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380AEW Article

Rapper Paul Wall visits 380th AEW

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. J.G. Buzanowski
  • 380th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
Rap artist Paul Wall visited troops at the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing for a one-night show Jan. 18.

The performer's trip was part of an eight-day, USO-sponsored tour to entertain deployed military members at various installations.

"My grandfather was in the Army Air Corps, so my mom grew up as a military 'brat,'" Wall said, "so I was raised with great respect for the military. I love coming out here and performing for the troops."

Wall, a Houston native, is no stranger to military audiences. This was his fifth USO tour, but his first to the 380th. His initial visit to deployed locations was with comedian Jamie Kennedy as part of a hip hop and comedy-themed tour.

"Jamie talked me into coming out that first time," Wall said. "I had no idea I could even do things like this, but I loved that trip, so now I come out whenever I can."

For Senior Airman Stasik Vaughn, whose uncle introduced him to Wall's music, the show was "a big morale booster."

"Tours like this remind you that there's still life out there and something for us to go home to," said the Texarkana, Texas, native. "I was looking forward to the show for a while. I think it was definitely good for folks here."

According to Wall, the best part of USO tour is making connections with people like Vaughn, who said his favorite song is "Grillz."

"I have a lot of fans who are in the military; I run into people who tell me 'hey I saw you when I was in Iraq,'" Wall said. "I tell all my friends who are rappers that they need to do tours like this, because you never forget performing for the troops.

"I think a lot of entertainers take the military for granted," he added. "But it's important to support the troops because they put their lives on the line so people like me can have a career doing what I do. So it's my honor to come out here and perform for them."