S. Samuel
New York rapper Papoose is not falling back on recent comments he made about fellow Big Apple native Jay Z, specifically the fact Young Hov is not as elite an emcee as himself.
In Pap’s perspective, Jigga Man’s lyrical skills do not match up to his own.
“It was an uproar, as always when I speak the truth. It was just an uproar. Some people agree with me. Some people disagree with me. That’s what happened. It was definitely an uproar, I can say that. A lot of people reacted to that statement. Like I said, I seen a balance. Me just doing my own [analysis] of it, I seen a lot of people who said, ‘Yo, technically Papoose is better than Jay Z. Lyrically Papoose is.’ If you put all the extra sh*t aside which has nothing to do with our craft. … Facts is facts, lyrically he’s not on my level.” (VLAD TV)
Earlier this month, Pap released a new track and reminded everyone of his greatness over Jay.
Featuring slick boom bap production from DJ Premier, Papoose’s new record “Current Events” is an overview of New York’s status in 2014 as he describes the lack of competition that is taking place in his hometown, Hov included. “I said I’m better than Jigga ’cause I’m better than Jigga/I ain’t a rookie to this shit, I’m a veteran spitta,” he raps. (Complex)
When asked how confident he is as an emcee, Pap recently declared himself better than Jigga.
Nobody is better than me — Jay-Z, nobody,” said Shamele Mackie, better known by the stage name Papoose. “None are more lyrically inclined than me. None of them. I’m definitely the king of New York. I am the greatest out of New York.” … “When I look in the mirror, I don’t see Jay Z — I see Papoose,” said the musician, who’s married to Remy Ma, a Grammy-nominated rapper serving time for a 2007 shooting. “More power to him, but he’s not better than me.” (NY Daily News)
Last fall, the self-proclaimed “King of New York” said the industry had kept him from reaching mainstream success.
“I got a mixtape I’ve been working on called Blackballed, because that’s what I am, I’ve been blackballed. I am the most feared MC, the industry is afraid of me, and that’s the only reason why I’m not in the position that I deserve to be in, but I keep resurfacing because you cannot deny talent, you cannot stop destiny,” Pap revealed in an interview. “So for me to always be in the headlines, in the worst and the best ways, every time they turn around, that’s just the reaction that takes place when you try to stop destiny or control talent and hold somebody back. This is what happens. It has a way of reacting. They’ll never be able to stop me or control what I do. But I am the most feared MC, and a lot of your favorite artists and execs–a lot of people hated on me, man. I’ve been hated on, and that’s the only reason I’m not in the position I deserve to be in. So that’s why that’s the title of my new mixtape, Blackballed.” (XXL Mag)
