by Brooklyn White
PAP Chanel says that rapping has always been "in her, not on her," as she began reworking classic nursery rhymes at age 11. "It all grew from when I was younger and I would just write down different rhymes,” she said to The Gumbo via Zoom.
Years later she's grown in her skills, dropping an EP in 2018, The Definition of P.A.P and most recently her debut mixtape, Pretty and Paid. Pap named the project after an acronym of her moniker "P.A.P,” which stands for “pretty and paid.” The mixtape includes seven songs and only one feature, as she wanted to work on her own sound with this tape. "I know a lot of people were anticipating my new project," she said, speaking on the gap between her releases. But she maintains that she wanted to "put it on hold" to make sure the rollout was fitting. "I waited a year and a half and I don't have any complaints,” she added.
The mixtape’s sole feature is Blac Youngsta. The Memphis-based rapper approached a song she had already written for the project, “2 Way Street” and added what PAP called “the icing on the cake.” For production on Pretty and Paid, she worked with J. Reid, who has credits with talents like Lloyd, City Girls, Salma Slims, Lil Baby, Lil Wayne, and one of PAP’s idols, Nicki Minaj. "Every time we work together it's magic," PAP said of her relationship with Reid. The two met before she moved to Atlanta and gained the following she has today, and he was among the first to support her saying, "he liked [her] sound and flow."
As far as future collaborations go, PAP says her main goal is to work with more women in the industry. "I feel like times are changing for women,” noting how the competitiveness usually associated with Hip-Hop’s best performers is fading, as she sees multiple women on the Billboard charts at the same time. “Back in the day, they always used to put them against each other," she says, referring to the feud between Lil’ Kim and Foxy Brown. PAP wants to do her part to change that narrative, saying "It's still so much more work to be done and I think we're off to an amazing start.”
With the year winding down and COVID-19 lockdowns seemingly imminent, the rapper shared plans of releasing a deluxe version of Pretty and Paid with more guest features. She’s in what she calls “study mode,” a time she’s using to experiment with new sounds and alter egos. PAP also teased a forthcoming lipgloss line, due out soon. At the end of our call, she tells us to “be on the lookout” for all that she has coming next.