After years of slaying rappers in the underground hip-hop scene with his hard, politically charged rhymes, Papoose is ready to take his lyrical flows to the masses.
Born in Africa and raised in the ghettos of Brooklyn (Bed-Stuy, to be exact), the MC says he knew early on that rapping was what he was born to do. Grinding the rough streets and warding off hustlers at every corner drove Papoose to churn out brutally honest joints, which has since become his trademark.
"When you hear my hardcore lyrics and the negativity, it's not a bluff. It's real-life experience," said Pap, who began spitting rhymes at his local park when he was 9.
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Fueled by the works of old-school rappers like Big Daddy Kane, Kool G Rap, Rakim and Slick Rick, Papoose ? whose nickname was given to him by his grandmother ? also draws inspiration from politics and literature. In particular he cites American poet Langston Hughes, who Papoose says challenged his ability to express emotions in more innovative ways.
"Anybody can read a book and recite it, but that's not what you're supposed to do," he said. "You [should] read it, take it into your own understanding and spit it back out."
As buzz began to build for the burgeoning rap star, Papoose began drawing block-party-size crowds to his 'hood in the BK. Taking in just enough money from the hyped-up audiences, Pap started to finance his own disc, underscored by the inimitable A-to-Z joint, "Alphabetical Slaughter," a track he began writing back in 1994 but didn't wrap until five years later.
"The concept for ['Alphabetical Slaughter'] came from constantly hearing everybody doing the same thing," the rapper explained of the joint. "I just ... [wanted] to do something different. Nobody never broke down 26 letters of the alphabet ... so precisely."
The crazy freestyle eventually caught the attention of Pap's idol, Kool G Rap, who featured him on "Home Sweet Funeral Home," off his 1998 LP, Roots of Evil. To meet a growing demand, the young rapper started churning out mixtapes at a furious pace from a rundown shack in Brownsville. He moved thousands of units, earning himself the title of the King of the Underground Mixtapes and snagging the attention of major radio stations like Hot 97 ? home to another one of his heroes, DJ Kay Slay.
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Pap approached the legendary DJ/radio host with a copy of his seven-track The Art of War, but was quickly rejected by the Drama King and his Hot 97 night show, the Drama Hour.
"His reaction wasn't too smooth at the time," Pap recalled. "Me and him exchanged some words, so we didn't start off on a good foot, but I came back and he saw that I was persistent and I wasn't going away."
Pap's perseverance landed him a spot on the show; he spit some bars and the rest, as they say, is history. Records labels started offering deals, although Papoose has refused them all so far ? he's aware of the hype and isn't willing to settle just yet.
"I haven't signed with any of these labels because there's nothing really they can offer us," he explained. "I'm dominating ... mixtapes, radio and magazines. Everyone knows who Papoose is and for those who don't know me, this is an introduction. I've generated so much buzz and so many fans that for me to settle for less with a record label, I would be a complete idiot."
Still, Pap promises he'll lock it down with one of two labels currently vying for him so he can drop his first full-length LP, Nacirema Dream ("American" spelled backward), later this year.
"I [know I] can be made into a bigger artist," Papoose said. "That's obvious, and a lot of fans want to see me go there, but it's got to be with someone that's going to take it to another level. There's no going backwards here."
Mixing socially conscious tunes like "Monopoly" and "New Era" with straight hardcore flows like "The Beast," Pap says he wants Nacirema Dream to reflect pressing issues affecting the current landscape of hip-hop. He recently dropped "Mother Nature," on which he voices his concern for Hurricane Katrina victims.
For now Pap is pushing his latest mixtape, A Threat and a Promise, which boasts joints with heavyweights Nas, Busta Rhymes and Juvenile.
"All the top lyricists in the game is doing things with Papoose for the single fact that I represent what they represent," he said. "[But] there are a lot of MCs who get intimidated when they hear me and don't want anything to do with me."
The hungry rapper is ready to take down any of his adversaries to see his dream come to light. "Everyone at the top, I'm coming for your spot," he warned.
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