34. Paul Wall

Swishahouse/Atlantic

Paul Wall wasn't the biggest rapper to emerge out of Houston this year -- Mike Jones gets that honor -- but he's an ideal ambassador for H-town hip-hop: A veteran of the city's molasses-slow "screw" scene, Wall rhymes with good-natured fondness for bling, slang, syrup and other scene-defining trifles. His debut puts a popwise spin on chopped-and-screwed, with Wall acting as the down-home player on the trunk-rattling "Sittin' Sidewayz," chopping up the Chi-Lites for "Girl," and ticking off deadpan jokes and rhymes about chat-room buddies and "ice tray(s) up in my mouth" in a slo-mo flow as ingratiating as his expensive-ass smile.

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