Papoose

My mix tapes sell like drugs on the street," says Papoose. "That's just the truth." This Brooklyn rapper isn't humble, and he's also not wrong: Since he connected with New York mix-tape king DJ Kayslay a couple of years back, the twenty-six-year-old MC has appeared on a string of mind-blowing -- and top-selling -- underground releases. Nas, Busta Rhymes, Talib Kweli and Paul Wall have all rushed to record with Papoose, and a major-label deal is imminent: He says we can expect an official debut later this year. "I'm the hottest MC in New York," he says.

SOUND Papoose, a.k.a. Shamele Mackie, grew up, like Notorious B.I.G. and Jay-Z, in the Bed-Stuy section of Brooklyn, where he idolized MCs like Big Daddy Kane and Rakim. You can hear that in his irrepressible flow and sharp take on everything from Katrina to King Kong.

SUCCESS, BY THE LETTER Mackie started writing lyrics at age ten and got his first break at eighteen, when Kool G Rap invited him to guest on his album Roots of Evil. Papoose's local reputation grew when he independently released "Alphabetical Slaughter," where he rapped a verse for each letter of the alphabet ("Cockin' caliber chromes, creatin' casualties, compensatin'/Dominatin', devoted, dealer-devastatin' ").

A DJ SAVED MY LIFE By 2004, Papoose was impatient for the big time. He started hounding Kayslay as he entered New York hip-hop station Hot 97's studio for his radio show, trying to press a demo into his hands. "He was more aggressive than other guys," Kay Slay recalls. "He got real angry, and we started exchanging words. I said, 'When I get home, I'm gonna listen to this shit. It better be what the fuck you say it is.' And when I went home and listened to him, I said, 'Oh, shit. This motherfucker is hot. How am I gonna play this?' "

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