The Progressive Underground Show 190 feat. PAUL HILL

Paul Hill Music

On this episode of The Progressive Underground, host Chris Campbell interviews international recording artist PAUL HILL along with delving into tracks from his newly released album “I Gotta E’Pee.”  We also chat with Detroit producer PIRAHNAHEAD who will be hanging out in studio as well.  We also play tracks from Corey King, Nightmares on Wax, The Pendletons, Eric Krasno, Theo Parrish, Jay Prince, Joyce Wrice, SEEK, Moodymann, Cassandra Wilson, Sonzeira, Rick Wade and many more!  

We go from 8-11 pm EST on 101.9 WDET and wdet.org.

PAUL HILL BIO

Paul Hill was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. His love for true soul music was cultivated by his late mother (Carolyn
A. Hill), and since the age of 7 the soul of Detroit’s original Motown sound inspired and influenced his unmistakable style as well as classic R&B, Soul, jazz, Funk and ballads. He was influenced by crooners from Al Green and Frank Sinatra, to Marvin Gaye, and adding flair by merging those styles with icons like Stevie Wonder, Parliament-Funkadelic and The Beatles. Paul is a music connoisseur with a knack for bridging the gap between the old and the new; He is one with true soul, and soul knows no limits.

Like his mentor George Clinton, Paul began as a barber and hair stylist, and pursued his passion of music from the barbershop, using his earnings to finance his music projects. It would make total sense that he would one day become a card-carrying member of the P-Funk All Stars, helping to usher P-Funk into legendary status. He even helped to reinvent P-Funk by restyling George Clinton. Paul Hill has been featured on various P-Funk All Stars releases; How Late Do You Have 2BB4UR Absent, Gangsters of Love, Family Series, and Baby Makers Volume 1. As a live performer with P-Funk, Paul has traveled the globe sharing the stage with other musical talents such as: Beyonce, John Legend, Kanye West, Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige, R Kelly, Snoop Dogg, Jamie Fox, Prince, Erykah Badu, Lauren Hill, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ron Isley, Sly Stone, Isaac Hayes, Whitney Houston and James Brown. Paul also briefly toured with Alexander O’Neal and produced songs for his upcoming project.

When Motown legends The Four Tops, Freda Payne, Mary Wilson (The Supremes) and Sylvia Moy (Motown writer, ‘my cherie amour’) were ready to release new projects, they sought out the one person they knew would create a fresh new sound for them while allowing them to stay true to their roots – Paul Hill. When super-producer Dallas Austin (D.A.R.P) wanted new production talent on his team, he called Paul. Paul mentored and helped to catapult the careers of the Grammy winning production team, The Funktwons (Tim & Bob) by bringing them to D.A.R.P.; From that came the careers of TLC, Destiny’s Child, Boys II Men, Sisqo, and many more, which also earned him a multitude of Platinum awards. His love and passion for Motown would soon bring him to work with the very legends of Motown he admired – Holland Dozier Holland – the Legendary writing and production team. Recognizing the unique skills that Paul possesses, Edward Holland quickly acquired Paul as a writer and producer on his own label, H-D-H.

Alongside the music, Paul has performed on David Letterman, Jay Leno, The Carson Daly Show, The BET awards (for their 25th anniversary), The Grammys, The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (for which he is an inductee), HBO’s Sinbad’s Summer Jam, New York Undercover, The Bernie Mac Show, as well as feature films “All Access” (IMAX), and “The Breaks”. His song “My Square” is featured on the soundtrack of “Super Sucker” (starring Jeff Daniels). Paul made a featured appearance in Too $hort’s “Gettin’ It” Video, and performed on the “Gettin‘ It” LP which earned Paul his first RIAA certified platinum album.
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Though he is in on plenty of hit albums by others, In the early 2000’s Paul released his own 6 song EP which displayed his production, writing and vocal skills. The indie release featured the tracks “Issues”, and the sensual “Need Me Some U”, which was well received and was revived with a remix by Detroit’s Moodymann; this got the attention of Gilles Peterson who added it to the compilation ‘Bubblers 10’ on his Brownswood imprint. 

In 2016, Paul released ‘I Gotta E’Pee’, a collection of new songs which take on lives of their own with each listen. The storyteller takes you around the world and back, through your mind. Not only that; he goes all the way Swagadelic by including a comic book that lets you in on how the sessions actually went, with the participants involved. With clever lyrics, metaphors, puns, and the unmixtapeable cool that is Paul Hill – ‘I Gotta E’Pee’ is that real.

Also on the horizon, Paul has his own imprint ‘WE4EVADELIC’, which is a launching pad for projects such as his memoir ‘High Hopes & Hell Holes’, the documentary ‘Before & after The Funk’, and other musical projects for the future. As Paul Hill has been mentored and shaped by Legends in the music business, and has mentored and shaped modern day hit-makers, and is a maker of hits of his own; all things come full circle. Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Paul Hill.