Papoose is an American born rapper, song writer, and reality TV star. Although he was born in a neighboring city to Brooklyn, NY, the city of Bedford-Stuyvesan, Papoose’s family’s heritage is of Liberian decent. He was born on December 1st in 1978 and has carved out quite a name for himself in the music industry, not only with his self-propelled endeavors of writing, singing and releasing his own music, but with his presence on one of the most popular VH1 reality TV series. Papoose is also tied to a few other people in the world of rap, one being a relative, and the other his spouse. You may recognize this popular rap artist by name or his music, but here are 10 things you didn’t know about Papoose.
1. He’s part of the VH1 series, Love & Hip Hop: New York
Papoose decided to take an offer that he describes as being one he ‘couldn’t refuse,’ and that was to join the cast of the popular hit reality TV series, Love & Hip Hop: New York. He joined the cast during the sixth season and continued on the show during the seventh and eighth season. He was just one of the cast members for these first three seasons, but was then upgraded to a main character position for the following ninth and tenth series of the show.
2. Was first recognized in 1988
Papoose was first recognized way back in 1988 when he made an appearance on Kool G Rap’s from the same year, Roots of Evil. It was the following year that he released on his own debut single, called, Thug Connection, according to Famous Birthdays.
3. How he came to be known as Papoose
It might seem obvious where the nickname, Papoose, might come from, and if you guessed that he favored a Native American baby when he was a tot, then you would be correct. At least, that’s what his grandmother thought, because it was his grandmother who made the observation and lovingly applied the moniker, which eventually became the name he goes by, professionally.
4. His first single was a major hit
According to Hollywood Life, when Papoose released his first single called, Alphabetical Slaughter, by Jive Records, the song was an instant sensation. The song earned him a $1.5 million signing deal with the record label, however, when he debuted his first album, Nacerima Dream, Jive Records shelved his album and Papoose left the label and moved on to release singles on his own.
5. He grew his own fanbase underground
It became pretty clear that Papoose didn’t need Jive Records to become a success at writing and recording. This was proven when he ventured out on his own and began releasing multiple free mixtapes. The mixtapes helped get him noticed and it wasn’t long before he had quite a large fanbase in the world of underground hip-hop, a term used to describe those who distribute their own music and aren’t known to be tied to a label.
6. Worked with the infamous Busta Rhymes
Often referred to as one of the most popular rappers in the history of rap, Papoose not only got to meet the legend, but he was able to be a part of making the remix for Busta Rhymes’ track, Touch it, back in 2008.
7. He has a cousin who’s gone platinum
Success runs in Papoose’s family when it comes to the music business. Pi’erre Bourne was born, Timothy Jordan Jenks. He is the younger of the two, and he dropped out of graphic design school to pursue his love of music by moving to Atlanta and enrolling in sound engineering school at the SAE Institute. To date, two of the most popular songs he’s produced, include, Gummo, by 6ix9ine, and Magnolia, by Playboi Carti.
8. He’s won an award
Papoose may not have won a Grammy, but he has won an award for his music and it’s one that recognizes underground singers. In 2005, Papoose took home the Justo Mixtape Award for the best Underground Artist, something that 7only helped further his career in the music business.
9. He got married over the phone
It may not have been ideal, but when you love someone, you’ll do just about anything. Papoose’s girlfriend and fellow rapper, Remy Ma wanted to tie the knot, however, one little hangup was that Ma was spending time in jail for a shooting incident. According to NY Dailynews, rapper, Remy Ma, shot her former friend in the stomach, a wound her friend recovered from. The incident was said to be over money, and after pleading for mercy, the judge sentenced her to eight years in jail. Papoose had already planned to marry his rapper girlfriend, but plans had to change and do an over-the-phone, exchange of vows until her release in 2014 and they could have a regular ceremony.
10. He’s a dad
Papoose is a dad. He’s the father of four, with two children being the product of his relationship with his ex-girlfriend, Yvetta Lashley. During his relationship with Lashley, the two had Shamele Mackie, born in April of 1999, and Dejanae Mackie, born in November of 2003. He then had a daughter named Destiny, born in 2000, and most recently, he and his wife, Remy Ma, had a child, Reminisce Mackenzie who was born in December 2018.
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