By Oliver Heffron

Red Bull Studios and Pall Wall dropped a joint release of the new LP from the Houston-legend, SUBCULTURE, and companion BTS documentary, Red Bull Studio Sessions: The Paul Wall Edition .

The documentary depicts Paul Wall, the chopped-and-screwed era icon who has provided integral verses on early 2000’s hip-hop anthems like Kanye’s “Drive Slow” and Nelly’s “Grillz”, step into the creative space of Red Bull Studios Los Angeles, collaborating with producers Crash and T-Why and songwriters Cappa, Dash, and Wow Jones to shape a contemporary hip-hop album that incorporates trap and melody into its production while staying true to Paul Wall’s unique Houston sound. 

Paul Wall looks better than ever, sporting a Rick Rubin-level beard and his patented diamond-grillz. Wall’s distinctive, screwed-up flow rides perfectly over modern trap-beats like T-Why’s piano and 808-driven “Catch a Case” instrumental, and his detail for lyricism complement Dash’s melodic hook on “Smoke For Free” to create a track that, as he puts it, “I can’t wait to get in my car and let it just knock.” Cappa and Wow Jones bring pop elements to the project, creating more expansive melodic moments like Cappa’s wonderfully-haunting hook on the track “Real One,” which pays homage to Houston’s dominant slang-term for authenticity. 

The documentary is a fascinating peek behind the diverse collaboration and extensive creative process that goes into creating a modern hip-hop album, and what it looks like when a cemented rap-legend like Paul Wall humbly collaborates with the musical minds of different ages and genres to create a new sound for a younger generation while staying true to the  unique flavor of the “Houston hardhitter all about the scrilla.”