Pre-Trill Paul Wall (Chick Magnet - Paul Wall)

Member Name: XICripZ

Product:	Chick Magnet - Paul Wall
Date:	28/05/09 (39 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A few big tracks

Disadvantages: Lots of weak tracks

Although it wasn't until the year later when his commercial debut was released the Houston rapper Paul Wall released his independent solo debut in 2004 with "Chick Magnet" after collaborating with many of the key artists from H-Town and the Texas state.

1. "They Don't Know"

Found later on "The People's Champ" this one has him just killing it as he gets Grid Iron and Michael'5000' Watts to compose a track which has him sampling some H-Town classics from the likes of Lil' Keke, Fat Pat, and UGK (from nearby Port Arthur) and you here that Mike Jones (rather than Bun B, who is on the remix) joins him as they show us what H-Town is about.

**Five Stars**

2. "Dat's What Dat Is"

Moving things on a little you actually get UGK's Bun B working with Paul Wall on this one and after kicking the track off and just throwing out some very general flows, you see that things are made to get lively as you hear fellow Houston solider Big Hawk and Atlanta's Killer Mike doing more to describe how the city differs from elsewhere in the 'Dirty South'.

**Four Stars**

3. "What Cha Gon Do"

Here you have one which find Paul Wall working with some lesser-known names from his city on this one, and so these guest appearances did very little for me, and I have to say that the general sound of the recording seems to fit this too as it didn't really do anything that special and simply had them going some typical southern fight music.

**Three Stars**

4. "Why You Peepin' Me"

Here you get one of the few tracks which have the artist working on his won and with him backed by some of the flyest beasts on the whole of the album, it shows tha the may have been a bit cautious at this stage by bringing out some hard production to back him in case it uncovers just how poor his rhymes are. The flows aren't all that but with those beats, you can't hate on it.

**Four Stars**

5. "Chick Magnet"

The theme in this, the eponymous track from the album deal with the same sort of thing as what you got on the track prior to it as it sees him doing his raps about how he knows how to work the girls and how he runs his game. I felt as though it lacked somewhat as he appears to take advantage of the fact that doing such a tune allows him to let his guard down and it just shows how poor his work tends to be.

**One Star**

6. "Am What I Am"

With North Houston's Slim Thug with him (as well as some unknown name presumably from the city too) you have one which has them all coming together in order to speak upon the struggle which they have gone on and how they managed to work their way into this filed after abandonment, dug dealing and then an honest through making grills before turning to this. It is pretty predictable and average as a result.

**Three Stars**

7. "Tryin' To Get Paid"

You have some classy production backing the artist on this one as he does a track which has him talkin the listener through just what the mid of a hustler goes through in day. It is nothing new, and the way in which he does it shows his lack of originally and so it seems to flop despite the lack the beats are quite engaging.

**Two Stars**

8. "Break Bread"

Here you here that he does a track designed to take things towards the clubs on this one, but I have to say that this as completely unsuccessful and this came as a result of the fact that the essential elements of this (the production) just wasn't strong enough and so you just couldn't get into it as he tries just too hard to make it work.

**Two Stars**

9. "Oh No"

With one of the biggest underground Houston names on his side, Trae, it was guaranteed that things would improve on this one and I felt that this was really needed at this point as the last few had taken it to the point where it seemed as though he was never going to bring it back on the album, but I felt that this was a pretty successful tune on the album as he takes it back to the streets and shows what he's really about.

**Four Stars**

10. "Know What I'm Talkin' About"

It appears that the influence of the last track did very little for the artist as immediately he returns to what we had had prior to it as he tries out even more of the club work unsuccessfully and just flops on his face. Although the beats in it are a bit of an improvement on the other one, it just doesn't do enough to excite me.

**Two Stars**

11. "Did I Change"

Here you see that with this one he tries out some of the hard, underground kind of work which represents what many of the other Houston artists come up with on top of these heavy beats, you see that he does one which has him talking on how he sees his success in all his business ventures has affected his perceptions.

**Three Stars**

12. "Hustler Stackin' Ends"

The production in this track is hardcore and it appears to have really affected the artists and his approach to rhyming on this one as it appears to really pick up in quality and show that he has a lot more than what the rest of the album has indicated. It felt it was one of the better ones on the album and it stands out as a result.

**Four Stars**

13. "My Life"

He ends the album in a very predictable way and the way in which his "People's Champ" release went as he performs a track which has him tracking his progression over the years and how they have shaped him, but really I wasn't concerned with what he had to say about it, and so it was a poor way to finish it.

**One Star**

As expected, this album fro Paul Wall was as inconsistent as his commercial debut and this album shows that he did actually progress with "The People's Champ", even though what was received their really wasn't that good at all. This album affirms the fact that he is one of the worst of the commercially-successful Houston rap acts who came up in the key 2005/2006 era (about the same standard as Mike Jones).

Summary: Paul Wall's unoffcial debut album