By Dylan Deprey
“The Paper Route” is Larry Bull’s second album. (Album cover)
Extra!! Extra!! Read all about it!! Larry Bull’s “The Paper Route” is out!
The Milwaukee rapper’s sophomore album is more than double entendre. “The Paper Route” is a witty play on a small-time job, and the actual race for riches, but it also lays out a lesson for what can happen when a small-time job with the wrong people, can stray somebody far from the riches.
Running off the high from his first album, “Levels,” Larry Bull locked himself in the studio over the course of seven months. During that time, he also racked up several heavily-watched rap battles on big name Milwaukee stages, and continued to make a name for himself in battle rap. He said it was the combination from both realms that fueled a fiery confidence in him for his second album.
“Now, you see a full and energized Larry, one that’s been eating his Wheaties and been in the gym 24/7. He’s the guy that’s got a team together, the supporters behind him. It’s one that’s mean on the mic and in battle rap. I have gained a whole new breed of confidence over the past year and that’s what I’m trying to exuberate right now,” he said.
He said “The Paper Route” was first-and-foremost a motivational album.
“It was built to motivate and inspire you to go hard and push you at whatever you’re doing, whether that means you’re a grinder, a hustler, a worker or someone that just needs to lock in and focus, it’s to help you get the ultimate focus,” he said.
Songs like “Plug” describe a worn-out Larry Bull, one that is ready to quit his job and start selling drugs. It narrates a story about making desperate decisions, under desperate measures, and the repercussions that evolve from them.
“Let’s say you get a phone call from a certain homeboy that you know isn’t that good. It’s the one that always has the harebrained scheme to get us a billion dollars in 30 seconds, and you finally go hang out with him and go on a ride. Well, it’s that ride that brings you where you don’t need to be. You may have succeeded in that dumb decision but the ending cost could be anything, jail, injuries and of course the ultimate: death.”
The album is also a timestamp alongside his musical brothers, AR Wesley and Mike Regal. He said they had brought him in early on in their careers and have helped each other along the way. They all dropped their first albums, and made countless performances. As AR Wesley and Mike Regal made their way out to Las Vegas, the three built a fan base extending far outside Milwaukee.
“I saw many different states because of the music I made,” he said. “We basically spent an entire year performing and we accomplished a lot that doesn’t go talked about. We say things and highlight it, but what really happens and the impact we’re really making, I want to talk about it.”
He said “The Paper Route” was a celebration of ego. His angle for this album was to craft an homage to the grinding the trio had done since they began their careers. As Mike Regal dropped “The Gold Tooth Bandit” and AR Wesley released the long-awaited “Traffic,” he was also excited to drop his second project.
“The first album the wheels were set in motion, but moving into the second album, the wheels were doused in gasoline, set on fire and thrown down the street,” Larry Bull said.
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“The Paper Route” is available on all streaming platforms.