Ballerstatus.com: You've spoke about societal issues in your rap songs. One of your first was "Charades," which dealt with the hip-hop police. You now released "50 Shots," which broke down the murder of Sean Bell by the NYPD. What are your thoughts now after all that's been going on after the murder?
Papoose: Aww man, I think it was an injustice. It was a savage homicide. Justice needs to be served!
Ballerstatus.com: At the end of the song, you let 50 shots ring out. What point did you want to come across from that?
Papoose: Because I wanted to have people hear what it sounds like when 50 shots ring out at an unarmed individual. They were out for blood that evening and they got it.
Ballerstatus.com: What do you think of the police trying to find a fourth man? Do you think it's just an excuse?
Papoose: It doesn't really shock me. They trying to find a back door, back window, a way out. There is no fourth man!
Ballerstatus.com: Have you ever been a victim of police brutality?
Papoose: I grew up in Bed-Stuy Brooklyn, so police brutality was nothing new to me or my boys. We're all sick and tired of it. It's blatant profiling 24/7, 365.
Ballerstatus.com: If these cops were to get off like in previous New York cases of violence against blacks, could you see riots like what occurred in Watts, Cali happening?
Papoose: With the "50 Shots" track, I wasn't trying to incite any violence or idiocy. But, I think people are going to be real angry if these cops don't get punished and there could be a Watts type reaction.
Ballerstatus.com: How was it growing up in Bed-Stuy?
Papoose: Awww man, rough, but at the same time, it's a learning experience. You learn the value of a dollar, honor, and friendship. It was inspirational man. Made me the man I am today.
Ballerstatus.com: How did you come up with the name Papoose?
Papoose: Basically man, Papoose isn't a name I picked out when thinking of monikers. My grandmother began calling me that when I was born. Instead of saying "baby," the Indians say "Papoose." She thought I looked like an Indian baby, and slapped me with the name.
Ballerstatus.com: Did you grow up in a single parent household or with both parents?
Papoose: My story is kind of different. I grew up with both of my parents, which you don't hear from a lot of rappers in the game.
Ballerstatus.com: How important do you think having both parents was considering that many inner-city black youth only grow up with one?
Papoose: It was a benefit. My father was a realist and he wasn't easy on me. He taught me how to be a man and a loyal individual. My father made it real hard for me, there were no short cuts. It wasn't a "Leave it to Beaver" type of household.
Ballerstatus.com: Growing up, were you involved in the street life like a lot of other rappers in the game?
Papoose: True indeed! I wouldn't say like a lot of other rappers though.
Ballerstatus.com: What made you leave the game behind?
Papoose: Just how a lot of my peers ended up. Friends with life bids and in the graveyard. That was the turning point. It made me more serious about the whole music thing.
Ballerstatus.com: You've been on the underground circuit for years... How long have you been rapping?
Papoose: My whole life man since back in the day, when I was a kid. It's always been a passion of mines and I got inspired early.
Ballerstatus.com: Who were some of the MCs you looked up to growing up?
Papoose: Big Daddy Kane, Rakim, Kool G. Rap, LL Cool J, and Slick Rick. The list goes on.
Ballerstatus.com: A lot of the MCs you named came out in the 80's. Any MCs you looked up to that dropped in the 90's?
Papoose: Everybody. Biggie, Pac... all the greats. I respect what Nas put down. Also, the business side of Jay-Z.
Ballerstatus.com: Now, how did you link up with Kool G Rap?
Papoose: One of my dudes, by the name of J. Swift, was a producer for him and I did a song over one of Kool G's tracks. G Rap heard it and was feeling it. He invited us to the studio and I just spit for him and he immediately threw me on "Home Sweet Funeral Home."
Ballerstatus.com: You've built your buzz through mixtapes. There's been a lot of MCs who have failed making the transition from mixtapes to mainstream. How are you any different?
Papoose: The way I came up on the mixtape is totally different from a lot of other MCs. These are cats that only had one or twp features on a mixtape.
On the flipside, I put out 17 mixtapes of my own with 20 tracks or more consistently. I've been winning the Justo Mixtape Award since I hit the scene. You know! I don't think these cats can even compare to what I've done in reference to mixtapes.
Ballerstatus.com: There's almost 220 plus songs in your mixtape catalog, which is like 12 albums worth of work. Would you say you have a Pac like work ethic?
Papoose: I can't even put myself on that level, but to have that comparison is definitely an honor. My work ethic is something I definitely take pride in though.
Ballerstatus.com: The work ethic eventually brought you to Jive?
Papoose: Everything as a whole man.
Ballerstatus.com: When did you find out they wanted to offer you the $1.5 million dollar deal?
Papoose: Well, I had the option to sign at all your favorite labels -- Def Jam, Interscope... all these entities gave me offers. But, we chose Jive because I felt I had more of a clear lane. A lot of those other labels
are over crowded. I got nothing against them, but many artists they sign
end up being tax write-offs. With Jive, I sat down with the owners, no A&R's,
and the chemistry was there and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.
Ballerstatus.com: Did you ever have any doubts about Jive considering all the issues the Clipse have with them?
Papoose: No. Their issues didn't really enter my mind. I feel I built myself to this point along with the whole Streetsweepers family and Busta Rhymes. I covered a lot of ground and feel I already had an established base before signing the deal. All Jive can do is add on. They can't take me backwards.
Ballerstatus.com: I just peeped the "Alphabetical Slaughter" video. Now was that a teaser for the public or will that be the first single off the LP?
Papoose: It's not the 1st single off my LP. Just advertising... let people know I'm coming. Most importantly, it was for my fans because they love
the song so much I felt I had to give them what they wanted. What do you
think of the video?
Ballerstatus.com: I thought it was a good video. Nothing extravagant... straight to the point.
Papoose: No doubt.
Ballerstatus.com: How long did it take you to craft that track? I heard somewhere it took five years.
Papoose: [laughing] It didn't take that long. It took a while though.
Ballerstatus.com: While you were constructing the track, did you preview it to your friends in the hood?
Papoose: I definitely was. When I was doing ciphers, I went from A to C and people were going crazy over it and that convinced me I had to finish the whole track.
Ballerstatus.com: What do you think of older MCs in the game like Jay and Nas that are still rapping? Do you feel it's time for them to retire and let the younger dudes come in to shine?
Papoose: Not at all man. They still put out material and people are buying their records, so why should they retire? There's no reason. One thing about hip-hop is that we have to stop shooting down our legends. Without these cats, we probably wouldn't even be here and they're still putting out hot material.
Ballerstatus.com: Any MCs that are on the come up like yourself who
your feeling?
Papoose: No one in particular man, I respect everybody. I got love for everyone in the game.
Ballerstatus.com: How do you feel about the growing conflict between the East and the South?
Papoose: This is the Mecca, the foundation. You can never doubt that. It all started here, so no one should feel threatened because they're just adding on. The fact that rap started in NY and it's as far as London and Japan is a beautiful thing. It shows the strength of NY. People are emulating what we started. It's a worldwide entity.
Ballerstatus.com: Preview the album for me. When does it drop and who's
on it?
Papoose: Man... it's going to be a classic, historical album. It's dropping first quarter. On the production side, I got Scott Storch, DJ Premier, Swizz Beatz, Pharell, Focus... the list goes on. I'm not going to get into the features yet because it's not final till it's vinyl.
Ballerstatus.com: How instrumental has Kay Slay been in all of this?
Papoose: Wow... without him, I wouldn't be here. The utmost respect to the Drama King. A lot of people didn't want to give me that shot and he did. I'm just glad I was able to pull it off and make him proud.
Ballerstatus.com: The Justo Mixtape Awards you collected last year... How happy did those make you feel?
Papoose: It's crazy 'cause I actually won Best East Coast Artist on a Mixtape this year. I also won a BET award for my collabo with Busta Rhymes on "Touch It." My award show is looking real healthy right now. Awards mean more to me than money man.
Ballerstatus.com: Looking for a Grammy anytime soon?
Papoose: [laughing] Hell Yeah!
Damn, can't wait for Papoose's album.
"It's not final till it's vinyl"
from: http://www.ballerstatus.net/features/read/id/36465870/
chino, post it in game section i dunno if it should be
anywa ei aint even read it yet so ill commment in a minute
