Papoose

Released: October 9, 2020

Featuring: DJ Premier

Songwriter: Papoose DJ Premier Brady Watt

Producer: Brady Watt DJ Premier

[Intro]
You'd rather live in shit than let the world see you work a shovel
We about what we about and that's that

[Verse 1]
I'm representing with end swords, firin' workers for tryna be the boss
The Video Music Box watcher who used to read The Source
Four-finger rings, Levi suits, the freeze and cross
Back the scalpel on you, won't make you take your Adidas off
The Louis the 13th ace capo who eat the course
2020 718 Spyder, you see the Porsche
With the gunplay just like the homie who be with Ross
Rules of the street code gettin' brutally reinforced
The Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles vision when I be squeezin' off
Blind to your pain, we don't see remorse
If he say he get it out the mud, he grimy, you heard me, nigga?
The only ones playin' in the mud is dirty niggas
Court's open twenty-four hours, they servin' niggas
Nowadays you better off bein' a workin' nigga

[Chorus]
You'd rather live in shit than let the world see you work a shovel
We about what we about and that's that, workin'
You'd rather live in shit than let the world see you work a shovel
We about what we about and that's that, workin'

[Verse 2]
Pandemic, rest in peace
Death appears pleasant, but it's levels to it
To live in peace is real leverage
They don't really care about George Floyd, that man breathless
Not enough carin' yet all these Karens so damn reckless
Learnin' from my child, my daughter gave me a clear message
Blessed like an angel, the golden child, she angelic
Yes man, you just agree with it 'cause your man said it
Ain't no "I" in team, homie, you can't spell it
Sometimes you gotta create space if you feel threatened
Do 'em like Michael Jordan used to do 'em, hand-checkin'
Chrome BB gun with the hammer, we used to share pellets
Valedictorian, graduated to real reppers
Middlemen strivin' to squash beef, you can't stress it
Once there's bloodshed in that beef, homie, you can't dead it

[Chorus]
You'd rather live in shit than let the world see you work a shovel
We about what we about and that's that, workin'
You'd rather live in shit than let the world see you work a shovel
We about what we about and that's that, workin'

Shamele Mackie, or Papoose is a rapper from Brooklyn, New York. He is of Liberian and Native American descent. He was given his name by his grandma Vivian because of his childhood resemblance to a Native American child.

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.

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