PAP Chanel is the next woman in hip-hop ready to dominate in her own way
In a time where women continue to dominate the genre of hip-hop, Midgeville, Georgia native PAP Chanel is looking to contribute to the cloth while building upon the camaraderie amongst females within the rap community.
Coming off of her versatile (P)retty (A)nd (P)aid mixtape that was released early September, PAP Chanel has cemented herself as an artist who will not be defined by the origins of her title as a rapper.
Following The Definition of PAP EP, released in 2018, The Pretty and Paid tape consists of seven new tracks. All diverse in sound highlighting PAP Chanel’s artistic progression between projects.
The recent release of the video for her standout track “2 Way Street,” which features Memphis superstar rapper Blac Youngsta, has accompanied the release of her visuals for the outro track from the EP Wonderful. PAP Chanel is making it clear to the rap community that her voice is here to stay.
A conversation with PAP Chanel…
Last week I had the opportunity to speak with PAP Chanel about her recent mixtape release and future endeavors.
The Georgia rapper gave me some insights on her many motivations behind making music. As well as her influences growing up and what goes into her process in the midst of creating a project.
While the events of 2020 have been mentally and creatively stifling for many, PAP Chanel feels as though this moment in time has motivated her to work even harder. It gives her time to hit the ground running by doing what she can to continue recording music, evolving, and experimenting with her craft.
PAP Chanel expressed that her work ethic during this time was not only for the sake of her personal improvement. But also to continue to feed her beloved fanbase.
Along with sharpening her musical talents, networking has been a focal point for PAP Chanel. As she continues to ascend within the music industry, she has found herself collaborating with the likes of legendary artists such as T.I. and Trina.
When discussing the origins of her rap name, PAP Chanel went into detail. She explained that the acronym PAP (Pretty And Paid) was more than a name for herself, but a concept deeply rooted in its representation.
Coming up with the concept in middle school as a group for her female peers, PAP Chanel set out to use the acronym as a way to empower herself and the young women of her class.
Women empowerment
To this day, the sentiment remains the same, taking on a more magnified significance as PAP Chanel has established herself in an industry that has been historically male-dominated.
“My main objective when it comes to Pretty And Paid is to let women know that we should wear our confidence like we wear our weave and we should have our foot down about everything and demand our work. When I first made Pretty And Paid I was in the 7th Grade, I felt like everything, not just music was dominated by males so I wanted to come up with a group for females… I just wanted to let women know that it is ok to be confident, demand your worth and to be themselves.”
PAP Chanel
It was clear that PAP Chanel knew at a young age that she would have to be her biggest fan. The immense confidence that she brings to her music has brought to light the more work and faith she put into her craft, the more fruits she would ultimately receive from her labor.
In doing so, PAP Chanel has used creativity to her advantage on the Pretty And Paid mixtape as the versatility on the project is prominent throughout. From the diversity in her lyrical cadences to the production, there is not a single record that sounds like the other throughout the mixtape.
PAP Chanel on shaping her sound…
In regards to what contributed to the experimentation of different sounds on the project, PAP Chanel attributed this to her love for artists as a music listener growing up who have had different cadences and rhyme schemes in their arsenal.
Citing legendary artists like Foxy Brown, Lil Wayne, T.I. and Nicki Minaj, PAP Chanel details that the key factors that made her fall in love with their music was the manner in which they use their wittines and lyrical versatility.
With the knowledge that music would be the route for her, PAP Chanel prioritized the ability to utilize all of her musical talents by establishing fluidity in her artistry outside of rhyming.
This was displayed in many ways on the mixtape as PAP Chanel’s vocal abilities were made present on tracks like “Nobody” and “Country Girl.” She went on to express the fact that singing was her first love when it came to music and would be a skill of hers that she plans to continue to polish overtime.
When it comes to the different elements of her music, it is apparent that PAP Chanel possesses a progressive mindset as the Pretty and Paid mixtape shows a vast amount of growth from The Definition of PAP EP.
Growing as an artist…
Describing the process of what took place during that growth over time, Chanel spoke on how the EP was utilizing the sound that essentially introduced her name to the masses while the tape was the project that allowed her to let loose artistically and exhibit all aspects of her artistic capabilities.
“At the time where I first made The Definition of PAP, my whole objective was to let people know that there was a new girl in town and wasn’t really thinking that it would go big. So when I dropped the EP till now there’s a big difference and when you listen to it (the EP), I kind of had this one sound. Pretty And Paid showed how versatile I could be and I felt like this was the project where a lot of people wanted to know more about who I am.”
PAP Chanel
PAP Chanel went on to divulge the aspect that made her happiest about the project is that most of the songs were recorded in October and December of last year.
Furthermore, she expressed that she has not completely concluded the creation of the Pretty and Paid as she assured that a deluxe edition of the EP was on its way shortly.
Reflecting on her days freestyling in high school back in Milledgeville, Georgia where she grew up, PAP Chanel has acknowledged how far she’s come and shown the determination to push her music further.
Just a girl from Milledgeville, Georgia…
To her, making it from Milledgeville has influenced her drive to work tirelessly towards her music. Given the limited amount of opportunity that comes to people from her hometown, PAP Chanel has taken the responsibility to be the light that shines out of her city who can pave a trail for others to follow.
In consideration of the musical impact that women have been making over the years, collaboration amongst female artists in rap is a topic that PAP Chanel has been very passionate about.
Female collaboration
Besides the great music that has come from female collaboration in hip-hop, PAP Chanel is looking towards the bigger picture of what this collective unification could mean for women not only regarding music but in the world at large as she feels it will continue to open doors for women.
“I wanna work with female artists because once we get together and show people that we can work with each other and not be against each other, it’s gonna open up way more doors for females period. The fact that Nicki Minaj and Megan made a song last year, so many women blew up after that. I feel like these dudes out here are getting scared because they’re seeing that we can work together. And we’re showing that there can be more than just one female artist on a pedestal.”
PAP Chanel
Naming Nicki Minaj, an artist she has adored growing up, and Memphis, Tennessee rapper Jucee Fruit as collaborators she would like to work with in the future, PAP Chanel is committed to striving towards bringing women together in hip-hop.
Going forward, PAP Chanel has no plans halting the pressure she has been applying this year with plans of adding to the visual portion on the original Pretty And Paid EP tracklist as well as a video for a song from the Deluxe EP.
From listening to her music to speaking with her, PAP Chanel is an extremely talented artist with the mature mindset and good intentions that will lead to her substantial longevity in Hip-Hop.
I want to thank PAP Chanel and her team for taking the time to make the interview possible. Go stream Pretty And Paid EP available on all streaming platforms and be on the lookout for new music from PAP Chanel soon!