A compass rose with south highlighted

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South is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.

South is one of the four cardinal directions or compass points. It is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to east and west.

By convention, the bottom side of a map is south.

To go south using a compass for navigation, set a bearing or azimuth of 180°.

South Pole[link]

True south is the direction towards the southern end of the axis about which the earth rotates, called the South Pole. The South Pole is located in Antarctica. Magnetic south is the direction towards the south magnetic pole, some distance away from the south geographic pole.

Etymology[link]

The word south is derived from the name of one of the four dwarves in Norse mythology, Norðri, Suðri, Austri and Vestri, who each represented one of the directions of the world. The etymology of South can be traced back to the Old English word suth, related to the Old High German word sund, and perhaps sunne in Old English with sense of "the region of the sun."

Look up south in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Rodney Allan Atkins (born March 28, 1969) is an American country music artist. Signed to Curb Records in 1996, he charted his first single on the Billboard country chart in 1997, but did not release an album until 2003's Honesty, which included the number 4 hit "Honesty (Write Me a List)".

If You're Going Through Hell, his second album, was released in 2006. Its first two singles, "If You're Going Through Hell (Before the Devil Even Knows)" and "Watching You", each spent four weeks at the top of the country music chart, and were respectively ranked as the top country songs of 2006 and 2007 according to Billboard Year-End. The album, which has since been certified platinum in the United States, produced two more number 1 singles in "These Are My People" and "Cleaning This Gun (Come On In Boy)". It's America (2009) included the number 1 single "It's America" and the top 5 hit "Farmer's Daughter", which was added to a later reissue of the album. Take a Back Road (2011) produced his sixth number 1 in its title track.

Atkins has received six nominations from the Academy of Country Music and two from the Country Music Association, winning Top New Male Vocalist from the former in 2006.

Biography[link]

Rodney Atkins was born in Knoxville, Tennessee. His biological mother, who was 19 at the time, became pregnant with him after a "traumatic first date".^[2] She hid the pregnancy from her parents and put him up for adoption at the Holston United Methodist Home for Children in Greeneville, Tennessee.^[3] His first adoptive parents, Charles Hutchins and Linda Weems, returned him to the home after he developed a major respiratory infection. Allan and Margaret Atkins, who had lost a newborn about a year prior, inquired after the child, but decided not to proceed due to surgery that Margaret had just undergone. Meanwhile, another couple adopted him, but also returned him soon after when he developed colic. After Margaret Atkins recovered, she proceeded to adopt him.^[3][4] Atkins did not meet his biological mother until 2008,^[2] and has never revealed her identity.^[5]

During his youth, the Atkins family moved frequently, eventually settling in Claiborne County, Tennessee. He attended high school at Powell Valley High in Speedwell, Tennessee. During high school, Atkins played guitar in his spare time at events and festivals. He went to college at Tennessee Tech in Cookeville, Tennessee, where he made friends with songwriters and soon began writing himself.^[6] In the mid-1990s, Atkins moved to Nashville, Tennessee to pursue a recording career. He signed with Curb Records in 1996, the same week that LeAnn Rimes did.^[7][8]

Musical career[link]

[edit] Rodney Atkins

Atkins's debut single, "In a Heartbeat", spent one week at number 74 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) chart dated for August 30, 1997.^[9] Its b-side, "God Only Knows", was also released as a single, but did not chart.^[8] He had also planned to release his debut album on September 17 of the same year, but it was never released due to Atkins' dissatisfaction with his material.^[10] He discussed his dissatisfaction while sitting next to Curb Records owner Mike Curb on an airplane; Curb allowed him to switch producers, and Atkins chose Ted Hewitt, with whom he had been working on demos. Hewitt also changed Atkins' style from a cowboy appearance and a vocal style similar to Roy Orbison to a more polished appearance.^[8] Atkins, Hewitt and Max T. Barnes wrote the track "Don't Think I Won't" on Mark Wills' 1998 album Wish You Were Here,^[11] but he was otherwise inactive until 2002.^[12]

[edit] Honesty

In mid-2002, Rodney Atkins released his third single, "Sing Along". Both it and its followup, "My Old Man", peaked in the lower regions of the Top 40 on the country chart.^[9] He entered the Top 10 for the first time in late 2003-early 2004 with "Honesty (Write Me a List)", which went on to peak at number 4 on the country charts and 57 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was the title track to his album Honesty, which was released by the end of 2003.^[1] "Someone to Share It With" and "Monkey in the Middle" were also issued as singles, with the former peaking at number 41 on the country charts.^[9] Atkins told the Associated Press that he chose to record "Honesty" because he and producer Ted Hewitt wanted a twelfth song for the album, and co-writer David Kent had recommended it to Hewitt.^[13]

Jeffrey B. Remz of Country Standard Time gave the album a mixed review. He thought that Atkins seemed too similar in sound to labelmate Tim McGraw, but praised some of the songs for having strong melodies.^[14] A more favorable review came from Matt Bjorke of About.com, who called it a "confident debut from a talented newcomer."^[15]

[edit] If You're Going Through Hell

Having been absent from the country music charts for most of 2004 and 2005, he returned in 2006 with a single entitled "If You're Going Through Hell (Before the Devil Even Knows)", which served as the lead-off to his second released album, If You're Going Through Hell. With this album, Atkins once again changed his musical image. He started wearing baseball caps and performing "songs about his life."^[16] "If You're Going Through Hell" became his first number 1, spending four weeks at the top of the Hot Country Songs charts; it was also the top country hit of 2006 according to Billboard Year-End.^[17]

Following "If You're Going Through Hell" was "Watching You", which Atkins wrote with Steve Dean and Brian Gene White. This song was inspired by Atkins' son, Elijah,^[7] who also stars in its music video.^[18] "Watching You" was also a four-week number 1 hit, and the top country song of 2007 on the Billboard Year-End charts.^[19] "These Are My People" and "Cleaning This Gun (Come On In Boy)" also went to number 1, making If You're Going Through Hell the first country album to include four number 1 singles since Tim McGraw's 2001 album Set This Circus Down.^[20] The album's final single was "Invisibly Shaken", which Lee Greenwood previously recorded on his 2003 album Stronger Than Time.^[21] Atkins' version of the song peaked at number 41.^[9] If You're Going Through Hell received a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of one million copies, while "If You're Going Through Hell", "Watching You" and "Cleaning This Gun" all received gold certifications for 500,000 music downloads.^[9][22] These songs also made top 40 on the Hot 100 while they were climbing the country charts, while "These Are My People" reached number 42.^[9] Atkins also received the 2006 Academy of Country Music award for Top New Male Vocalist, and "If You're Going Through Hell" was nominated for Song of the Year.^[23] Atkins toured in late 2007-early 2008 as an opening act on Brad Paisley's Bonfires & Amplifiers Tour.^[24]

J. Poet of Allmusic gave the album a positive review, praising the "less produced sound" and Atkins' vocals on the singles.^[25] A mixed review came from Country Standard Time, whose Robert Loy criticized Atkins for singing "about what a good ol' boy he is" on several songs, but adding that "it's fairly obvious he's at least as country as anybody else on the charts these days".^[26]

[edit] It's America

Atkins' thirteenth single, "It's America", was released in November 2008. It was the first single from his third album, It's America, released in March 2009. Atkins promoted the album through appearances on Larry King Live and a pre-sale promotion on his website.^[16] On the chart dated May 2, 2009, "It's America" became his fifth number 1 hit. Its followup, "15 Minutes", was released in May 2009 and peaked at number 20 in September. Atkins re-wrote the album's third single, "Chasin' Girls", for his wife to make it more applicable to their life at the time. After executives at Curb saw the lyrics, the re-written version was released as the album's third single,^[27] but did not make top 40. "Farmer's Daughter" followed in early 2010, and after it reached top 5 late in the year, Curb added it to both a re-issue of It's America^[28] and a re-release of If You're Going Through Hell which was sold exclusively at Cracker Barrel restaurants. The latter also included the previously-unreleased song "More Like Your Memory (Always Takes Me Back)".^[29]

It's America received mixed reviews. Todd Sterling of Allmusic and Liz Jungers of Roughstock both criticized it for lacking musical variety.^[28][30] It was more favorably reviewed at Country Standard Time, with critic Jeff Lincoln criticizing the title track as "forced" but saying that otherwise, "Atkins has found his niche of singing about the southern tribe."^[31]

[edit] Take a Back Road

"Take a Back Road", the lead-off single and title track to his fourth album Take a Back Road, was released in April 2011 and became his sixth number 1 late in the year. It also accounted for his highest placement on the Hot 100, at number 23.^[32] The song was co-written by Luke Laird and Rhett Akins, the latter of whom co-wrote "Farmer's Daughter".^[33] "He's Mine" was the album's second single. The song was originally recorded by Billy Ray Cyrus, and Atkins chose to release it because it received positive reactions from fans in concert.^[34] It peaked at number 23 on the country chart in April 2012. "Just Wanna Rock 'n Roll" is the album's third single.^[35]

Country Standard Time called Atkins "the type of wholesome country musician that you would enjoy hanging out with on a Sunday afternoon with your wife and kids."^[36] It received a "B" from Entertainment Weekly, whose Mikael Wood wrote that Atkins "makes for a first-rate correspondent from Anytown, USA."^[37] A less favorable review came from Thom Jurek, who said that "There isn't an original melody, lyric, or production element".^[38]

Family and personal life[link]

He married Tammy Jo McDonald in 1998,^[39] and the two had a son named Elijah.^[40] He also had two stepdaughters, Lindsey and Morgan, from McDonald's previous marriage.^[41]

Atkins was arrested in November 2011 for allegedly trying to smother his wife with a pillow, while his ten year old son watched. He was released on $2,500 bail three hours after the arrest, and was ordered by Williamson County, Tennessee court to take an anger assessment which found no need for any further action.^[42] The altercation was disputed by Atkins' lawyer, who stated that it was purely verbal.^[39] Atkins filed for divorce within twenty-four hours of the alleged assault.^[43] In February 2012, Atkins was cleared of the domestic assault charge.^[42]

Awards and nominations[link]

Discography[link]

Studio albums

• Honesty (2003)
• If You're Going Through Hell (2006)
• It's America (2009)
• Take a Back Road (2011)

Number-one singles

• "If You're Going Through Hell (Before the Devil Even Knows)"
• "Watching You"
• "These Are My People"
• "Cleaning This Gun (Come On In Boy)"
• "It's America"
• "Take a Back Road"

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Website

Paul Wall
Paul Wall in 2005
Background information
Birth name	Paul Michael Slayton[1]
Born	(1981-03-11) March 11, 1981 (age 31)[1]
Origin	Houston, Texas, United States
Genres	Hip hop Southern hip hop Rap rock
Occupations	Rapper DJ Promoter Jeweller
Years active	1998–present
Labels	Swishahouse/Asylum
Associated acts	Michael "5000" Watts, Expensive Taste, Limp Bizkit, Chamillionaire, Slim Thug, The Color Changin' Click, Trae, Bun B, Z-Ro, brokeNCYDE
Website	paulwallbaby.com, grillsbypaulwall.com

Paul Michael Slayton (born March 11, 1981), better known by his stage name Paul Wall, is an American rapper. He is currently affiliated with Swishahouse Records, having released several albums under the label as well as collaborating with other rappers signed to the label. He was formerly musical partners with rapper Chamillionaire releasing several collaborative albums including the independently released Get Ya Mind Correct. In 2005, he was signed to Atlantic Records and became successful with his major-label debut The Peoples Champ. Get Money, Stay True followed in 2007.^[2]

Career[link]

Wall attended Jersey Village High School and studied mass communications at the University of Houston for three years.^[3][4] After proposing to do promotions for Michael "5000" Watts' company, Swishahouse, Chamillionaire and Paul Wall came to Watts' studio, KBXX.^[5] Paul & Chamillionaire convinced Watts to let them rap on his radio show and put the verses on one of his mixtapes. That mixtape was titled Choppin Em Up Part 2, which was released in mid 1999. The freestyle became so popular in the streets that Chamillionaire and Paul Wall became regular staples on Houston's mixtape circuit, appeared on several of Watts' mixtapes and became permanent members of Swishahouse.

After fellow member Slim Thug left the label, Chamillionaire and Paul Wall followed suit and the two started their own group known as The Color Changin' Click (named after Chamillion's Chameleon persona). Each successive mixtape released by The Color Changin' Click led to more business opportunities; the most notable of which was a contract to do a full album for Paid in Full Records. A one album contract was then negotiated between the Color Changin' Click and Paid in Full's label head, DJ Madd Hatta from 97.9 The Box, and the CCC's first album, Get Ya Mind Correct, would go on to sell over 200,000 copies. Wall's first music exposure came as a street team member on the Northwest side of Houston, promoting southern labels like Def Jam Records, Cash Money and No Limit Records. He is also an accomplished and proficient mixtape and party DJ, known for producing mixtapes in the now well-known screwed & chopped style, which was invented by the late DJ Screw.^[6]

Paul Wall and Chamillionaire were originally affiliated with Swishahouse Records, but left for Paid in Full Records a short time later. After several mixtape and independent releases including. Get Ya Mind Correct, the two parted ways, citing creative differences. Chamillionaire continued to release independent records, while Paul Wall returned to the Swishahouse fold. This move allowed him to appear on Mike Jones' first commercially distributed single, "Still Tippin'", from his first major label album Who Is Mike Jones?. The single is originally on Swishahouse's The Day Hell Broke Loose Part 2 aka Major Without A Major Deal, released in 2003, the album went on to sell over 500,000 copies two months after being released.

In 2005, Paul Wall released his first album, The Peoples Champ, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. The first single "Sittin' Sidewayz" featuring Big Pokey. The second single, "They Don't Know", featured Bun B of UGK, and the video version also featured Mike Jones. The third single is "Girl", receiving radio airplay and peaking at #35 onl the Billboard Hot 100.^[7] In 2007, Paul Wall released his second album Get Money, Stay True, which debuted in the #1 spot on the Billboard Chart Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Paul Wall released the singles "Break 'Em Off" featuring Lil Keke and "I'm Throwed" featuring and produced by Jermaine Dupri.

In 2007, Paul Wall appeared alongside other celebrities and regular people in the music video for Rockstar by Nickelback. He also appears on Bermuda-based reggae artist Collie Buddz self-titled debut album.^[8]

Paul Wall shows off his grills with a smiling fan in Baghdad, 2007.

Paul Wall is currently a member of the rap group Expensive Taste, with his good friends Travis Barker and Skinhead Rob (Transplants). The trio also collectively owns a line.^[2][9]

In the spring of 2008, Paul Wall joined Strange Music recording artist Tech N9ne on a nationwide tour, which also featured Brooklyn rapper ILL BiLL.

In the 2008 presidential campaign, Paul Wall spoke out in favor of candidate Barack Obama. He was quoted in The Source magazine as saying "Barack seems to come off as a true leader for everyone, whereas most people campaigning, including Hillary Clinton, seem to be just politicians. Barack seems to be genuine and sincere about his beliefs. He is selfless, while they are selfish. I'm gonna 'Barack the vote' this year and I've never voted before." ^[10]

Paul Wall appears as fictional rapper Grillionaire in the movie I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell, released on September 25, 2009. He, along with screenwriters Nils Parker and Tucker Max, co-wrote tracks for the movie.

In 2010, Paul Wall featured on the 'Przyjazn, Duma, Godnosc' (eng. 'Friendship, Pride and Dignity') album by a highly rated Polish rap artist Kaczor.

In February 2011, Paul appeared on an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation along with rapper Yelawolf and singer Christina Milian.^[11]

In October 2011, Paul Wall joined forces with Silicon Valley based social and mobile game company Jump Shot Media to create the world's first mobile battle rap game, Battle Rap Stars. Paul is featured as the "main event" and is the rapper to beat in order to win the game.^[12] On March 7th 2012 Paul Wall released a mixtape entitled ^[13] "No Sleep To Houston" and as of 3-28-12 it has gone silver on the mixtape website "datpiff".

Personal life[link]

Paul Wall married girlfriend Crystal in 2006. Their son William Patrick Slayton was born April 18, 2006.^[14][15] and their daughter Noelle Slayton was born in 2007.

During a concert in San Antonio Paul Wall hit a fan with a microphone. The fan was flicking his middle finger at Paul Wall. Paul Wall apologized to not only the victim but to all his San Antonio fans.^[16]

In 2010, Paul Wall went on an extreme diet and had gastric sleeve surgery,^[17] resulting in an over 100 lb. weight loss.

In February 2011, Paul Wall and his wife Crystal unveiled a Bonnie & Clyde 40's themed photo shoot, which revealed Paul's slimmer, trimmer physique.^[18]

Discography[link]

• 2004: Chick Magnet
• 2005: The Peoples Champ
• 2007: Get Money, Stay True
• 2009: Fast Life
• 2010: Heart of a Champion

Awards and nominations[link]

Acting career[link]

During his break from rapping, Paul Wall appeared in Furnace with Ja Rule. He also appeared in the 2009 movie I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell along with Jesse Bradford and Matt Czuchry. He was in 2010 movie; Alligator X '.^[21]

Filmography[link]

Video games[link]

• 2011: Battle Rap Stars for iPhone and Android

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Paul Wall

• Paul Wall on Myspace
• Paul Wall at the Internet Movie Database