Shamele Mackie (born March 5, 1978), known professionally as Papoose (), is an American rapper. Well known for his freestyles and prolific

mixtape A mixtape (alternatively mix-tape, mix tape or mixed tape) is a compilation of music, typically from multiple sources, recorded onto a medium. With origins in the 1980s, the term normally describes a homemade compilation of music onto a cassette ...

output, Papoose has released four studio albums and 29 mixtapes since 1998. Born in New York, he began rapping in the 1990s, making his first appearance on

Kool G Rap Nathaniel Thomas Wilson (born July 20, 1968), better known by his stage name Kool G Rap (or simply G Rap), is an American rapper from Queens, New York City. He began his career in the mid-1980s as one half of the group Kool G Rap & DJ Polo and as ...

's 1998 album ''

Roots of Evil ''Roots Of Evil'' is the second solo album by Mafioso rap artist Kool G Rap, released in 1998 by Kool G's record label, Illstreet. It boasts two singles, "Foul Cats" and "Can't Stop the Shine," and reached #43 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart ...

''. Papoose produced and distributed his own mixtapes during the early 2000s, eventually signing a $1.5 million contract with

Jive Records Jive Records was an American independent record label founded by Clive Calder in 1981 as a subsidiary to the Zomba Group. In the US, the label had offices in New York City and Chicago. Jive was best known for its successes with hip hop, R&B, an ...

. After his debut studio album, ''

The Nacirema Dream ''The Nacirema Dream'' is the debut studio album by American rapper Papoose. The album was first announced to be released under Jive Records in 2006, but after many delays and label issues, it was released on March 26, 2013, through Honorable Re ...

'', was repeatedly delayed and eventually shelved, he and frequent collaborator

DJ Kay Slay Keith Grayson (August 14, 1966 – April 17, 2022), professionally known as DJ Kay Slay, was an American disc jockey (DJ) from New York City. He is referred to by ''The New York Times'' as "Hip Hop's One-Man Ministry of Insults". He released fou ...

cut ties with Jive, and released several free mixtapes between 2006 and 2013. The album was eventually released on March 26, 2013 through Honorable and Fontana. His second album, '' You Can't Stop Destiny'', was released in 2015.

Early life

Shamele Mackie was born on March 5, 1978. He was raised in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

and has ancestry from

Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...

. The nickname "

Papoose Papoose (from the Algonquian ''papoose'', meaning "child") is an American English word whose present meaning is "a Native American child" (regardless of tribe) or, even more generally, any child, usually used as a term of endearment, often in t ...

" was given to him by his grandmother for his resemblance as a baby to a Native American child.

Career

Beginnings (1998–2004)

In 1998, Papoose made his rap debut on

's ''

'' album. In 2004, he released his debut single, "Thug Connection", which featured the b-side "Alphabetical Slaughter".

Select Records Select Records is an American record label. Among its most popular acts were the Real Roxanne, Chubb Rock, AMG, The Jerky Boys, Kid 'n Play, UTFO, Whistle, and Gary Private. From 1990 to 1995, it had a distribution deal with Elektra Records ...

offered him an eight-album deal, which he rejected.

Breakthrough, independent mixtapes (2005–2012)

After a stint at

Rikers Island Rikers Island is a island in the East River between Queens and the Bronx that contains New York City's main jail complex. Named after Abraham Rycken, who took possession of the island in 1664, the island was originally under in size, but has ...

, Papoose began producing and selling

mixtapes A mixtape (alternatively mix-tape, mix tape or mixed tape) is a compilation of music, typically from multiple sources, recorded onto a medium. With origins in the 1980s, the term normally describes a homemade compilation of music onto a cassette ...

independently, one of which he presented to

outside the offices of New York's

Hot 97 WQHT (97.1 FM, ''Hot 97'') is a commercial radio station, licensed to New York, New York, which broadcasts an urban contemporary music format. The station is owned by Mediaco Holding and operated by Emmis Communications under a shared service ...

, who then invited Papoose onto his radio show. Impressed by his rendition of "Alphabetical Slaughter", Kay Slay signed him to his Streetsweepers imprint. Papoose continued to release mixtapes at a prolific rate, over a dozen between 2004 and 2006, and won the Justo Mixtape Award for Best Underground Artist in 2005. During this time, he became associated with

Busta Rhymes Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after NFL and CFL wide receiver ...

Flipmode Squad Flipmode Squad is a hip hop collective founded and fronted by rapper Busta Rhymes. The first Flipmode album debuted in 1998 with ''The Imperial'', Rampage and Rah Digga went on to record solo efforts. In the move to J Records in 2000, Lord Hav ...

, appearing on the remix of " Touch It". On August 24, 2006, Papoose announced that he had signed with

in a deal worth $1.5 million. and was planning his debut album, ''

''.''

Hip-Hop Connection ''Hip Hop Connection'' (''HHC'') was the longest running monthly periodical devoted entirely to hip hop culture. It was described by rapper Chuck D as "the best magazine in the world". History Under the editorship of Chris Hunt, the magazine p ...

'', October 2006. In September 2007, Kay Slay revealed that he and Papoose had left Jive, saying that they had "almost (became) victims of A&R hell." Papoose continued to release his work independently, dropping nine mixtapes between 2007 and 2012. On the 2009 mixtape ''21 Gun Salute'', Papoose admitted that he was able to keep the $1.5 million from Jive, despite not releasing an album.

''The Nacirema Dream'', ''You Can't Stop Destiny'' (2012–2015)

After seven years of development and 27 mixtapes in all, Papoose secured a deal with

Fontana Distribution Fontana Distribution was a division of San Francisco-based Isolation Network (now owned by the Virgin Music Group unit of the Universal Music Group since 2019). A minority stake of the company was owned by Universal Music until Ingrooves, INgroov ...

to release his debut album ''

''.Papoose Tells Old Man Ebro He Deserves More Spins on HOT 97 + Tells Cipha Sounds, Rosenberg & K. Foxx That Prison Guards Spy When He And Remy Get It In [VIDEO]
Hot97.com (December 13, 2012). Retrieved on 2013-01-14. The album was released on March 26, 2013, to positive reviews from music critics and debut at number 97 on the U.S. Billboard 200, ''Billboard'' 200. It was preceded by the single "On Top of My Game", featuring Mavado (singer), Mavado. On June 2, 2013, Papoose "crashed"

's Summer Jam with the help of

Top Dawg Entertainment Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) is an American independent record label founded in 2004, by CEO Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith. Terrence "Punch" Henderson is president of the label. There are currently eleven artists signed to the label: the label's f ...

, performing ''The Nacirema Dreams third single "Get At Me" with Ron Browz. Following the release of "

Control Control may refer to: Basic meanings Economics and business * Control (management), an element of management * Control, an element of management accounting * Comptroller (or controller), a senior financial officer in an organization * Controllin ...

", Papoose took offence to

Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper and songwriter. Known for his Progressive rap, progressive musical styles and Social consciousness, socially conscious songwriting, he is often considered one of the most infl ...

claiming the title of "King of New York" and dissed him in a remix of the track. Lamar called Papoose's response "comical" and threw shots back at him during the

BET Hip Hop Awards The BET Hip Hop Awards are an annual awards show, airing on BET, showcasing hip hop performers, producers and music video directors. The awards ceremony began in 2006; it was held on November 12, 2006 at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, and w ...

cypher. On October 4, 2013, Papoose responded by saying that Lamar would never be "able to shine my shoes, lyrically" and that he was planning to release another

diss track A diss track, diss record or diss song (diss – abbr. from ''disrespect'') is a song whose primary purpose is to verbally attack someone else, usually another artist. Diss tracks are often the result of an existing, escalating feud between the ...

on an upcoming mixtape. On November 4, 2013, Papoose released ''Hoodie Season'' his first mixtape since his debut album. He would release two more mixtapes, ''Hoodie Season 2'' and ''Cigar Society'', before releasing his second studio album '' You Can't Stop Destiny'' on July 17, 2015.

Television career, ''Underrated'' (2015–present)

With the release of his wife

Remy Ma Reminisce Mackie ( Smith; born May 30, 1980), known professionally as Remy Ma, is an American rapper. Discovered by Big Pun, she came to prominence for her work as a member of Fat Joe's group, Terror Squad. In 2006, she released her debut stud ...

from New York State prison in 2014, the couple joined the cast of VH1's '' Love & Hip Hop: New York'' for its sixth season after receiving "an offer they couldn't refuse". He has continued to appear on the show in seasons seven and eight, before being promoted to the main cast in seasons nine and ten. He also starred in the spin-off show '' Remy & Papoose: Meet the Mackies'', and in the specials ''Remy & Papoose: A Merry Mackie Holiday'', ''Dirty Little Secrets'' and ''The Love Edition''. In conjunction with the show, Papoose released the song "Black Love", in tribute to his relationship with Remy. On February 15, 2019, Papoose released his third studio album, ''Underrated''.

Personal life

Papoose is of Liberian and Cameroon descent on his mother's side. He is the cousin of multi-platinum producer

Pi'erre Bourne Jordan Timothy Jenks (born September 19, 1993), known professionally as Pi'erre Bourne (), is an American rapper, record producer, and audio engineer. He is best known for producing the singles "Magnolia" by Playboi Carti and "Gummo" by 6ix9ine ...

. Papoose has two children with ex-girlfriend Yvetta Lashley, Dejanae Mackie, born November 1996, and Shamele Mackie, born April 1999. He also has a daughter, Destiny, born September 2000. On May 12, 2008, he exchanged wedding vows with rapper

over the phone while she was incarcerated. In February 2016, they officially married in a formal ceremony, which was featured in the season finale of '' Love & Hip Hop: New York''s sixth season. She gave birth to the couple's first child together, Reminisce Mackenzie, on December 14, 2018.

Discography

Studio albums *''

'' (2013) *'' You Can't Stop Destiny'' (2015) *''Underrated'' (2019) *''Endangered Species'' (2020)

Filmography

*''

Righteous Kill ''Righteous Kill'' is a 2008 American action thriller film directed by Jon Avnet and written by Russell Gewirtz. The film stars Robert De Niro and Al Pacino as New York City Police Department detectives on the hunt for a serial killer. It is the ...

'' (2008) *'' Love & Hip Hop: New York'' (2015–2020) *'' Remy & Papoose: Meet the Mackies'' (2018)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Papoose 1978 births African-American male rappers American people of Liberian descent American people of Cameroonian descent American prisoners and detainees Five percenters Living people Rappers from Brooklyn Underground rappers Participants in American reality television series 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American people