Heart of a Champion
Studio album by
Paul Wall
ReleasedJuly 13, 2010
Recorded2009-2010
GenreHip hop
Length56:45
LabelWarner Bros., Swishahouse, Asylum
ProducerTravis Barker, Beanz N Kornbread
Paul Wall chronology
Fast Life
(2009)		 Heart of a Champion
(2010)		 #Checkseason
(2013)
Singles from Heart of a Champion
  1. "Stay Iced Up"
    Released: March 30, 2010

Heart of a Champion is the fifth studio album by American rapper Paul Wall. It was released by Warner Bros., Asylum Records and Swishahouse on July 13, 2010.[1][2]

Background

Guests and production

The album featured production mainly from Houston duo Beanz N Kornbread and Travis Barker, who is part of the group Expensive Taste together with Paul Wall. Guests featuring on the album included rappers Yelawolf, Lil Keke, Jim Jones, Raekwon, Bun B, Chamillionaire, Slim Thug and Devin the Dude. Wall's jewelry business partner Johnny Dang also appeared on the song Heart of a Champion.[1] Wall had a session with The Neptunes but they did not make the final cut.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
HipHopDX[4]
Slant Magazine[5]
Spin[6]
XXL(L)[7]
DJBooth.net[8]

The album received a 3/5 star rating from XXL.[7] Sean Ryon, editor of HipHopDX gave the album 3 out of 5 stars and said "As flawed as it is, Heart of a Champion is still an album worthy of merit. Paul exhibits a lyrical vigor unheard since his 2005 major label debut. While the album may not be a complete victory, he proves without a doubt that he's still the People's Champ."[4] Ben Detrick of Spin commented this is his best album since his platinum-selling 2005 major-label debut.[6] On the other hand, Jesse Cataldo of Slant Magazine gave Heart of a Champion a 1.5 out of 5, claiming the album "feels like a misguided departure and a lazy retread."[5]

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number 56 on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 7,600 copies in its first week.[9] It also debuted at number seven on the Billboard's Top Rap Albums Chart.[10] In its second week, the album fell to number 124 on the Billboard 200 with total sales of 11,000 copies in the United States.[11] As of January 2011, the album has sold 27,000 copies in the United States.[12]

Track listing

No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Take Notes"Travis Barker3:11
2."Showin' Skillz" (featuring Lil' Keke)Travis Barker4:30
3."I'm on Patron"Beanz N Kornbread3:49
4."Round Here" (featuring Chamillionaire)Beanz N Kornbread4:05
5."Im'ma Get It" (featuring Kid Sister & Bun B)Travis Barker4:15
6."Stay Iced Up" (featuring C. Stone & Johnny Dang)Da Shit Factory4:05
7."Pocket Fulla Presidents" (featuring Andre Nickatina & Mitchy Slick)Beanz N Kornbread4:04
8."Ain't a Thang" (featuring Jim Jones)Travis Barker3:15
9."My City" (featuring Dallas Blocker & Yo Gotti)Beanz N Kornbread4:08
10."Smoke Everyday" (featuring Z-Ro & Devin the Dude)Beanz N Kornbread6:38
11."Live It" (featuring Jay Electronica, Raekwon & Yelawolf)Travis Barker4:04
12."Not My Friend" (Expensive Taste featuring Slim Thug)Travis Barker3:16
13."Still On"Yung Chill4:01
14."Heart of a Hustler" (Expensive Taste solo)Travis Barker3:24
iTunes bonus tracks
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
15."Keep On Pushin" (featuring Unique)Beanz N Kornbread3:57
16."Posted Up" (featuring Tum Tum & Big Tuck)Beanz N Kornbread5:18
Sample credits

Chart positions

Chart (2010) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard 200[9] 56
U.S. Billboard Top Rap Albums[10] 7

References

  1. 1 2 Paine, Jake (2010-04-20). "Travis Barker To Produce Half Of Paul Wall's "Heart Of A Champion" | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales". HipHop DX. Retrieved 2012-02-20.
  2. ↑ Hanna, Mitchell (2010-06-08). "Tuesday Rap Release Dates: Fat Joe, Jeezy, Rah Digga | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales". HipHop DX. Archived from the original on 2012-09-27. Retrieved 2012-02-20.
  3. ↑ Heart of a Champion at AllMusic
  4. 1 2 Ryon, Sean (21 July 2010). "HipHopDX reviews: Paul Wall's "Heart of a Champion". HipHopDX.com. Archived from the original on 25 July 2010. Retrieved 23 July 2010.
  5. 1 2 Cataldo, Jesse (11 July 2010). "Slant reviews: Paul Wall's "Heart of a Champion"". Slant Magazine. Slantmagazine.com. Retrieved 23 July 2010.
  6. 1 2 Detrick, Ben (2 July 2010). "Spin reviews: Paul Wall's "Heart of a Champion"". Spin.com. Retrieved 23 July 2010.
  7. 1 2 Cho, Jaeki (2010). XXL Magazine July/August Issue. XXL. p. 96.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  8. ↑ Slavik, Nathan (13 July 2010). "DJBooth.net reviews: Paul Wall's "Heart of a Champion"". DJBooth.net. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
  9. 1 2 Jacobs, Allen (2010-07-22). "Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 7/18/2010 | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales | HipHop DX". Beta.hiphopdx.com. Archived from the original on 2012-03-09. Retrieved 2012-02-20.
  10. 1 2 "Paul Wall Music News & Info". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2012-02-20.
  11. ↑ Paine, Jake (2010-07-28). "Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 7/25/2010 | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales". HipHop DX. Retrieved 2012-02-20.
  12. ↑ "hiphopencounter.com". Archived from the original on 2012-03-23. Retrieved 2011-04-25.
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