Papoose did not take the easy way to the top and instead seemed to carefully calculate his every move to maximize his exposure and creative control. Papoose was born Shamele Mackie in the infamous Brooklyn neighborhood of Bedford Stuyvesant, the same area that also produced rappers Jay-Z and Notorious B.I.G. He took his rapper name from a nickname given by his grandmother because she thought he looked like a Native American baby as an infant. Papoose first started rapping when he was only 11 and started building his reputation from day one.

In 1999, Papoose finally started getting the recognition he deserved by appearing on Kool-G-Rap's Roots of Evil album. Instead of capitalizing on the newfound fame by immediately releasing an album, Papoose started releasing singles underground. One of his hits was "Alphabetical Slaughter," which rhymed smoothly through letters A to Z. It was after this release that he turned down a record deal. He instead released a mix tape called Art of War. Through promoting this mix tape, Papoose hooked up with DJ KaySlay. Papoose saw a golden opportunity with KaySlay and signed with his Street Sweepers Entertainment label.

With KaySlay, Papoose started releasing mix tapes like Charades. Before he had even released a first real album, Pappose had put out some 227 songs, including "Monopoly," "Flashback" and "Mothernature." He also appeared on a remix of Busta Rhymes' "Touch It." Mainstream success was finally coming his way, and Papoose signed a $1.5 million contract with Jive Records in 2006. He released some of his best hits soon after with The Best of Papoose, The Mixtape. Already a Legend dropped in 2007. The next year, personal tragedy hit for Papoose when his fiancé, fellow rapper Remy Ma, was sentenced to eight years in prison for a shooting. They are now in the appeals process.