“I came [into the music business] as a kid,” the platinum grilled rapper says in his thick Houston drawl. “I’ve grown and matured a lot. I became a man and an adult.”
That said, expect him to touch on a number of subjects this go-round, topics that steer away from cars, jewelry and life on the block. Not that his sound has ever been restricted to that anyway. On songs like “Girl” the People’s Champ showed his dexterity behind the mic early on. This project is no different.
“You’re going to hear in-depth topics,” he says, adding that he’s been recording nonstop for the album for the last two years, a feat that has given him more than 50 songs to choose from. “You’ll hear some stuff that you might not be used to hearing.”
Featuring Akon, Travis Barker, Too $hort, and Houston cohort, Z-Ro, among others, The Fast Life, is indicative of the direction that he’s moving in as a grown man.
“The last album was a big step up lyrically from the last one, and [on] this album I’m still doing the same thing,” the University of Houston grad says. “You go through trials and tribulations and learn from mistakes you’ve made.”
He says that the United States would do well to learn from its mistakes as well.
With an ongoing war in Iraq and a recent resurgence of the war in Afghanistan, Wall, like most Americans, is eagerly awaiting the days the troops are returned home.
“I know it’s not going to end with the snap of a finger, but there are too many people dying fighting. I have respect for all of the soldiers over there, but we need to find a solution because there are too many people losing their lives,” he says. –jh
