Papoose

Real Name: Shamele Mackie
D.O.B.: Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York

Label(s): Streetsweepers

Born in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, New York, Papoose made his first attempts at rapping at the age of 11. He was given his name by his grandma because of his childhood resemblance to a Native American child. Inspired by Big Daddy Kane, Kool G Rap, Notorious B.I.G., and Big L he made his first recorded appearance in 1998 on Kool G Rap's Roots of Evil album. The following year, he released his first single, "Thug Connection"/"Alphabetical Slaughter".

On August 24, 2006, his official website announced that he had signed with Jive Records in a deal worth $1.5 million. An album to be called The Nacirema Dream ("American" spelled backwards) was planned. However, in September 2007, Kay Slay revealed that he and Papoose had left Jive, commenting that they had "almost [become] victims of A&R hell."

In 2008, Papoose issued a statement saying that he and fellow rapper Remy Ma were to be married, but due to Ma's impending jail sentence of potentially up to 15-25 years, that the couple had changed their plans and intend to marry in prison instead. Papoose planned to wed his fiancée while in prison, but the wedding was called off for one day after he attempted to smuggle a handcuffs key into prison on their wedding day in May 2008. After the incident, Papoose married Remy Ma the next day inside the courtroom right before sentencing and was barred from visiting Her for six months.

After an early record deal failed, he decided to produce and sell his own mixtapes, one of which he presented to DJ Kay Slay outside the offices of New York's Hot 97 after the latter's radio show there. This led to Kay Slay inviting Papoose onto the air, and, impressed by his rendition of "Alphabetical Slaughter", signing him to his Streetsweepers Entertainment label. He 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. As of 2009, he released his twenty-first Mixtape, 21 Gun Salute.

One of his most notable songs is one where Papoose raps using all the letters of the alphabet in the form of alliteration entitled "Alphabetical Slaughter".

More recently he made a song called "Change Gon’ Come (50 Shots)", that talks about the Sean Bell shooting, in which an unarmed man was shot at fifty times by New York police. The song concludes with a sample of fifty gunshots.