Photo By Sgt. Adrian Muehe | Service members and civillians put their hands up while rapper Paul Wall performs on...... read more read more
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By Spc. Adrian Muehe
103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) Public Affairs
JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq – For weeks, fliers around Joint Base Balad, Iraq, advertised that rapper Paul Wall and guests Big Boy and DJ E-Man would be ‘mixing up the sand’ during a concert on Aug. 6, at the Sustainer Theater.
That’s exactly what happened. A dust storm engulfed the base while service members and civilians packed the theater to see the rapper sport his grills and perform his greatest hits during his fourth tour to Iraq.
“It’s an honor for us to be here,” said Wall. “It’s a way of us giving back to the people who have supported us over here.”
Wall, also known as The People’s Champ, rose to fame in the last decade with hit songs such as “Let Me See Your Grill,” and he made a cameo appearance in the film “I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell.”
The show started off with Big Boy putting on an interactive comedy routine. Service members came on stage to show off their singing and rapping talents. Two soldiers even played a game called “stump the chump,” in which two contestants name off movies that start with a certain letter, and the first one that can’t think of one in 10 seconds or less loses.
There was also a contest to determine Wall’s biggest fan on JBB. An e-mail was sent out with a questionnaire about The Peoples Champ, and whoever answered them all correctly got to meet the rapper and introduce him on stage. The winner was Tech Sgt. Shaneika Washington, a medical laboratory technician with the 332nd Medical Group, and a Miami, Fla., native.
“I’m a big Paul Wall fan and I really wanted to meet him,” said Washington. “We talked about where he was from and good places to hang out in Houston. It was really just a normal conversation. He’s a really nice guy.”
After the concert the performers did a meet-and-greet where they signed autographs and took photos with fans.
“It’s great to interact with the soldiers on a one-on-one personal basis,” said Wall. “I get to hear their story, why the joined the military, and what they’re doing over here.”
Fans waited in line for a while, for almost an hour, to meet him. To the Paul Wall fans who thought they were going to be missing out on summer concerts this year while they were deployed, it was worth it.
“I’m a huge fan, I listen to him constantly, and it was great to get a chance to see him over here for free,” exclaimed Cpl. Julius Zabala, an automated logistics specialist for Company A, 501st Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division. “It’s also good that soldiers get a chance to relax, to feel like they’re at home for a couple hours.”
| Date Taken: | 08.06.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 08.12.2010 08:58 |
| Story ID: | 54379 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE BALAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 53 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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