Papoose has opened up about the $1.5million record deal he signed at the beginning of his career, admitting it was the “worst mistake” he’s ever made.
During a recent interview with Big Boy’s Neighborhood, the New York native discussed signing his first major deal with Jive Records back in 2007, after tearing up the mixtape scene as young and hungry rapper.
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“It was the mistake I ever made in my life, taking that deal,” Papoose said of the $1.5million dollar deal the label gave him. “You gotta remember, I met [DJ Kay] Slay in 04′, [and] we ain’t get a deal till 07′. We was working hard, mixtape after mixtape after mixtape.”
During his mixtape days and while working with his longtime collaborator DJ Kay Slay, the rapper said he gained many “haters” that resulted in him having some negative interactions within the music industry, which possibly could’ve negatively impacted his career.
“I had a lot of haters who was just mad because Slay had found me,” Pap explained. “So I caught a lot of Kay Slay hate.”
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He also explained that “in conjunction with a lot of other things, people stood down.”
“My first single had Snoop Dogg on it by the way, [and was] produced by Scott Storch and they was like, ‘Okay, now we can finish him for real because if we don’t play this record he’s gonna look crazy and that’s what they did, long story short, [and] after a couple other bad situations, the deal folded. So I went back to the streets,” he said.
Even though the rapper has had some trouble throughout his career, his fortunes seem to have turned around over the past few years. Papoose was recently appointed Head of Hip Hop at TuneCore.
TuneCore is a Brooklyn-based company that specializes in independent distribution, publishing and licensing deals for emerging artists. The rapper announced his new position in Times Square in January, in front of a billboard advertising his new role.
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“Today we announce my transition from artist to executive,” he wrote on Instagram. “As ‘Head of hip hop’ at the best distributor in the world. @tunecore I’m feeling truly blessed, humbled, & honored by this amazing opportunity.
The Brooklyn native added his official email address for potential clients and artists to contact him about TuneCore’s services. “If you’re serious about following your dream. Email me papoose@tunecore.com God is the Greatest!!”
The congratulatory messages continued to pour in via Pap’s comment section from the likes of Fat Joe, DJ Premier, Busta Rhymes, Jermaine Dupri, Ghostface Killah, Nems and more.
Papoose shared another post from his office chair where he reflected on his journey and how he’s looking forward to using all of his experiences in the rap game to help artists navigate the business side.
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“It feels great to take all of my experiences, everything I’ve been through, all of my hard work [and] turned it into something positive and give it back to the up-and-coming artists,” he said.
“[It’s] very important. Follow your dreams and now you got someone in position who knows what it’s like to be an artist, who knows how hard it is, who knows how discouraging it could be at times.”
