Among the many artists who responded to Kendrick Lamar’s verse on Big Sean’s “Control” was Brooklyn rapper Papoose. Months after the release of “Control” and Papoose’s “Control Freestyle,” the New York City lyricist says he was the one who inspired K-Dot’s king of New York mention on the song.
During an interview with Vlad TV, Papoose spoke on the rapper after he was questioned about Maino’s King Of Brooklynmixtape. Pap revealed that he wasn’t offended by the title of Maino’s project and later added that he influenced Kendrick’s “I’m the king of New York” lyric on “Control.”
“I didn’t feel nothing,” Papoose said when asked about Maino’s King Of Brooklyn mixtape. “I dropped the King Of New York project in 2012, 2011. I ain’t feel nothing about that. Brooklyn is a part of New York. You know what I’m saying? He entitled to feel how he wanna feel. You know what I mean? Same thing with me. So, you know, I ain’t feel nothing…Nobody said nothing when I said I’m the king of New York. You was around. I actually influenced Kendrick Lamar to do that. To jump out the window and say that. I dropped my King Of New York project. I did the ‘Versace’ shit, I was saying ‘king of New York.’ I did the Meek Mills joint.”
Papoose continued to speak on the king of New York title, stating that he was the one who put that particular title in the spotlight. Additionally, the Brooklyn emcee says his “Control” response was the only “Control” retort fans were looking out for.
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“I put the highlight on that title,” he said. “And made niggas wanna say they kings again…I never spoke to him [Kendrick Lamar] about that, but it was basically obvious. That’s how I feel. It was like when he released ‘Control’ everybody came to me. Everybody started hitting me up. ‘Yo yo yo.’ Because that king of New York identifies with Papoose. It’s like he said my name when he said that. Because that’s what I’ve been representing. I dropped a project. I did everything. All my releases you was hearing me screaming ‘King of New York.’ You wasn’t really hearing nobody saying that before that…My ‘Control’ response was awaited. Even the blogs was writing that…So, everybody was waiting for me to respond. They wasn’t waiting for nobody else. Why? Because I identify with that title king of New York. All this is facts. I’m not making this up.”
In response to Papoose’s “Control Freestyle,” Kendrick revealed that the rapper had the most “comical” response to “Control.”
“I liked the [King] Los verse,” Kendrick said, during an interview last year. “Joe Budden did this thing, Joell; a lot of people with different approaches…Joey had the facts in his verse, a few things that he felt. Papoose had the comical joint. Los was flipping his words and putting that spunk on it. I think he had the killer thing though. Yeah, Los killed it out of everybody. But the number one joint at the top of the list had to be Chocolate Drop.”
