Papoose says hip hop needs saving from corny people and the industry gatekeepers who decide which artists get to shine. The Brooklyn rapper spoke with Baller Alert correspondent Tamira, known as @agirlfromharlem, at an event he hosted last night, and when she asked what he felt hip hop needed saving from, his first answer was two words long.
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“The [expletive],” he said.
Tamira pressed him for more, and Papoose delivered.
“Just being corny, man. Corny people, man,” he said.
He then connected his answer to a question raised earlier in the evening about artists who are good at their craft but never reach the level their talent deserves. Papoose believes that gap is sometimes deliberate.
“I think that’s intentional sometimes,” he said. “Some of the greatest artists, you guys aren’t able to enjoy their talent because you got people in positions of power who want to hold them back and pretend like somebody who’s not as talented or don’t have as much substance, their music is better than that person.”
“It’s kind of fake,” he added.
What Papoose says hip hop gets wrong goes beyond the business side. He also took on the idea that hate in the industry is mostly about money and possessions.
“In hip hop, the most skillful artists are hated on the most,” he said. “People base jealousy and hate on materialism. Nah, some people hate you because of your aura. They hate the effect you got when you walk in the room.”
The comments carry weight coming from Papoose, a rapper whose name has been tied to pure lyricism for years, from his mixtape run to records like “Alphabet Slaughter,” where he raps his way through every letter of the alphabet.
Before wrapping the conversation, Tamira asked what he charges for a feature. Papoose made it clear there is no price until he hears the music.
“I gotta hear your music first,” he said. “I don’t just take people money. I wanna like your music first, and then we go.”
