Papoose Reflects On The Legacy Of "Alphabetical Slaughter"

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Papoose looks back on the legacy of "Alphabetical Slaughter."

In a recent interview with Hot 97's Ebro Darden, Papoose broke the origin story of his most well-known record to date, "Alphabetical Slaughter." Packing punchlines in alphabetical order, the rapper went from A to Z then back Z to A, remaining one of the most skillful displays of lyrical exercise. He explained that the song actually was a work in progress in 1993, when he penned A through C.

"In 1993, I started writing 'Alphabetical Slaughter.' Any of my friends could tell you this, I had it from A to C so when I would battle cats in the street, right? If they wouldn't tap out, I would pull out 'Alphabetical Slaughter' and the battle was over," Pap explained, describing the set of bars as his "secret weapon" in the battle ring. 

Papoose said he linked up with DR Period who produced the song and printed it on vinyl in 1998. The record was so popular that even by the time he connected with DJ Kay Slay, people were still hounding him about it so he re-released it on Slay's 2004 project, The Streetsweeper Vol. 2. 

"Everywhere I go, bro. I'm talkin' about, especially overseas. Forget it. The first thing they say before they say 'hello' is 'Alphabetical Slaughter.' It's like a legend by itself," Pap said of the song's impact. Even Daniel Radcliffe did his own rendition of Pap's track on Jimmy Fallon not too long ago, though never gave him his credit.

"So many rappers have tried. And, you know, I respect and appreciate that they try. But, you know, when you're doing 'Alphabetical Slaughter' -- and I challenged myself -- when you're doing your As, the Bs, you gotta use all Bs. You can't say 'the' or 'I,'" he continued. "When you look at it on paper, it has to be written out on paper or you failed."

Peep the interview below. 


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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