your cameo in the “Bigger in Texas” video for Megan Thee Stallion? They’re saying you were their favorite vixen out there.
I’m the Zaddy for sure. Megan is a true visionary. T Farris is her manager, and there’s that connection. She’s somebody we’ve rooted for from the beginning. [I’m] so happy for her success. She definitely deserves all of that, she’s so talented. They reached out and told me they wanted to put a few people in the video. I said, “Of course, I want to be in the Megan video.” She was there in the store with Johnny twerking with her grill. It was a hell of a shout-out to Johnny. She showed us major love for that.