Kanye West has been one of popular music’s most polarizing artists since his introduction to the world as the first rapper with a “Benz and a backpack.” With his explosive popularity in the mid-2000s, the rare Kanye West feature was many rappers’ ticket to their shot in the mainstream. During a recent interview on the Bootleg Kev podcast, Houston rapper Paul Wall gave the backstory to his verse on Ye’s 2005 Late Registration cut “Drive Slow.”

According to Wall, prolific music executive Plain Pat connected the two for the collaboration, yet made no promises that it would end up on the final album. 

“Shout out to Plain Pat. He hit me up and was like, ‘Aye, I know you met Kanye, why don’t we try to do a song together?'” Paul Wall explained. “Even from then, I knew the opportunity was there. An amazing opportunity to get on a song for Kanye West, and I didn't even think he was gonna use it.”

“The verse I did for it was actually the original verse I did for ‘Sittin’ Sidewayz,’” the rapper explains. “I went in there, I spit the verse, my original verse ended up being the ‘Drive Slow’ verse.” 

“T-Paris said, ‘Look, man, the verse hard, I ain't saying it’s wack, but it don’t go with the beat. It just don’t flow with the beat,” Wall explained. “I had that original verse in my pocket, like, I know I’m saying some shit on here, Imma use it for if [someone like] Jay-Z want me for a verse.” 

How do you think Paul Wall’s “Drive Slow” verse would have sounded on “Sittin’ Sidewayz?" Stay tuned for more stories like this and other Hip-Hop news.